Best add ons to my Mariah
 

Even though Mariah was considered the best equipped boat in the world, I though I would share a list of that I added to my '95 Talari 180 over the years to make my boating life better:

1: Docking cleats at the midships: It was surprising that the only cleats on the boat were at the transom and bow. There was no place to hang a front fender! Purchased perfect matches from Overtons.

2: Depth finder: I placed one in the center of the dash. Measure 50 times, cut a hole once!!

3. Transom tilt switch. This is a very simple install and saved me a lot of climbing and hitting the skeg on the ground.

4. Enlarged the holes for holding the convertible top. I placed rubber moulding around the edges. Made getting the top out a little easier.

5. Added rear speakers on the panels on both sides of the rear couch. Just remove the panels, take them to an audio shop to mount the speakers, and hook them up to the wiring that is already installed. There are also speaker wires installed for bow speakers, but I haven't done that yet.

6. Smart Tabs. Easy install, incredible results.

Any one else want to share?

Looks like Mariah heard from their customer's responses like this, back in the day...

My '99 came with mid cleats, came with depth finder, came with transom tilt switch, convertible top fit without trouble, and came with rear speakers. It's nice knowing when a company will listen to their customer's desires and do something about it. You're perfect proof of items people want.

I also added Smart Tabs and couldn't agree more. I added a fiberglass swim platform (that I couldn't live without now), upgraded the stereo including a sub.

I assume "add ons" don't include normal maintenance... but things like gimbal bearing, shift cables, etc. are eating into the budget for anything else!!

I'm curious to hear what everyone has "upgraded" or added to their boats, but yeah, like indykoch, my 98 z202 came with all that stuff already on it.

After reading all the rave reviews on them, I am considering adding smart tabs, but I will wait until next summer after I have used it more to decide if I should go for it or not.

I bet you "Z" guys have to struggle to find something to add on.....:yes_grin:

haha. Yeah, And I was born with a silver spoon in my backside too :rolling_laugh:

Yes, there's a reason I bought a Mariah Z package boat... cuz they're saaweeeet :wink_thumbup:

Can you share any more information on the smart tabs?

My Z model came with lots of things, but it was special ordered without some of the options that would have made it "really nice", and for what reason the previous owner opted of of some things, I don't know, but I still love it.

One of the first things I added on my boat was a Carbon Monoxide Detector inside the cabin. It's a peace of mind thing. And yes, it has gone off once or twice. Then I just open the hatch and turn the fan on, to clear it out. I recommend everyone with a cabin install one. Mariah installed them in their larger cruisers (z260, z280, z308, etc)

Then I had a new cockpit cover made. The original one was starting to deteriorate, and really took away from the look of the boat. It was the buckskin color, and showed dirt really bad. And I actually had to buy a special tool to stretch the top every time I put it on. I had a new sunbrella cockpit cover made in black, and it really adds to the look of the boat.

Next is the VHF radio. This is a pretty essential communication device that's come in handy many times. On larger waters, like the great lakes, it provides me with small craft advisories, USCG "Securitae" messages, weather forecasts, docking instructions, and a way to hail and communicate with other boats. It also has DSC, which interfaces with the GPS to broadcast my Lat/Long coordinates in a distress situation. One click of the distress button, and my coordinates are broadcast to the USCG, and all surrounding boaters. I think everyone should have a VHF radio, even if it's just a handheld. Mariah offered a flush mounted version that fit in the dashboard. Mine's mounted on the starboard side down by my knee.

GPS. I just upgraded this past week to a chartplotter (which I'll be adding in spring!). I used a basic old handheld GPS previously, and it did the job, but there have been many improvement in GPS technology since that unit was made. This new chartplotter has all the navigational charts and markers loaded into it, and is accurate to 9ft. Once again, if you navigate large lakes or open seas, it's a great thing to have. Once again, Mariah offered GPS as an option, which flush mounted into the dash.

Subwoofer & Sirius Satellite Radio. Just having a little extra kick in the stereo is nice. It's not obnoxious, and it really can't be heard outside of the boat, but I like it, especially when I can just flick the switch and turn it off if need be! The Sirius is really nice because it never loses signal, has tons of options as far as music goes. Alternative Rock, Classic Rock, Reggae, Jimmy Buffett, you name it! Perfect for any occasion on the water!

LED lights. Mariah did a great job installing lights everywhere, however replacing the bulbs with brighter LED's and red colored ones for the cockpit really improved the night time look of the boat.

Here's the list of stuff I added on my 1996 Talari 209.

1. Full canvas covers (mine didn't have them)
2. Rear speakers even with the rear seats
3. Front speakers for the bow seats.
4. Fender hangers aft and amidship.
5. Bimini added at purchase time and rear support poles added this year.
6. Shark Fin on outdrive (faster planing time and lowered planing speed).
7. Replaced stereo with Clarion CMD4 (awesome unit. CMD5 looks like a good one too)
8. iPod mount
9. pneumatic adjustable pedestal for driver'
10. Secondary battery

Things I would like to add:

1. Mid cleats
2. Cold weather enclosure for cockpit (canvas and clear vinyl)
3. Pneumatic adjustable pedestal for passenger
4. Wakeboard Tower. (The monster tower actually looks good on a Talari)
5. 4 step boarding ladder (to replace the current 2 step)
6. boarding/grab handle/step above the ladder to ease re-boarding


I also need to totally redo the interior but that's a different story.

John,

Search Smart Tabs on the internet or go to
http://boards.trailerboats.com/cgi-b...ultimatebb.cgi

You'll find out everything you ever wanted to know about what smart tabs will do for your boat and then some.

You'll even find some of my posts there.

I forgot one thing:

I added the filler bow cushions. They were great when the kids were smaller.

I'm hoping to add more topless women to my boat... :rolling_laugh:

Mid cleats a mount for my gps and bow speakers would be the next items on my list. I've already added the rear seat speakers and upgraded the stereo.