[Ohensehlen]

I have been looking at a 2001 Mariah Z222 Shabah. I believe it has a 350 horse merc. It has been stored inside and used very little - has 70 hrs! The only visible issues seem to be cosmetic. The molded "fake" wood on the glove compartment and a couple of small storage compartments in front of bench seat are cracked or worn badly. Dealership suggested possibly taking them out and replacing with custom made teak doors. The molded console where the stereo is mounted has screws that have come out. I don't know if I can simply put a larger screw/thread in to fix it or if there is something more to it. They will take $14,000 for the boat with tandem axel trailer w/ brakes.

My wife and I own a 93 Glastron 195 SSV Elite and are looking to upgrade a bit. Have never seen a Mariah in our area and just wanted to check with the experts.... Anyone that owns this model that could share the goods and bads... I would appreciate it!

Jim

[mikeyt]

The Z222 is a very nice boat and being a 2001 its the last model year of the original Mariahs. It will be a couple of steps up from the Glastron.

As for the problem areas noted, repairing the 'fake' wood is a bit of a job. Ask our admin Chris (ShabahZ250) about it. The dealership's ideas regarding the bin doors works. Sometimes we see those doors on ebay though so you might want to check that site out. I had a similar problem with my stereo console & it was a simple matter of replacing the screws with a nut/bolt that worked for me.

You're familiar with boats so the usual checklist applies. Maintenance records, boat history etc are nice things to have. Check the condition of the upholstery as it is a little more $$ to put right than your standard Bayliner. Windshield and interior trim bits are the hardest thing to come by. Make sure the electrics all work, particularly the trim & trim gauge. Ask when the trailer bearing were last serviced or plan on doing them yourself after you purchase the boat. Ask if it was winterized etc. With the Z222 there isn't anything specific you have to look for.

[ShabahZ280]

Ugh, yeah, repairing the woodgrain panels is definitely a challenge. I did my dashboard gauge cluster and it was much more work than it was worth. You can read my writeup here.

Dashboard Removal Repairing and Refinishing

The glovebox lids will be hard to come by, as all these parts were custom made in-house at Mariah. Your best option is to have them repaired. Mine have small cracks in them, and from what I can see, the construction is a wood core, then a layer of thin textured ABS plastic, and then a smooth layer of water transfer printed ABS plastic on top. You might be able to have your lids repaired by a plastic fabrication company, and reprinted with the woodgrain. For structural durability and to reduce the risk of it happening again, I might think of having a thin layer of fiberglass applied!

You could always do the teak doors, but that will require a bit of work, and if you're not careful, it could really mess up the look of your boat.