[TN_Diablo]

Hello from Tennessee,

I have been doing some basic stuff on our old Diablo lately and went looking for some information and found this useful site. Many thanks to those who keep it up and going and I'm sure it will be an excellent resource.

We bought our 180 Diablo brand new in 2001 about June or July just after it was news that Mariah would be out of business. We had no idea what to think about this at first but knew a couple other Mariah owner's who loved their boats. I thought Mariah built a quality boat and I also felt we got a great deal at about 2/3's the list price and very good price compared to other small runabouts for the looks of the boats.

I was looking for a small runabout for a young family to enjoy the lakes in TN. My wife didn't really want a boat but when she saw the Mariah she said it was the prettiest boat she'd seen and we took it for a test ride and felt it rode much better than other lighter (maybe faster) boats we had looked at. Better equipment and more comfortable also and even if it was the little 3.0 4 banger budget model it was up to what we wanted it for. We used it more than I can recall the first few years with our kids and their friends it was well worth the investment after just 4-5 years. Now the kids are more or less grown and gone.

The only change I made right at the start was to return the trailer to the dealer (this was part of the deal) and invest in an aluminum & SS trailer with torsion axle and disc brakes as we would be towing it with our Grand Caravan putting the whole rig right at the limit. The Prestige trailer was pretty and matched the boat but was extra heavy and no brakes with a very short tongue. That's a bad recipe for towing with a lighter vehicle but the long tongue saltwater trailer made towing safe.

Fast forward to 2014. A few repairs recently after letting it mostly sit the last couple years and little to no time on the lake. Most bothersome to me was the tach which refused to move but after skinning the bezel and spinning the needle it freed up. For the most part it still looks as new with just a few stubborn light stains in places on the cushions that don't want to come out but seem to be fading from more sun exposure. We also have one 4" or so tear in the sundeck right by the hinge that will someday need repair I guess. Looks like this site has a link to the original fabric makers.

It still smells like a new boat when you take the cover(s) off. My cover solution has not been the best but is a basic polyester cover and when it is good and dry a sheet of plastic over that followed by a tarp to keep the plastic in place. If I put up like this for the winter it will stay very dry but I need another new cover and want something better for summer to keep rain out completely if possible. We store it outside mostly but I did put a hinge on my long tongue so it can fit in the 24' deep garage I built.

Biggest maintenance headache has been belts that get chewed up from rusty engine pulleys. Otherwise nothing more than fluid changes and one impeller change but the old one looked as new and I keep it as a spare along with an extra set of belts. I also had to replace the master on the trailer when water casued it to rust inside. Other than that I can't think of anything major.

I read where some of you are seeing your original Prestige trailers rust out. Sorry aboput that but it makes me wonder the condition of our original and if the dealer still has it. He said he kept it since a couple of these boats had been sold as rentals on Dale Hollow Lake without trailers and they could use a trailer to pull them out for maintenance. We tow these days with a 4WD Pilot and never any trouble.

We still love our Mariah and enjoy getting it on the lake and it's better with friends. I trashed a prop once way back and when I went searching for a replacement I found two amazing deals and got one each a 19 and 21 pitch for something like $30-40 from different close outs. I'll put the 19 on for a day with tubes and friends and it has towed up to 3 tubes with 5-6 kids at once. I'll switch to the 21 if just my wife and I will go out cruising in the evening and it will run effortlessly at about 35 mph on a calm evening lake with a top speed of maybe 45.

Oh yes, one bad experinece years ago with a storm coming and we went running back to the dock to beat the rain but when we got there an old guy had sunk his fishing boat at the end of the ramp and had the whole thing blocked refusing to move. Finally helped him get out of the way and had our trailer in the water but too late and swells had started crashing in and beat the boat against the trailer doing a little gelcoat damage. A basic white gelcoat kit was easy to use and the repairs I made are essentially invisible. I'm surprised how easy this is really and now I have no fear of little cracks or damage to the hull.

Oh I guess maybe much tooo looong an introduction but 'Hello' anyway if you skipped all that.

[mikeyt]

Welcome aboard! Nice to hear from someone having a long history with their boat and that they are still happy with it!

[TN_Diablo]

Thanks and yes still very happy. I remember being told to avoid the plywood in the hull boats like Mariah but I really believe it's what makes the Mariah more solid than others. We've never abused it and with the minimal maintenance I've done I don't see why my grandkids (If I ever have them) won't be riding behind it some day. My biggest expense has been fuel and insurance and no major repairs (knock on that wood). Sometimes I think I've spent more time cleaning and so on than running it but that's my fault for not using it more last couple years.

By the way I have all the original literature and the Mariah Brochure if it would ever be helpful to put images up. I was reading somewhere about a 20' Diablo and I sure don't remember that but looking at the brochure I have it clearly states 180/200 Diablo with either a 3.0 or 4.3L.

[ColoradoDiablo]

Welcome to MOC!
How about some pics of your Diablo.