1999 Z302 questions
 

Hello everyone, new to the board and have a couple quick questions about my boat. By the way just bought it this past winter so haven’t really had time to use it yet, so ready for the summer.

Ok here are my questions -

1.) The boat didn’t come with the filler cushions for both the v birth and the cuddy, where can i buy these at, or are they even still available.

2.) My screen on my factory installed GPS system is bad (sun) where can i replace that at?

3.) The boat didn’t have the TV/VCR included when i purchased it so i went and bought a new 15" flat screen, which of course is 120v not 12v, can i run an inverter from 120v to 12v without any problems.

4.) Shore power plug in's - Does this only work when your docked and have the shore plug in attached to 120V or does it save some type of power and you can use it on the water. My wife was asking because she wants to hook a standard 120 blender up.

5.) My boat doesn’t have carpet but does have the snaps for carpet, can i buy precut to fit carpet to fit this boat?


Sorry for the stupid questions, again brand new to Mariah

Welcome to the board! Congrats on your new boat. I'll try and answer your questions for you!

1. You'll most likely need to have the cushions re-made. We have a few members with Z302's that could provide you with measurements. Mariah made all their upholstery in shop, so finding an OEM replacement will be virtually impossible. You're better off to find a place that can make some for you.

2. The factory installed GPS system was made by Lowrance. You could possibly contact them regarding replacement of the screen.

3. If you've got a shorepower hookup, which the Z302 should have, hooking up your 15" flatscreen shouldn't be a big issue. Usually if you've got shorepower, you've got an inverter built in somewhere. You should have some AC outlets onboard. If not, we'll help you figure out how to do it.

4 Shorepower only works when you're plugged in at the dock. The only way it works on the water is by the use of a generator, which the Z302 isn't equipped with. Only the Z280 & Z308 MCC cruisers offered the option of a generator. However, they do make 12v blenders. Perhaps you could look into one of those! Trust me, having a functional blender onboard, especially if you're into socializing with other boaters for raftups, will make you a LOT of friends very quickly. :)

5. If the boat has the snaps for the carpet, your best bet is to call a marine canvas & upholstery shop and have them custom make a new one for you. Once again, Mariah did their own upholstery so finding an OEM replacement is virtually impossible.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the quick response. as far as hooking the flatscreen up, my boat does have the AC plug ins, but wont those just work while docked using shore power. I want the TV to work wihle out on the water. Thanks

Welcome Grandlake!!! Sounds like a killer boat - I want pictures!!!

Looks like Chris covers all the questions you have, but I'll chime in with a few questions myself.

If there's a built-in inverter, what does that power? If it's sized properly, can it run the outlet the TV is plugged into? I have my own (portable) inverter/TV that I bring out for those beloved Colts games, and seems to work quite well.

I think a blender would use too much juice for most inverters. I tried using mine with a jig saw to cut the hole for my sub, but it kept dying out. I'm usually a beer/wine man, but a fresh margarita or fruity foo foo drink (for the ladies, of course) would be an excellent addition to this year's desires!!!

You have a few projects ahead, good luck. Find a good canvas/upholstry shop and I'm sure you'll be happy with the added comforts.

Welcome aboard!

You're right, the AC outlets will only work while at the dock. To run the TV while out on the water, you'll need an inverter. One that's up to the task of powering the TV. Most of them have a built-in shutoff so you don't drain your batteries, but that's one thing you'll have to keep your eye on is battery power levels, trust me, draining the batteries out on the water can, and has happened to the best of us. It may become necessary to start & run the boat for a few minutes every couple hours or so just to keep them "juiced up".

GrandLake,
My buddy has a 2000 Z302 It has a inverter under the right rear seat. It powers the microwave but not the cabin or cockpit A/C receptacles. I would think it would also power a small TV. But make sure it does not run off your starting batteries! I would go with a D/C blender.

I'll chime in here as a Z302 Owner as well. First, the replies above are correct in that you'll need an inverter to run your TV on the water. I purchased an AC/DC 15" LCD Flat Screen from Target and have it plugged into the cig outlet in the storage area behind the shelf. When running shore power at my dock I simply plug it into the ac outlet on the switch panel. I also replaced the cabin stereo with an in-dash DVD receiver with the outputs running to the TV and four speakers, not exactly Dolby Pro-Logic but certainly QuadraPhonic. Works great for the kids when we are coving out and they get bored.

I just last week ordered carpet form www.snapincarpet.com as has been recommended by several members here along with others on various boat forums. I made the required template for the cockpit, cabin and bow and sent it up to them. They quoted me $668 + shipping for all three pieces which I thought was very fair. They should arrive within the next couple of weeks for me to trial fit to see if I templated correctly.

I was also missing the bow filler cushion but have the cabin fillers. I'm having a local guy at Lake of the Ozarks make one up and he is charging $200 I think as I'm having him do a few other things as well.

One other modification I'm doing is making the rear bench more comfortable. If you've sat in it (or your wife, like me) you'll quickly realize it is pretty to look at but very uncomfortable. The seating depth is extremely shallow and those four headrest humps do a great job of pushing you off the bench.

If you take a look at your floor in front of the bench you will note that there is a 7" deep carpeted section before the fiberglass floor starts. I removed the center section of the rear bench/seat base and made it 7" deeper. The front of the seat base then has to be extended from 44.5" wide to 52" to mate up with the side seats. So basically, just the front board/side of the seat base box needs to be wider. My interior guy is going to cover it in vinyl then template the seat cushion requirement and stitch up a new one to replace. I also made this seat/base box a subwoofer enclosure by partitioning off two sections internally for my 2 12" JL subs. This also added to the structure to improve bracing and support. I made the unit out of 3/4" MDF with the front side/panel double thick. This not only allowed for added rigidity of the extended length out the sides but also allowed for me to countersink the subs by mounting them to the inner board and having the outer board a slightly larger diameter hole. After I built it, I put on 5 coats of Fiberglass Resin (no cloth), siliconed all joints inside and out and siliconed all the screw holes (drilled and countersunk as MDF will split). This will be covered in 1/8" Closed Cell foam before covering in matching vinyl to give it the soft/smooth look of the rest of the interior. I'm paying my interior guy a total of $500 to make the bow filler cushion, new rear bench cushion and covering the new box/seat base that I made in vinyl.

I'm not running a monster system but I do have a JL M6450 6-channel marine amp running the two subs, four cockpit speakers and two bow speakers. Running the TV/DVD system and stereo while coving out nets about 1hr of endurance from one battery. I'm planning to add a third battery soon to help extend our time. Keep this in mind with your set-up as I think running an inverter to convert power to ac will eat up more juice in the conversion than simply powering a dc TV. I also have ran a Deltran Battery Tender to my starting battery and a Deltran Electronic Battery Charger to my Deep Cell Battery wired together to one plug in on the side of the swim platform area. I had this set-up in my last boat and have simply gotten used to plugging it in as the boat is rising on the lift. I put a plug on my dock right above this on a roof z-purling with a retractable extension cord so I just simply pull it down and plug it in. Both of these products are designed to "maintain" a top charge on the batteries and can be left plugged in 24/7. The Tender just puts out .8amp but the charger I think switches to as high as 10amps if needed then switches back down to maintenance. The Alternator cannot keep up with the requirements of my system and charge both batteries if I have drained the Deep Cell and want to use either system on the way home as I really don’t like “running” the boat off the Starting Battery base on my history of being stranded before.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Dave

One more thing, what the heck do you need a GPS for on Grand Lake. Simply take it out and build a proper drink holder to set in. I fly down there quite a bit to the little strip off Monkey Island to visit friends in my off season and am quite sure you can't get lost. Great lake, one of our best friends are down there and have been trying to get us to sell our home at LOTO and move. Probably not in the cards as it extends our drive a little more from KC but it is beautiful. Keep your eyes out for a Trawler/Tug boat, those are our friends and you can't miss the 37' displacement hull pushing water at about 3kts.

Dave

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I'm pulling the bad boy out this weekend and going to start working on it getting it ready for the lake. I'm sure after i pull it out and get in the middle of it i will be back for more help. Thanks again!!!!