Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Hey everyone, great forum you all have here!

I'm new to the boating game. I'm looking for a bowrider around 20ft for wakeboarding and general lake fun. I went and looked at a couple boats around the lake I've just purchased property near, one of the boats for sale is a 2001 212Z. Some (limited) details:

5.7 Merc, carb
interior looks great
exterior was VERY faded. A good buffing brought it back to deep color, but this has me fearing the boat was A. salt water (current marina doesn't know) or B. sat for years unused in the sun.

The boat has a NJ registration, so again, has me thinking salt water. I was also curious about the stringers...anyone know if '01 would be wood or full fiberglass?

They're asking $11,895.00 with a tandem trailer. Good deal? What questions should I be asking?

Thanks!

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

First , Welcome to MOC! :)
I would suggest taking a look at this STICKY for info on buying a Mariah.:wink_thumbup:

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Ooops, my bad!

I'll read that immediately, gonna leave the post up just in case anyone has specific advice :)

Thanks!

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

No big deal , just good info in that thread.
Might I suggest a search also?
Lots of info here at MOC. :)

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

'01 has the fiberglass stringer system, however it's only for the Z series. (It was an option for the standard series). However, this doesn't mean the boat's entirely wood free. If you look around enough, you'll find it. But, Mariah used XL CCA marine grade plywood, which is pretty good stuff, so I wouldn't worry about it.

The exterior fading could have just been oxidation from lack of a good waxing, and not salt.

Don't be off-put by salt water use. Sure, it has it's downsides, but if it's taken care of properly and flushed after use, you should have nothing to worry about. My Z280 came from saltwater, and it was actually equipped with a "fresh flush" port for the engine that allowed the previous owner to flush the engine out after each use with fresh water. Also, just because this boat you're looking at is from NJ doesn't mean it was full saltwater. My first Mariah (Z250) was purchased in Baltimore, on the Chesapeake bay. The bay is saltwater, but the harbor where the boat was stored was fresh. Bringing the boat back to the freshwater marina would flush the majority of the salt out every time it was used.

Any marine service shop should be able to tell you if the boat's been used in saltwater by taking a few parts off and looking for evidence of internal corrosion. The only real things I noticed on both of mine was that the paint on some engine pieces would flake off, and that there was sometimes evidence of salt on things like the vents, exposed metal, and down in the bottom of the bilge. Again, if it was properly taken care of, you shouldn't have any worries about a saltwater boat. It just takes a little bit more cleaning to get her looking good again!

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Quick update if anyone is interested...I'm waiting to hear back on a 1998 Four Winns 220 which is marked at $8000.00 without trailer, but it's wood stringers and has wood damage on the floor...eek.

As much as the Four Winns would be fun (5.7 Penta, duoprop)...the look and attitude of the Mariah is eating at my brain. It's just so PRETTY. It's more money than I wanted to spend, but I'm getting scared it's gonna get snatched up! The marina won't budge at all on the cost, all they'll offer is $250 in store credit (WOOOOO)

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

8 grand for a boat with floor rot!:shakehead: If the floor is soft , so is the stringers.
Run Muggi , Run!! :eek_animated:

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

If the Z has all the covers , etc , I don't think that is too bad of a deal.
Here is what I came up with from NADA.

2001 Mariah Boats Inc Z 212 SHABAH BR Standard Equipment, Boat Value, Boat Price & Craft Specs | NADAguides

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

I'm starting to get that "Damnit I'm going to go spend a bunch of money" smile on my face! :rolling_head_grin:

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

He who dies with the coolest toys..........wins!!:rolling_laugh::rolling_laugh:

P.S.: Can you get us some pics?

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Here she is, in all her glory.

The paint is borked in these photos, it buffed up nicely when I saw the boat on Tuesday.

I'd be the third owner, current has had it since '05. Didn't have records, which sucks, but he SAID it runs like a champ :P Digital start doesn't work (?), key-start only. The marina is water testing it tomorrow.

Any sage wisdom to pass along from the photos?

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Just the stuff in the sticky I gave ya.
Don't be in a hurry on the lake. Take your time and check her over well. Make sure everything works. :)
Let us know how ya fair.:wink_thumbup:

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

Welp... Some shoddy paint work on one side and a spot on the transom didn't buff up as nice as the rest (bad paint repair the last owner had done after minor dock rash), but she still looked great.

Due to this place being off-the-water, they don't do on-water tests with customers (which I found incredibly odd, but the guy said due to insurance requirements with them transporting boats, they stopped about 10yrs ago. This isn't a fly-by-night place either, it's massive and been in business since '83), so their mechanic will be going out tomorrow to test functionality, speedo, tach, depth finder.

Engine was compression-tested, passed w flying colors. When I got inside to really look over the engine compartment, ski locker etc everything was incredibly clean, and the shop hadn't even detailed it yet. I have some experience with engines in cars, so I can usually spot simple problems or an engine running rough, but man...we hooked her up to the hose, and that 5.7 just HUMMED as perfectly as I could have hoped. All the fluids looked good. Temp, oil pressure, compass and trim indicator all worked.

Only non-functioning item was the power driver's seat - the previous owner says it's a loose wire, so the seat would work occasionally if he hit some chop right, if the planets aligned, etc etc. He got it moved back as far as it went and just stopped messing with it, as that's where he wanted it. Blower, all lights, defroster (wow), all worked fine. The weird keyless engine start didn't work, but I couldn't care less about that.

Some of the interior compartment covers were cracked, but I know a good woodworker so I think I'm just going to have him make me up some replacements.

SO IN THE END...

Looks like I'll be joining your ranks :wink_thumbup: I put $500 down to hold it til after the mechanic's inspection, and they'll be holding the boat for me there until I pick it up on the 16th. Already got a name picked out and everything!

Thank you for your suggestions and encouragement; I'll update again once she's in the wet stuff!

Re: Yet another possible Mariah owner! 01 212Z
 

:wink_thumbup::wink_thumbup: