Tell me all about Mariahs and Bravuras

[Bookshelf]

I think Mariahs are a sharp looking boat but know no one with one and haven't even seen one in person so I don't know too much about them. Are Bravuras the same, just closed bow? I have experience w/ the old sport/rider/beast so any comparisons to that would be helpful. I've seen people complain about lack of freeboard and not being able to weigh them down, how is the wake for wakeboarding with just a full boat of people? How is it for slalom? How about compared to a Prostar 190? How are these w/ the 351, or is it a better idea to find one w/ a 454? Are they all 1:1 drive? Was 92 the first year for fiberglass in this model? Any information would be helpful, thanks

[87SunSportMikeyD]

The Mariahs are nice boats for cruising, however they do not have the deep-vee that the SunSports have. They are rougher riding in chop, and they do have the lower freeboard that you mentioned. This is not to say you couldn't put a couple sacs in it and wakeboard or surf, but you will be working for a wave/wake that is enjoyable. With the SunSport you should have more wake/wave potential.

open - closed
SunSport - Maurauder
Saltare - Pirata
Mariah - Bravura?
Conbrio - Comp

If you are a crossover slalom/wakeboarder, this boat could work well for you. It should have a great slalom wake at faster speed, unlike the SunSport slalom wake which is still pretty big. However if you wake enough where you would want to add ballast or a tower, I would keep looking for the SunSport.

If I remember correctly the PS190 is one of the best slalom boats ever? The Comp would take that title for Supra, but the Mariah should have a great wake too.

You should have plenty of power with the 240hp 351. Most modern (newer) boats have a 380hp GT40 (plz correct me if I mis-stated anything above!).

[Bookshelf]

The Mariahs are nice boats for cruising, however they do not have the deep-vee that the SunSports have. They are rougher riding in chop, and they do have the lower freeboard that you mentioned. This is not to say you couldn't put a couple sacs in it and wakeboard or surf, but you will be working for a wave/wake that is enjoyable. With the SunSport you should have more wake/wave potential.

open - closed
SunSport - Maurauder
Saltare - Pirata
Mariah - Bravura?
Conbrio - Comp

If you are a crossover slalom/wakeboarder, this boat could work well for you. It should have a great slalom wake at faster speed, unlike the SunSport slalom wake which is still pretty big. However if you wake enough where you would want to add ballast or a tower, I would keep looking for the SunSport.

If I remember correctly the PS190 is one of the best slalom boats ever? The Comp would take that title for Supra, but the Mariah should have a great wake too.

You should have plenty of power with the 240hp 351. Most modern (newer) boats have a 380hp GT40 (plz correct me if I mis-stated anything above!).

How flat is your sunsport's wake at 30-36 mph, unloaded? I remembered that hull's wake to be fairly flat. Does anyone ski behind Supras on here? All I see is people wakesurfing/wakeboarding.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Well like S_I says in the other thread, once you are going 35mph, the wake is fairly hard and flat (compared to any I/O). But if you aren't a hardcore tourney skier it would be great!

The main reason you see those models for surfing or boarding is that almost any direct drive is good for slalom, but only a couple particular models are good for wakeboarding.

[tomelenbaas]

I've had a '88 Mariah since I bought it new 20+ years ago. It's a great all-around boat. Of course, when the Mariahs came out wakeboarding wasn't even in existence. The closest thing then was skurfing.

At 21' in length, the slalom wake is somewhat larger than a tournament boat. But I ski at 32 mph and at that speed it's a relatively flat, soft wake. At slower speeds (28 and below) the wake starts to get a little too big for aggressive slolam skiing. I have skied it through the course but don't recommend it. The Mariah is much better suited for open water skiing.

With the advent of wakeboarding I have added a tower and modified the ski locker to accommodate a 300+ lb. fat sac. (If for no other reason you'll need the tower for board racks since there's no storage in the Mariah large enough to accommodate a wakeboard. The ski locker is really only good for two skis.) With the fat sac I'm able to get a fair wake for wakeboarding. But it doesn't compare to the dedicated wakeboard boats that can handle 1000+ lbs. of ballast. I have not been able to get a large enough wake to wake surf without continually holding the line. The Mariah has a weight rating of only about 1200 lbs so I'd be concerned about loading it down too much. It also has a sloping bow, so you have to be careful not to swamp the boat.

The bottom line is the Mariah is a great family ski boat, but if your main use is going to be wakeboarding or wakesurfing, you're better off with one of its bigger brothers.

[michael hunter]

I have a 89 Sunsport and my wife skis. The Sunsport is not a slalom ski boat although the wake and pull is better than an IO it still amounts to survivor skiing. I always thought the Sunsport was more of a inboard runabout. Until wake boarding and surfing got popular they were just good for everything but not great at anything.

[Kip]

We bought an 88 Mariah last spring and have been very pleased with it. Tomelenbaas gave a perfect description of the Mariah IMO.

It is a great all around boat for skiing and wakeboarding but not the best at either. For our family that does equal amounts of wakeboarding and skiing it is perfect because it has a nice wake for both water sports.

The open bow is a must if you want to go with more than 3-4 people but you do have to be careful since it is a low boat and will take a roller over the bow if you dont watch it.

I am putting a tower on this spring for the same reason as Tomelenbaas
(and because extended pylons are a pain).


I would buy mine again if I had to do it over. For the price point they sell at I think they are one of the best options for an open bow boat.

D

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Tomb I would be willing to bet $20 that if you got one more sac (either a 400 or a 720) and put it on your port side floor alongside the engine box but pushed back to the rear corner, you could drop the line surfing. Basically you need about knee-high wave and a board big enough for you.

[techsledder]

How flat is your sunsport's wake at 30-36 mph, unloaded? I remembered that hull's wake to be fairly flat. Does anyone ski behind Supras on here? All I see is people wakesurfing/wakeboarding.

Here's a picture from my profile that may help with this: https://forum.supraboats.com/picture.php?albumid=77&pictureid=491

I slalomed behind this Sunsport when I was 16 through College. Just recently bought the boat from my friend. I think the wake is fine when you're skiing. But then, I've never skiied behind any other inboard yet. Keep in mind you can adjust your wake plate to tune the wake on these.

[Bookshelf]

Here's a picture from my profile that may help with this: https://forum.supraboats.com/picture.php?albumid=77&pictureid=491

I slalomed behind this Sunsport when I was 16 through College. Just recently bought the boat from my friend. I think the wake is fine when you're skiing. But then, I've never skiied behind any other inboard yet. Keep in mind you can adjust your wake plate to tune the wake on these.

What mph and rope length is that? Thanks

[techsledder]

30-35mph, I think. 75ft Rope. I have to work on re-calibrating my speedometers, neither are posting the same speed right now.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

That is true, I have a hydrolic wake plate and when I mess with it, I can get the wake to almost dissappear when unweighted at high speeds

[Bookshelf]

Anyone have any experience w/ 351 vs 454 in a Mariah?

[Blackntan90]

I have the 351 in mine with 240 hp, with the 1.23:1 trans. It will pull your arms off all day long!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Are you planning on doing something that needs a 454? If you are running weight, a good prop and the 351 should be plenty. If you want barefoot speeds the speed prop helps but the added power of 454 may help.

[tomelenbaas]

I have the 351 in my Mariah with a Velvet Drive 1:1 trans and find that it's plenty of power. The pull-up is a little slower than when I'm skiing behind my friend's Nautique tournament boat, but I actually like the slower pull-up. Maybe it's because it's what I'm used to (or because I'm dragging 220+ pounds of lard out of the hole), but I actually have the driver give me a slower pull up when I'm behind a more powerful boat.

Off topic - SSMikeyD - can you start a thread on your hydraulic wake plate and maybe include some photos? What did you have to do to install it? Do you find that it really makes a big difference going from slalom to wakeboarding? Thanks.

[Kip]

I second that Mikey we need pics and how to on the wake plate. I hate using the screws to adjust may plate.