[lplates]

Hi Guys.
I came across your site while reasearching a boat that I am interested in buying. What a great surprise to find an owners club. I can only imagine that there are a lot of passionate Mariah owners here!

The boat I am looking at is a 1996 Shabah 180. It will be my first real boat. I am interested in something I can take the kids out for a ride and perhaps some tubing or even skiing later on. My kids are 8 & 10.

I would love to hear some thoughts on this boat.

[WetWilly]

Welcome aboard lplates,

Glad you found us and your absolutely right about the passion that runs through this club for our Mariahs!

So your looking looking at is a 1996 Shabah 180. great boat and we have members who can attest to that fact. If you look in our gallery, you'll find we have quite a few members with the same model going from 93 to 96 so you should be getting some feedback very very soon and probably from one of our resident experts (Mikeyt) who knows this particular year and model extremely well.

You mention that this will be your "first real boat" so I assume you've had other boats before, is this correct and could you tell us what motor and drive it has and what over all shape is she's in?

Good luck,
WetWilly

[mikeyt]

Welcome aboard!. As you can see & WetWilly noted, i have the same yr/model boat. It seats 4-6 comfortably depending on your seating configuration, has no problems in pulling wakeboarders or skiiers with the 4.3L V6 engine, is reasonably good on gas and has a smooth ride for an 18' boat. If you find one that has been well looked after and checks out on the water then you will have a very good first 'real' boat. Once you get some details about the one you are looking at, post away and we'll offer up our opinions / answer your questions as best we can.

[lplates]

Thanks Guys!

I am going to look at the boat tomorrow. The HIN is MAB----96
and heres a brief description from the ad.
1996 Mariah Shabah 180 bowrider The boat is in good shape 3.0 litre LX Mercruiser, only has 121 hours on the motor and drive ,they have been serviced and its ready for the water .There is a custom trailer ,new tires and spare .pioneer stereo and CD player,it has a bow cover and moring cover with it

I have checked out a price on NADA and they recommend $5500 - $6700. What are your thoughts on the price range (this boat appears to have very low hours)

Is there anything specific I should be looking for good or bad?

I will take a few pics of it tomorrow when I see it.

thanks

[lplates]

I went to see this boat today. Overall it was in great shape - I am a novice though so a tire tube looks great! (looks like it will float!!!) Everything was as listed in the ad. I took a few pics but I am not sure how to upload the pics. It started well and sounded great!
The guy wants quite a bit more then the NADA guide lines though - Can someone comment on the NADA numbers?

[WetWilly]

Hi iplates,

NADA is basically the Kelly Blue boot for boats, and I use it as a reference guide and not the last word. Typically the NADA prices do not include the trailer so depending on the size and quality of the trailer, you can add a few thousand dollars to the suggested value, as well as extra $$ for any of the options listed in their guide like dual batteries, bow covers, Bimini top, etc....

Either way, you should have the Shabah 180 checked out by an authorized Mercruiser service mechanic to insure the engine, out drive, steering and throttle/shifter are in good condition and have the electrical checked as well. You can check the hull yourself, look for any type of damage and bring this to the attention of the shop your working with to see if it's something you need to be concerned about or not. BTW, mind if I ask what the current owner's asking price is?

One way to add pictures to a post:

1) Make sure your pictures are on your computer.

2) Make a post and just before you hit the "Submit Reply" button, scroll down the page until you see the box labeled "Attach Files" and click on the box titled "Manage Attachments". A new window will appear.

3) In this new window, click on the "Browse" box and navigate to the pictures on your PC. Double click on the first picture and then click on "Upload". Now repeat the "Browse and Upload" for each picture, when your done adding the pictures, close the window, you have just attached your pictures to your post.

4) Go back to your post, click "Preview Post" to see what it will look like and make any corrections if you need to otherwise, click "Submit Reply" and your done.

Just an FYI, make sure the pictures aren't too large or it's going to take a little time for the uploads.

There you go,
WetWilly

[lplates]

Owner is asking $10,000. The boat is in Manitoba Canada - was bought in Minnesota recently. The guy selling is a private hobby dealer and appears quite knowledgeable. He spent a good bit of time with me and I would say cares about what he is selling. The trailer is a factory trailer from what I understand - Champion and is in really good shape. Has the 2 bunks each side.

Thanks I really appreciate the help.

[Z 202]

Chariot was the brand of "in house" trailers some Mariah's had. There are plenty of matching trailers in other models though.

Sounds like a nice ride. The only thing you might want to consider is the power. The 3.0L will be good on gas and will be OK for pulling your kids for a couple of more years, but as they get bigger you may find yourself wanting more in the power department. However, you may have "2 foot-itis" by the time that rolls around, and you'll be moving up anyway...

I think in general boat prices in Canada are a bit above NADA values, not sure as to why. If I recall correctly I paid over what NADA was suggesting for my Mariah, but it was in amazing shape and it was exactly what I wanted...

If you are examining the hull yourself, spend some time rapping down along the back of the keel, and along the base of the transom. It should sound solid. I would have the mechanical checked over by a qualified Mercruiser mercruiser mechanic as Wet Willy has suggested.

Good Luck with it.