[SEMIJim]

Hi All,

Newbie, here

My wife (aka: "The Admiral") and I will be looking at a 1994 182 Barchetta tomorrow. To be honest: I'd never heard of Mariah boats before today. Done some reaseach. Other than occasional complaints of porpoising, haven't really found anything negative about them.

Near as I've been able to tell, from what little research I've been able to do so far, Mariah boats, the early ones, at least, are of above-average build quality?

I'll be doing more searching here and via Google, but while I'm about it: Is there anything, in particular, we should be looking out for with this prospective boat, other than the things you'd look for in any other 15-year-old boat?

Btw: Construction: I know that, starting in the late 80's or so, some manufacturers started moving from wood stringers and cockpit soles, to all-glass, or other synthetic, construction. (That was one of the things I liked about a Stingray we looked at, and later Glastrons.) What about Mariah?

Thanks,
Jim

[SEMIJim]

Think I found a potential issue: Mercruiser "batwing" exhaust manifolds are bad ju-ju, eh? Been looking for pictures, all I found was this eBay (Italy) advert: 4.3 LX V6 Mercruiser 1 Piece Manifolds Stainless Steel. If that's their shape, I suppose they'd be readily-identifiable on the engine of any boat we looked at.

So how necessary is it to replace these on a 15-year-old boat that's been in freshwater its entire life? How expensive if I DIY? (I used to wrench on cars all the time.) On a scale of 1-10, and assuming mechanical ability: How difficult?

Thanks,
Jim

[Z 202]

Yes, the original Mariah's are definately above average in build quality. Most of us owners would argue that pound for pound, they are *the* best built boat ever. I've been around a lot of boats and the Mariah is probably one of the best handling and nicest rides I've experienced. Solid too. My test ride was on Lake Ontario in 3' swells. Damn rough, but the boat didn't have a squeak or a rattle in it.

Since the original Mariah is no longer in business, it has become difficult if not impossible to find replacement interior pieces like the dash, seats etc. We have a long list of suppliers for most of the other parts. The driveline shouldn't be a problem, Merc and Volvo parts are readily available. So, basically if the interior is in good shape and the engine/drive have been maintained, you should have little to be concerned about

Mariah did use wood in their construction, but the stringers were coated in glass. Mariah was the only boat manufacturer to offer a lifetime warranty on their hulls, and they held several patents on their contruction technique, which should give you an idea as to how well the hulls are constructed. I have a wood floor in my '95. Later years had glass floors. My floor only has one 'soft' spot, right below the walk through windscreen, as this is a problem spot for water intrusion through the join in the cockpit and bow covers.

Good luck with it. Hopefully you can work in a sea trial and decide for yourself.

[SEMIJim]

Hi Z 202,

Thanks for the follow-up.

Went and saw the boat today. Liked what we saw. Took her out for a sea trial. She handled beautifully! There was about 1-1/2' of wind-driven chop, and up to 3' of power-boat-generated waves. The boat handled it all with aplomb . She was quick to plane with three adults (none in the bow), without an excessive amount of throttle. We couldn't go above about 25 MPH due to the chop and waves, unfortunately. She had lots of throttle left to go. Prop is a 5-blade stainless prop. Owner said it's a "torque" prop.

Interior and exterior are not perfect, but they're both in very good condition. No soft spots detected on the sole. Took the owner's word that all the nav lights were operational. Engine looks like it could've just come off the showroom floor, starts right up and purrs like a kitten. The outdrive looks almost as good as the engine. (Outdrive doesn't have the trim tab. Owner says Gen. 2 Alpha outdrives don't need them?) Owner claimed trim up didn't work, and, indeed, while she was on the trailer, it didn't. He said "jumping" it in the back worked, so we assume it's the switch. Coming back in, after the sea trial, trim-up started working. So probably the switch is marginal. The trailering position switch worked. Oil pressure and engine temp looked good. Throttle/shifter was smooth and positive. All the gauges work.

Don't know what else to say... we really liked her. We put a good faith deposit on her and will complete the purchase later this week Can't wait!

Jim