[kgoo]

Just closed on our "new to us" 1999 202 Mariah Shabah (20'). We are very excited, and just a little nervous because it is our first boat.

Any advice on the following will be much appreciated:

1. The faux wood-grain glove box door is broken. Any ideas on where to find a replacement?

2. There are a couple of small tears in the vinyl seats. Any advice on vinyl repair kits (we don't want to completely re-upholster the seats yet)?

3. Is there a manual available somewhere for this model?

4. We have an ez loader trailer. The "benches" had to be moved very close to the center of the trailer to raise the boat up high enough to clear the wheels. I am concerned that this leaves the boat somewhat unstable. Although it seemed fine on the highway, our cottage is at the end of a very rough gravel road so I'm wondering if the trailer should be modified to add some type of raised benches to support the boat further out (or if this can even be done)?

[Z 202]

Welcome to the club!

1. Unlikely you'll find a replacement. That's the kind of thing Mariah made in house, so salvage may be your only friend there. There is a thread in the how-to's on repairing the dash, you might want to check that out.

2. You'd like to keep the upholstery as much factory as you can. It's incredibly well done. Once again some members have had luck with fibrenew So have a look at that thread.

3. Owners manuals and supplements as well as repair manuals are available to contributing members, however manuals are not model year specific. They are more just general boating manuals. IIRC the '97 version is supposed to be the best quality.

4. My 202 sits up high on my single axle (Eagle) trailer. I've never had a problem with it. It tows really well, and I've never had stability issues on the backroads around where I boat. If you think you need additional support, you can probably source extra bunks and attach them.

[kgoo]

Thanks very much for the tips Bliss!

Kgoo