Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Hello all, brand new member here. I'll keep this as short as possible, but don't want to skimp too much.

I'm 31, work as a regional airline pilot, am married to the woman whom suggested we buy our first boat (:wink_thumbup:), and grew up around boats and various PWC, as did my wife. I'm pretty mechanically inclined so don't be afraid to be a bit technical if you deem necessary.

We went into the boat selection process knowing we had very similar tastes in boats in general. We want a deck boat, bowrider, or runabout. No center console style. I prefer I/O, she's indifferent other than looks (prefers I/O). Top of our price range for our first boat caps near $15,000 with obvious exceptions for an exceptional find.

We looked at 10-12 boats within an hour and a half of our home (Houston, TX) and narrowed it down to one dealer boat and the Mariah that I've already fallen for...without even laying eyes on it yet. The link to the ad is here ---> https://houston.craigslist.org/boa/6045056631.html

General breakdown: 1995 Shabah 202, 5.7 V8 MerCruiser (350 hours on it) with a 19p prop and a spare 23p that's brand new. Dual batteries with switch, as well as two brand new blue top Optima's that come with it. Condition is said to be as good as you could possibly imagine for being 22 years old. He's super anal with his cleaning and maintenance regiments.

The only negative I've found online when looking at a Mariah in this age range is transom rot/flex. I'm now familiar with testing methods, to include transom tapping with a mallet/ball peen, seem inspection for cracking, top cap screw removal (with owner permission) to check for rot near the top, and side cap removal to inspect wood condition. Oh, and raising the stringer to manually attempt to flex the transom (again, with permission and not being overly forceful).

**Are there any other Mariah-specific things I should be looking out for on this well kept specimen?**

The Mariah has a custom built HD aluminum trailer (built in 2010), decent aftermarket black wheels, tires/spare have less than 500 miles on them, and custom runners to fit as good or better than the original trailer.

The contender for this boat is in this link ---> 2004 Tahoe Deck Boat 204 WT for sale | Conroe, TX

The only thing this one has wrong with it (pending open water trials) is vinyl condition. Included in the $13,000 price is replacement of all cracked vinyl portions. I said if we buy it I want the entire interior vinyl redone and I'll pay the difference, which they agreed to. Trailer is in decent condition, everything else seems to be in good shape. All hoses, gaskets, valves that I had access to were clean with no aged hoses etc.

With a used boat I do understand the difference 9 years can make, but the build quality of the early era Mariah's is so hard to look past. Being a pilot and a gearhead, it's so hard to overlook the importance of the level of care this boat has received on top of the fact that they were so well made back then.

So, there it is. Sorry for the novel. :eek_animated: My wife and I are bringing my father (30 years of experience with boating, engineer, very critical of build quality and is just as nit-picky as me) to see the Mariah tomorrow morning and we're likely to make up our mind by Monday. Just hoping for a little advice on things to check for and maybe a boost in the "right" direction. Thanks guys and gals! :D

Edit: As far as I can tell, this is a 202, not a 202Z. What is the difference there? And HP rating...is 220 HP correct or am I missing something?

Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Hi there.....
Sounds like you got it down. I know that there's a Buyer Guide specific to Mariah Boats up in the file section somewhere.
I have a 1998 Mariah 202 with a 5.0L and an Alpha I/O. It is currently undergoing reupholstery efforts. But that's why I got it for $2000.00 with a trailer.
If you sit behind the wheel, is there a small sub panel with a radio in it down to your right below the dash line? Also, what color is the hull? If you get the Hull ID number off the transom, one of the guys on here can look it up.
To tell the truth, I like the looks of the Mariah's that have a cuddy cabin and head with a bowrider. I think that they were 305s... anyone?
Anyway... good luck with your new 202. You guys should have a lot of fun with it. I wish my wife didn't think of my Mariah as the other woman....



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Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Hey... just saw the photos... that is a Z202....
It's got the docking lights, hull color accents, the small radio dash panel, ect...


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Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Hah! Let's hope we don't end up the same way then. ;) I appreciate the response and will likely follow up with the hull number for lookup. What kind of information can I expect from the lookup? Just curious.

Great, thanks! Now, what's the difference between the Z and the non-Z? Hoping the Z has a higher HP rating, along with the docking lights, hull accents, etc that you mentioned. :D

Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Those Tahoes are a dime a dozen. Go for the Mariah :wink_thumbup:

Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

Well, we did end up with a Mariah after all, just not the one I posted about. That boat was in great shape but the owner was the biggest womanizer and ******* that I've ever dealt with. He belittled my wife and her questions while we were looking at his boat. Half way through I told him that the boat is in phenomenal shape, and under different circumstances we'd buy it after a sea trial, but you're just not the right seller for us. He huffed and puffed and we walked away.

Brought my fathers' discerning eye to look at the Tahoe again and found some coverups of obvious salt water use, as well as some fiberglass rot (I think) in the center long storage just below deck. It was covered with a stock looking rubber mat. So we were back to no options and went home to keep looking.

On our 20 minute drive home my wife found the 1997 Shabah 272Z that I saw the day prior but figured she would say hell no it's too big...well, it's the one we're buying (pending sea trial next week)!! Here's the listing:

1997 Mariah 272 Shabah, Conroe Texas - boats.com

It's got the 454 mag (385HP) with the exhaust that can be swapped from quiet to not as quiet (forgot the name) and lots of space! Interior is 98% flawless with only two tiny tears at corners.

Anyone have any experience with this hull and engine combo? Hoping to get more solid numbers on expected top speed. The man showing it had just come back from vacation and the boat was new to him.

Re: Considering a 1995 Shabah 202 for first boat
 

The exhaust is called a Captains' Call. Glad to see that you went with a Z272. If you're wondering, the LOA is 27' 2". That's where the model number came from. As long as you guys have some experience, this should be a really nice boat for you both. I'm just curious if the cockpit sink works? Good luck with your new (to you) Z272.


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