05-15-2009, 06:24 AM
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#6
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WetWilly is currently offline
Status: Super Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, Ca.
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My Year: 1996
My Model: Z240 Talari
My Engine: 7.4L Bravo III
Thanks: 3
Thanked 71 Times in 48 Posts
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Re: Ran into some trouble
Hi Mike,
Unlike Provo’s ‘94 or our ‘96, the ‘98 Mariahs use a fiberglass unitized inner hull and stringer system. The inner hull and stringers are mostly fiberglass, filled with foam and bonded to the lower hull. The top of the inner hull becomes the floor except at the Bow pit areas. The shell sits on top of the inner hull floor because the shell and upper hull are all one piece.
Take a look at these photos (click here and open the PDF file), although the Mariahs in the pictures are older models, the upper hull hasn’t changed much. Look at the 29th frame, it’s a picture of the upper and lower hulls about to be joined and as you can see, the front bow pit area is part of the upper hull.
Now I don’t like to be the harbinger of bad news, but it seems like your Shabah might have been torqued pretty bad and it’s possible that you may have compromised the integrity of the hull joint under the rub rails, where the upper and lower hulls are attached. If there is any kind of mechanical or adhesive bond or filler between the inner hull floor and the bow pit (shell) floor, that might have separated, which would explain why this area now moves when you walk on it. Looking inside the ski locker is below this area so look under the two bow side seat compartments, you may need to remove the felt liners to get a look where the upper and lower floors meet. Another place you may have a better look at the space between the floors is to remove the driver or passenger front wall under the dashes.
I hope it’s something minor as Mariahs are built pretty tough, but they’re not indestructible. If you can’t locate the trouble, you might want to seek professional help to insure the hull is OK.
Good luck and get back to us when you figure out what’s going on,
WetWilly
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