New owner, a few easy questions
 

This week I finally bought my first Mariah. An all original ’98 Z202 Shabah with a merc 5.0. It's been stored indoors all it’s life and is in excellent shape. I couldn’t be more thrilled with my purchase. After waiting 4 long days, I finally got it in the water for in inaugural run with the family, so of course, now I have a couple questions.

The sun pad/engine cover:
From what I’ve read on here, it sounds like some of you have 2 lift rams to open the cover. I have one on the starboard side. When I lift the cover, it doesn’t open evenly because it’s lifting from the front SB corner of the cover. I’m considering fitting a gas strut to the port side to aid with the lift and help keep the cover from twisting when opening/closing. Anyone have any experience with this or recomendations?

My battery switch is under the cover. In order to turn everything on, I have to open the cover. What if my lift motor goes out or my battery dies? How do I open the pad manually? Is there a jumper post somewhere outside of the engine bay?

Prop:
I have a 23 pitch prop on the boat. Of course sitting here right now, I can’t remember the size, but after trimming it out, my WOT rpm is around 4500-4600. I read here that WOT rpm for the 5.0L should be 4500-4800 so I’m in the right range. My max speed with those parameters (via the speedo, not gps) is 48-49 mph with my wife, 2 kids (ages 3 & 4) and myself in the boat. The hole shot was very acceptable and I don’t think it would have any trouble pulling a slalom skier up. Am I out of line to be expecting a little better top speed out of it with a 23 pitch prop on it?

Anyone know what length windshield wiper is on the boat? The plastic clip that holds the wiper blade on is broke so the wiper is missing.

Anyway, of course I love the boat and my wife is quite pleased with it too, so all is good in paradise :wink_thumbup:

One more question I have. What warnings are tied into the warning buzzer? Does everyone elses warning beep until after motor is started and oil pressure comes up?

My friend has a different brand boat (starts with B, sounds like "geah miner") with a merc outboard. His beeps for 1-2 seconds when you turn the key on to let you know the warning system is active, then it shuts off so you can hear the motor while you're starting it. If there's a problem (low oil, overheat), it only goes off if the motor is running, not if just the key is on.

Has anyone changed their warning system to behave more like this? Care to share how you did it?

Thanks
Paul

Welcome to the board Paul!

I'll try and answer all your questions for you.

1. The sunpad/engine cover. Most were equipped with just one lift ram, on the starboard side. Mine was originally equipped with one, however the previous owner had it removed and replaced with gas assist struts on both sides. I can get the hatch up as quickly as I can lift it. Which is nice... However, there are a few different options. There were also some double rams fitted on later model Mariahs. Here's the website for more info: Hatchmasters.

2. Many people have pointed out the concern for access to the battery switch with a power hatch. And it is a very legitimate concern. It would involve running lengthened battery lines and relocating the switch somewhere else. One of our members did this and added a jump point under his rear seat. Search the forum for "Battery Switch" and you'll find many good ideas.

3. We've got some prop gurus on here, unfortunately I'm not one of them. They'll probably chime in, and if not, make a new post asking for prop advice!

4. I just replaced my wiper, and I believe it was a 17". However I think this size changes with the different size windshields... But normal automotive blades won't fit with all the plastic mounts, I had to scrap all that and use just the rubber blade and the two metal strips from the old blade.

5. The warning systems that are tied into the buzzer are temp, oil pressure, and drive lube level. This is a Mercruiser standard. The buzzer should sound until everything checks out ok. Maybe your friend's boat (being an outboard) uses a different warning system? But it sounds like yours works right! I'm jealous... mine hasn't worked right since I got it, so it stays unhooked until I can get it to the dealer for diagnostics.

Hopefully this answered most of your questions! If not, just search the forum, these are very common issues and we've all talked about various solutions to each of them. And don't be afraid to ask any questions, we're all here to help!! :wink_thumbup:

Welcome aboard Paul! Sounds like an impressive find!

I'll try answering your questions...

Yes, most of us only have one lifting ram for the sunpad. On mine, the port side has a gas strut that doesn't do much good. Someone has posted a lift you can buy that goes on both sides and looks like it would resolve this issue. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find it.

The lift from the factory has a slot that will allow you to open the hatch manually about 6-8 inches. You can then reach in and pull the pin that attaches it to the sunpad. You can then lift the sunpad manually all the way, but it's terribly heavy!

I'm guessing you made a typo on your current prop pitch. I'd be very surprised if your getting that many RPM's and great hole shot with a 23 pitch. My guess would be a 21. Sounds like you're right on with the RPM's and speed though. I wouldn't mess with it unless you really want more speed and less hole shot. I doubt it would add any more than 2-3 MPH becasue I think your engine would bog down and not be able to turn as fast.

The warning beep signals low/no oil pressure, low drive oil, overheat, etc. I'm not familiar with outboards, but I wouldn't try messing with it unless it's really driving you nuts. Yes, it is normal to have the beep until oil pressure builds.

Get some pictures posted! We love drooling over each others boats here. How many hours are on yours?

Thanks Chis and Ryan.

I'll do some more searching on the battery switch. I think I'll probably be relocating it so I don't have to open and close the hatch every time I want to use it. A jump point by the rear seat is also a good idea.

Thanks for the info on the sun pad. I'll look at that and figure out how to open it manually. I'd hate to get stuck somewhere and not know how it works. Also will have to decide if it's worth adding another hydro lift to the other side to get it to lift evenly. I think if I move the battery switch so I don't have to open and close the cover every time I run the boat, it might not be so bad to just leave the current configuration.

Bummer about an automotive wiper not fitting. The plastic attachment point that holds the wiper onto the metal arm is what's broken on mine. Sounds like I'll have to get creative with that fix.

I'll recheck the prop numbers tonight, but I'm almost certain it was a 23p. It surprised me when I read it. The way the boat handled, I was expecting it to be a 21p. The hole shot doesn't throw you to the back of the boat, but it does get out of the water and plane out quick enough. I should have timed how long it took to plane out. Maybe next time out.

I'll wait until I've used the boat more to make a judgment on the warning buzzer. It just makes it hard to hear the motor when starting it up. Other than when cranking the motor, I'd be fine with it always beeping when the key is on. Yeah, I'm sure my buddies boat (even though a merc motor) uses a different warning system. His only checks the injection oil level in the reservoir.

I'll try to get some pics soon. Right now, I only have a few that the seller took for his craigslist ad.

The meter says 300 hours on it, but I'm having a hard time believing it was even used that much. I read that the meter goes with the key, not with the motor running, so I suspect the key was left on a couple times. With the exception of a 2" scratch in one sticker, a dime sized chip in the gelcoat and the broken wiper blade, the thing looks brand new. Only other item that will need some attention, the snap out carpet is missing and I'd like to add a gas strut or two to the ski locker door.

Thanks for all the info. I looked at some of the wiper arms online and I think I'll be going that route. I'll keep you guys posted as to what I end up with.

I rechecked my prop this weekend. 14x23p. I'm certainly not dis-satisfied with the performance, but curious if there's a better setup. Since I don't really want to give up top end or cruising speed and when we water ski we generally don't have a ton of people in the boat, I'll stick with the current configuration for now and see how it goes.