Mariah Quality Issues
 

I know that all mass produced equipment can have some quality issues and I would like to know about things that fellow Mariah owners have found in their boats.

Here are some of mine:

- To gain clearance to mount the steering rack, Mariah cut a piece out of the bottom of my compass to gain clearance.

- Of the three bolts that hold the steering column in place, only one is fastened to a full thickness of wood. One is mounted though the angle cut mounting hole. It is through about two plies of the wood and is fastened using a large fender washer. The third one is fastened to air.

- I'm sure that two of the pedestal mounting bolts for the driver's seat have missed the aluminum backing plate.

- When in reverse, with the seat back and down as far as it will go, the shifter lever hits the seat back and prevents me from getting any reverse throttle. I must be certain to turn the seat slightly to starboard so that I can get some reverse throttle.


What have you folks found?

Shabah 198SE

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

All manufactured products have some quality flaws. No matter what brand it is, all boats have them, even Mariah. I'm not going to point them out, as I know there's a few members on the site here who worked for years manufacturing these wonderful boats. I've found a few myself, but fixed them.

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

Over-all I've found the quality of our boat to be very, very good, but one thing that I have found baffling was their use of non-stainless hardware in a marine application. We also own a 1976 Pearson P30 sailboat. Other than what previous owners improperly added after-the-fact, and the aluminum mast and boom: There's not one scrap of non-stainless hardware on that boat. (I'm replacing the non-stainless hardware as I find it.)

Non-stainless-steel in a marine application http://www.LinxNet.com/misc/smilies/tsk.gif

Jim

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

ShabahZ250,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm not trying to put down Mariah of those who worked for them. It is always good to know quality issues that may be common. Doing so can help others do as you did and make repairs/improvements. We all tackle things in different ways and can learn from the mistakes of others.

As an example, I have an idea on how I will repair my steering issue, but I would love some insight into how to repair my shifter/seat issue without butchering my side panel upholstery. My boat's interior is almost like new.

I just got my Mariah (a 1997), but I have always liked them. Had I been able to get rid my Checkmate at the time, I would have had a Mariah years ago.

Shabah 198SE

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

SEMIJim,

Thanks for your reply.

Other than on the non-Mariah gauges and a couple of screws on the floor insert at the rear of the fuel tank, my hardware appears to be stainless (so far).

I agree that stainless fasteners are good to have on a boat.

Shabah 198 SE

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

Back in July I sold my Genesis bowrider that I had for many years. I got top dollar for it because I kept it in excellent condition. I thought the wife and kids were ready to move on to a Cabin Cruiser because my wife always complained that we had no bath room in the bowrider. So, I bought a beautiful Larson 240 Hanmpton and threw a few grand and my own sweat in it to make it perfect. We came to realize really quick, I'm talking getting underway from the Marina that we are not cabin cruiser people. Looking around on e-bay I saw my first Mariah. 21 foot 1997 Shabah Z bowrider with some bells and whistles. Then I saw 1997 " Excellent & Superb" Mariah and It had everything but the bathroom. I knew I just had to own a Mariah Shabah Z, bathroom or no bathroom. So, I think we got it right. Found and bought a 1996 Shabah Z 272 bowrider. Athough it was in pretty good shape, it had isses and needed up grades. I gutted the boat from the hem back. I was disappointed with the floor and engine compartment waterproofing. The angle changes and wood joints were not detailed as I had expected with glass or scrim of some sort. Looks like a thin delaminated paint. Rip out the carpet and you see bare wood. Not impressed. I believe that the flloor and engine compart ment should be well waterproofed. You cant rely on the pressure treated wood alone. Needless to say I'm going to wrap up all the joints and angle changes and apply the approprate coatings to the decking and engine compartment area. Other than that I very happy with everything else. Also was lucky enough to sell the larson quick in a bad boat market. I did get my money back and around 2 dollars per hour for my labor LOL.

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

Every once in a while I find a 1 x 2 inch aluminum plate with a hole in the middle lying on the floor under the dash. Not sure where they are coming from. :confused:

Getting out the convertible top can be a hassle even though I enlarged the holes.

I also have a problem with the hinge pin on the windshield trying to work itself out. I take a punch and hammer it back in place twice a season.

That being said, nobody believes I have a 16 year old boat. :wink_thumbup:

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

845paulg,

Thanks for your response.

I'm glad that you have found a boat that suits your needs. I can understand the bathroom thing. It is what I miss most about my Sea Ray cuddy.

So far, I have found no issues with the wood in my boat.

Shabah 198SE

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

Paul F,

Thanks for your reply.

I think that you will find that the aluminum plates are used to span the large holes where the front of the dash panels mount to the boat. My boat is missing a few as well and I have siliconed some of the remaining ones as a temporary measure to stop them from rattling. Withour additional plates or washers, they will not tighten further.

My convertible top is too wide to store under the sunpad. Yes, it is an original Mariah top. We take it off and leave it on shore when we go out.

So far, I have three hinge pins that work their way out. One, like yours, is on the windshield hinge pin. Another is on the hinge for the small side glove box on the passenger side. The last one is on one of the hinges for one of the bow seats. I'm going to try to push the pins in past flush and put some epoxy in the end of the holes and then place the pins back in their proper place. Once hardened, I hope that the epoxy will solve the problem.

Shabah 198SE

Re: Mariah Quality Issues
 

I have the same problem with my wind shield pin sliding out, I just tap it back in with the bottom of my beer bottle:yes_grin:

I one thing I don't like is, on my 2000 Shabah there really is no way to board the boat without stepping on the seats, they get dirty from shoes and with all the traffic stepping on the same spot it looks like the stiching on the beach seat is taking a beating.