[wery7]

Hi guys....I just purchased a 1995 Mariah 235 Davanti from a dealer on eBay and havent actually picked it up yet. I'm excited to get started, but where to start? It has a 502 with a Bravo One drive.....guessing a gas guzzler, but more concerned about the reliability factory.....only 450 hours. Anything I should be looking for? It has a stainless prop, bimini top, mooring cover, depth sounder, compass, etc, but what should I be looking for when I pick it up? I believe that I got it for an unbelievable price, which caused me to pause for a moment. The dealer said all is well and they do have a great rep, so I'm not too concerned. I bought it WELL under $10,000.....

Thanks for any and all comments. It looks to be in great shape and ready to roll, so my family and I can't wait!

[ColoradoDiablo]

Welcome to MOC!
Check out THIS info.

[Brewfixer]

Congrats on the purchase and Welcome. Nice looking boat. I actually visited this dealer several years ago looking at a skeeter and they seem alright but I did not buy anything from them.

Without a sea trial it's always a risk. I would comb the boat very carefully looking for the not so obvious like soft spots, electrical, etc... Crawl under the boat and check that carefully as well and unfortunately you wont be able to see under the bunks but the surrounding area should give indications of some issue that may be going on. Make sure they start it for you and pay attention to how it starts, idles and revs and ensure the gauges are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

I purchased my boat sight unseen as well (not from EBay) but my conditions were contingent on successful sea trial. After traveling 14 hours I got her on the lake and all went well. Hopefully you will have the same experience.

You know what they say that the 2 most memorable moments of owning a boat is the day you buy it and the day you get rid of it. But I will say the Mariah is a keeper...

Good Luck

[wery7]

Thanks for the responses! Those are great tips..... Does anyone else have a 502 in their boat? So I gauge it by gallons per mile? Is this motor paired with the Bravo One a good pair? Reliable? From what I've read it is, but I'd rather hear it from folks I can trust. Thanks again!


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[Txtruckerpaul]

Wery, I think fuel consumption is gauged by gallons per hour. I run across a chart on mercruiser's website some time back. I have a 454 with a bravo 3 and the chart said mine would guzzle 37 gallons per hour at wide open throttle lol


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[mikeyt]

That 502 is pretty common and usually quite reliable and it should be just fine with the Bravo 1.

[ipgregory]

This is a nice little fuel consumption indicator. Matches pretty close to what I have seen on my boat so far when measuring time against fuel used at fill up. Just click on your engine and it will give you the WOT consumption in the table and an indication of the consumption at different rev ranges in the graphic on the left.

MerCruiser 4.3 Fuel Consumption 220 HP | MPG GPH Specs US Gallons per Hour | 4.3 L 262 LX mpi V6

[wery7]

Well, I got it picked up and low and behold it's a Z235 rather than just the 235, so that was a plus. Got a few extras but the wiper is inop along with a few other things. Needs a bit of TLC as there is some upholstery wear with a few repairs needed. It was also built with a 454 but the last owner dropped a 502 in it.

One question I do have is to the left of the passenger seat on the side panel there is a toggle switch that says "sea" and "air" with what looks to be a temp gauge next to it. Any ideas?

[mikeyt]

If you have the Mark VIII digital readout, the switch may be for the sea temp / air temp readings.