Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

[nglauer]

Hi everyone, my name is Nick and I live in South East Ohio along the Ohio River. I have been looking at boats and think I may have stumbled into a great deal... atleast I hope so since I am picking it up from the Owner tomorrow. I do have a few questions though, but first some information about the unit I purchased.

It is a 2001 180 Diablo with the Merc. 3.0. It has a brand new Merc lower unit (owner hit a rock last year and damaged the original.) I was told that the insurance covered the damage totalling $4500.00. The new unit has about an hour on it as the boat has not been on the water other than to test it since this happened. The boat has roughly 160 hours total and really looks like a brand new boat.. no scratches at all. The frame of the trailer has 0 rust as well and everything was garage kept in a heated garage. The owner just picked it up today from the boat shop where he had all the oil changed and a slew of other things checked out.. totalling to an amount of $385.00 dollars. It included the trailer with surge brakes, life jackets, tube, 2 anchors, and all safety equipment. The only problem I see with the boat is that the owner had to replace the drivers side glass... however he could not find a factory glass windshield (he replaced with Lexan on this side). I guess that a tree limb fell on it a few weeks ago and broke the glass.. he showed me pictures and it did not other damage other than the window (boat was covered with the fitted cover and tarper when this happened. I guess he had just pulled it out of the garage to take it to the shop to have it "summerized?" atleast thats what he has told me. Now for my questions...

Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's to this model

Can I find a factory glass windshield replacement (he said he couldn't find one)

Is the 3.0 very economical? I plan to take the wife and both kids 2 and 4 out just putting around.

What is the power rating on this motor?

Is the Alpha one outdrive a good unit?

Is there any benefit to changing the factory prop (brand new Merc unit) to a stainless unit?

Can I add a depth finder or something that will blend in with the current gauges and look factory? I'd like to know how shallow I am before making this near perfect boat look less than perfect.

Should I add one of those hydro foil things to the lower unit? what do these do? My cousin told me it'll bring the boat on plane faster and save gas. He also told me that we had little birds around this area called a snipe as a kid and I found out years later that's a lie.. we don't have little birds that run around like road runners in the dark here in Ohio.

What should I look for, I spoke to the mechanic who did the work and he told me to stop messing around looking for a boat and buy this one. He's done all work since the day it was purchased and he said it was the nicest kept boat he's ever had the pleasure of working on.

Can I transfer an Ohio boat license (good till March 2011) from the current owner to myself? Will they allow me to carry the same numbers so I don't have to peel these (they are very nice... he had them custom made to match the boat)

Any help or links to reviews.. or personal experience's are greatly appreciated. I am getting the boat for $6000.00, so I hope this is a great deal for such a clean well taken care of boat.

Thank you all for your help !!! I have been stalking threads as a guest for the last few years reading about different models.. trying to figure out which boat is good for a first boat purchase. I sure hope this is the one.

Thanks again,
Nicholas

Newport, Ohio
nglauer@gmail.com

 

[nglauer]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

Here are some pictures of the boat, again I really appreciate the help. My apologies for the quality.. I wasn't planning on buying a boat.. so I didn't have anything other than my cell phone to snap pictures with. Thanks again, Nicholas

 

[180shabah]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

Can I find a factory glass windshield replacement (he said he couldn't find one)

You MIGHT find one, but not very likely. Your windshield was manufactured by TaylorMade Marine - They do not deal direct with consumers and will direct you back to your boat manufacturer. Your Boat manufacturer no longer exists. That pretty much leaves you with scrap yards or custom...

Is the 3.0 very economical? I plan to take the wife and both kids 2 and 4 out just putting around.

Yes, the 4 banger is pretty easy on the gas card. Couple thingd to remember though - old Mariahs are pretty heavy and the 3.0 is the smallest engine available. It will never be a speed demon, but should be dead reliable if taken care of.

What is the power rating on this motor?

IIRC in 2001 it was rated at 135 - a factory manual will verify this.

Is the Alpha one outdrive a good unit?

Most common drive on the planet (FWIW, yours is a GenII drive) and rated to 300hp, so you are no where near the limit on it. With that said, the number one killer is heat, and this drive generates plenty. If you plane to run fast for hours on end(not very common on this type of boat), I would come off plane periodically so the drive can cool of a little. Again, maintenance is key, take care of it and it will outlast the rest of the boat.

Is there any benefit to changing the factory prop (brand new Merc unit) to a stainless unit?

The Merc BlackMax prop is probably one of the worst props ever made. It does everything OK, but doesn't really do anything GOOD.

I would not do anything with the prop right now. Get some hours on the boat, and figure out how you will ACTUALLY use the boat vs how you plan to use the boat, then we can work on prop selection. It is true that the BEST props are SS, but there are several very good props these days in aluminum and are several hundered dollars less expensive without much sacrifice in performance.

When you are ready to start prop shopping, head over to the prop forum, read the stickies and then post all of the information requested and we'll see what we can come up with for you.

Can I add a depth finder or something that will blend in with the current gauges and look factory?

Yes, there are depth fingers that fit into a standard 2" gauge opening - mine is made by Lowrance - it is not a match for my gauges, but it also does not stand out.

Should I add one of those hydro foil things to the lower unit? what do these do?

I can not stress this enough DO NOT put a hydrofoil on that boat. You have a 20* deadrise and a fairly low x-dimension. What does this mean? When running on plane you will never get the fin completely out of the water. It will constantly providing lift - the faster you go, the more lift it provides. This WILL cause an incredible amount of instability on this hull and make it dangerous in turns where speed is higher than 30+/-mph.

My cousin told me it'll bring the boat on plane faster and save gas.

Well, it will plane faster, but after that it has no benefit at all. On OB's where motor height is adjustable, it can allow the engine to be mounted higher, and sometime a more aggressive prop to be run without ventilation. None of this applies to the average I/O powered boat. In your case it will actually increase your fuel consumption due to increased drag and not being able to get the bow out of the water and run at a more efficient angle.




If it is in as good of condition as you describe - 6k with a trailer sounds pretty good to me. You also need to head over to the I/O forum, click on the "adults only" sticky. It has a ton of DIY information there including pdf's of the Mercruiser factory service manuals.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

Few more things:

First I forgot to say welcome to iboats....

Second - the location of your bilge vents, IMHO, was a poor design decision. On my boat, If I come off of plane too quickly, those nice vents turn into water scoops as my wake catches up to me. Doesn't really hurt anything, but it is something to watch for. Of course, mine is a few hundred lbs heavier in the stern (4.3 V6) so yours may not do this at all.

Third - after saying no to the chicken wing 'foil for got to give other options. Trim tabs are the only good option for your situation. Tabs will help you plane faster and provide a more stable ride at ALL speeds. When fully deployed they also help reduce the stern wander that is so common in I/O powered v-hulls. Tabs CAN actually allow a higher top speed and decrease fuel consumption (in a perfect world - so don't look for differences that you can measure). The downside to tabs is cost. You can spend several hundered dollars on an adjustable set and have the best possible solution. OR, for about $100 (not much more than the Ghetto wing) you can get a set of SmartTabs - automatic opperation and just as effective.

Fourth - I was looking at your pics and have a question. Does this boat have P/S? If not you will want to replace the little aluminum disk above the prop with a torque tab.

 

[nglauer]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

My boat does have power steering, did some of the Mariah's come without power steering? I figure this makes a huge difference when cranking the wheel.. but I did notice that going really slow that I am constantly cranking the wheel left and right trying to keep the boat going staight. It just wags back in forth. This is only when i'm putting slowly through the no wake area in the marina. This completely goes away once you start into the throttle. Is this common when going really slow? What is a torque tab? is that the little fin looking thing that sticks out on some of those disks?

I also noticed when I pulled the boat out of the water that it had a light black film on the backside of the hull. I believe it was exhaust fumes? is that possible. It wiped off really easy.

I will look into smart tabs, they sound like the best option.

I noticed Mariah has a website, do the current owners not recognize the 2001 and older units? My passenger window has a name stamped on it, I will look in the morning.. if I contact them suppose i'd have any luck?

Again, I really appreciate the help. This is my first boat so any help or input is greatly appreciated.

I will attach a few more pictures for everyone to view. I should have some of it on the water come tomorrow.

I have a few items to finish before we go out though..

install 12v outlet

install my 6.5" Polk DB speakers

finish installing my old JVC CD player.. thank goodness for junk yards lol. Cheap alternative to buying new.. or marine style. I'll consider this disposable after this season if need be.

Install new plate on trailer

Adjust the draw bar for my vehicle (just installed the hitch today on our equinox)

pack the boat.. cooler.. sun block.. all safety equipment.

Fill up with gas.. maybe not all the way full... but partially

Perhaps look for a fish finder locally to install so I have some gauge on depth? Any opinions? I think our walmart carries some units.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[nglauer]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

Here are some more pictures.. hopefully they aren't duplicates.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Newbie buying a 2001 180 Diablo need info

My boat does have power steering, did some of the Mariah's come without power steering?

Not sure about Mariah specifically, but overall very few 3.0s have power steering or water seperating fuel filters. If you don't have one, you need one. Pretty innexpensive to install.

... but I did notice that going really slow that I am constantly cranking the wheel left and right trying to keep the boat going staight. It just wags back in forth. This is only when i'm putting slowly through the no wake area in the marina. This completely goes away once you start into the throttle. Is this common when going really slow?

This is very common on v-hulled boats with single engines. Without touching the wheel, you'll find that it will wander back and forth, but overall heads in one direction. With a little practice you'll be able overcome the wander. This is also an instance where trim tabs can help by introducing drag farther away from the centerline of the hull.

I also noticed when I pulled the boat out of the water that it had a light black film on the backside of the hull. I believe it was exhaust fumes? is that possible. It wiped off really easy.

Black soot = rich mixture

Complete tune up including adjustment of the choke should clear it up. FWIW - merc's choke specs tend to be a little tight causing them to run a little rich at idle when cold.

 

[SavinRaven]

How did the diablo hold up? Do you still own it?