The biggest pluses, if true, from the video is that the Scarab is much quieter,
First off let me say that online reviews, videos, etc. will most likely be biased towards what the reviewer prefers. Keep that in mind...do your own research IN PERSON. When buying new you're spending a lot of money so you need to buy what works for YOU. We spent months looking at various brands and models, water tested several units, went to the boat show in the winter and looked at other options, etc. What we like you may not, and vice-versa.
Now having said that, in my opinion both are noisier than outboards, and newer I/O drives, but wind noise is almost as loud at cruising speeds and above. I've been on several boats with the Rotax engines and they're not really any quieter than a Yamaha - the sound is slightly different but not really louder (3-cyl vs 4-cyl). If you compare an AR190 (no supercharger) with a Scarab with the supercharger, you will definitely say the Scarab is louder and has a whine from the SC unit. You need to compare apples to apples - so an AR195 vs Scarab 195 with similar engines is what you need to compare.
Note - Yamaha 190 series is normally aspirated engine, and the 195 series is supercharged.
As for our boat with twin engines, it's about the same noise as our 20 year old 4.3L mercruiser. The bigger engines have more grunt sound due to displacement, and the jet engines are smaller and higher pitched = different sound but not terribly annoying. The fun factor makes you forget about the noise once you're out zipping around. If you're coming from a 2015 I/O or outboard, these jetboats will be a bit louder, but who cares. Punch the throttle and have fun!
has a better system to lower the tower for fitting in the garage,
Yes their fold-back tower is lower stock, but my wife said it's ugly and it uses poles in the front of the windshield to support the bimini while the Yamaha doesn't - personal choice there. The Yamaha can be easily modded to go lower than the windshield so storage height is a moot point really.
and the seating area has two captain shares
If you want two buckets you can look at the Yamaha 195s model to compare to the Scarab and they're close in price and it comes with a supercharged engine with similar performance to the Scarab with a 250hp engine. The 300hp ACE engine gives the Scarab an edge, but at the cost of greater fuel consumption if that's an issue. When buying new, I'd go for the biggest or most powerful option anyway.
Looks like the seats fold down
Make sure you check that fold-flat "versalounge" in person. We looked at one and the hinges in the seat really hurt the knee caps when you're crawling over it or leaning on your elbows. If we bought the Scarab, we would not get it with the "versalounge" option. The standard tilt forward/back rests is what we would have done. Just our opinion though.
a board that helped shield the driver from wind.
Not sure what that means? What board exactly?
I'm 58 and use to work with kids so the engine noise difference is probably the thing that is steering me to the Scarab and the seats that fold flat and recline.
You'll need to do a water test with both boats and compare...engine noise is probably not a factor. The flat sunning area is nice, but Yamaha boats simply put a sunpad area in the front instead of the back. You add a cushion in the walkway area and it makes a roomy area, but not quite as wide as the Scarab. To be honest though, we've NEVER used the sunpad area on our new Yamaha - we're not young kids so we stay out of the sun more now. We spend most of our leisure time at the swim platform so again sunpad option is moot to us.
Oh yeah there electronics seem better too.
Not sure what this means - stereos? If yes, then you can get the Scarab with a better stereo system, but you pay for it. With the Yamaha you simply pay to get it upgraded yourself - either way you pay so that cancels out.
If you mean electronics like throttle control, no wake modes, displays, etc. I think they're all the same - just different. I liked the Medallion screens on the Vortex and the Scarab was nice too, but the Yamaha is just as nice. I thought the throttle-by-wire would be better, but I'm just as happy with Yamaha's good old fashioned cable throttle. Note that while a cable is in the throttle housing, it simply moves an electronic actuator and throttle is controlled electronically via the ECM and throttle body intake - the cable does not open/close the throttle body directly.
I was wondering if anyone else has actually test drove or Owned a Scarab 195 and can compare it to the Yamaha 190 series.
You can't compare those two, different classes of engines, unless you can get the Scarab with the 150hp non-supercharged engine?
We drove several models. Something we did like about the Scarab you didn't mention, is colour choices where you have more options. And the boat can be customized more, but at a cost. Also we liked that the Scarab uses the Rotax jetpump design that makes it more maneuverable in tight spaces. But after water testing both designs, either gets the job done. We have no issues docking with the Yamaha - it's certainly easier than our old I/O drive.
Whatever you choose, both would be reliable and enjoyable boats. Just make sure you do in person comparisons, don't listen to reviews as they can often be biased based on what they chose to buy. My own included I'm sure, but I try to be neutral. For instance I really wanted a Vortex but the wife didn't like the seating so...
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