New Owner 195 news some feedback

[Pablo]

I am a new owner of a Scarab 195 but not a new boater. am I being too picky but is the engine really really loud? also getting a vibration at about 5,000 rpm. is this normal? whats up with that?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Hi Pablo.

Vibrations are a very common symptom of having some sort of debris inside your pump.

Start by inspecting the pump THOROUGHLY with a flashlight. You need to look at the INTAKE side especially through the grate under the boat. Inspect the full tunnel around the whole impeller. Look for sticks, rocks, shells, etc. Check to see what your wear ring looks like as well (is it slightly scratched? gouged? etc.).

When debris gets in there, you usually won't know at slower RPMs but it will start shaking/vibrating quite a bit. Even a very small piece can cause such issues.

This sounds like your problem.

Of note, DO NOT under ANY circumstances remove the intake grate via the four bolts under the boat. They are NOT designed to be removed and will require a lot of work to fix later if you try and spin them. Pull the debris out with a stick, long pliers, etc. If the debris is completely jammed, you can remove the entire pump from the stern of the boat very easily with very basic tools. With experience, you can get that off in about 10-15 min. IF this is needed, I can guide you. It's really easy.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

How do you like your 195?

I'm looking at lightly used Scarabs and Yamahas, and really like the Scarab 195 cockpit and swim platform.

Jim

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I would recommend asking him that question after he solves this vibration problem. lol

 

[Pablo]

Luc many thanks for the response. The boat is literally brand new! I have less than one hour. Just crawled under the boat and viewed with a flashlight,.. nothing there,.. clean as can be! I am wondering if there is an alignment issue. I have no basis of experience so I am grasping for solutions. The engine is really loud,.. is that normal???? you can carry on a conversation and I don't know how someone sitting in the back would be able to stand the engine noise.
The boat also pulls strongly to the right, is that normal? unlike a typical outdrive where you had a small fin to counter the prop's rotation,.. there is nothing! standing by.

to answer the previous question, the boat is beautifully done,.. its the motor noise and vibration that has me worried

Paul

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Overly excessive engine noise is not normal. Vibrations are not normal. So it sounds like you've got some sort of problem. Pulling to one side is also not normal. In a single engine boat, the pull, if any, should be almost imperceptible but some others have detected it. Twin engines is a different story. They require different pitch impellers.

It could be something else... but 99.9% of these problems are debris or pump related. Can you take clear photos of each part of the impeller where it meets the wear ring? Not blurry ones. I don't know how many times people have looked and didn't find anything the first time, went back and found something. Not to doubt you... but this happens a lot.

Try also looking through the jet nozzle. Make sure you're boat is in full forward, which will pull the reverse bucket fully up. Then straighten the steering wheel. Look down the nozzle with a flashlight again and check around the perimeter of the impeller. Take photos again (it's hard though since it's farther down).

Post the photos here.

Also, which engine do you have? The 250HP option?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I'll add, make sure there's nothing wrapped around the drive shaft like fishing line, rope, weeds, etc. Sometimes a small rope can be wrapped and people don't notice it since it's REALLY tight in there.

 

[Pablo]

thanks again Luc,.. will give it a closer look and send some pics. the boat is a 250hp

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

I would recommend asking him that question after he solves this vibration problem. lol

Yea, I didn't realize the boat was brand new with less than an hour on her! Hopefully, it's something easy to address like you have mentioned.

Jim

 

[Pablo]

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

If there's nothing obviously wrong with the boat, since it's brand new, I wouldn't recommend wasting too much time diagnosing the problem and talk to the dealer.

But the debris check is definitely worth verifying.

And nice! She looks very puuuuuurrty! I'm a little (a lot) jealous! Hoping to get a 195 one day myself.

 

[Pablo]

Thanks Luc. Will keep you posted. I have owned many power boats over the years and this one in particular really has me worried because I don’t know anything about jet drives. I have always been a prop guy.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I was always a prop guy too. Until I wasn't and learned the "ways of the jet". lol Jet boats have their pros and cons. I prefer them overall for all kinds of reasons. But it all depends on your boating style.

If I can reassure you, once you figure out what the cause is, things are pretty simple. You'll learn. Feel free to PM me here, but for a faster back/forth, use Facebook Messenger here: Log into Facebook

Happy to help you and answer any questions.

 

[Pablo]

Unfortunately I am not on FB. Texting and email works for me. I am in Northern California

5303563555

 

[Pablo]

Last question,… the motor isn’t typically overwhelming loud? I will call the dealership tomorrow morning. They were closed today

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Texting from Canada would cost extra for me. We can just use the personal message feature of this forum. So feel free to ping me there.

The engine should definitely not be crazy loud. It is louder than an outboard for sure. Similar to an IO boat in my opinion. I would recommend just to go and watch a video of someone else driving a 195 with audio on and listen to the sounds.

Hopefully you have a good and responsive dealer. Sadly, many don't.

 

[Pablo]

?

 

[Pablo]

God morning Luc. I spoke to the dealer in Eugene Oregon where I bought the boat

he really didn’t have any answers other then we need to test it. The vibration and engine loudness is he says is normal? And depends upon the rpm’ the vibration comes and goes. There is no adjustment for the shaft or impeller. It is what it is. I am very disappointed

Is this what you have experienced?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

It's really hard to tell without listening, driving your boat. Maybe what you call loud/vibration IS normal. But it seems odd that these are problematic enough for you to complain about them. Others don't complain about this to this degree. Some report that the engine is a little loud as compared to other boats, and they are correct. But it's not problematic, or shouldn't be.

Did you manage to take photos of the inside of the pump as described before?

And yeah, the impeller/shaft won't cause such problems. The shaft is adjusted by moving the actual engine. Even if it's off, it won't cause these problems (other problems yes, but not this). The impeller is positioned very precisely to fit inside the wear ring perfectly.

Otherwise, you may have to wait for the dealer to drive it. Assuming they know what a Rotax engine/boat should sound like, they should be able to tell. But I'll tell you one thing, there are many dealers out there that just really, really suck. We see people here reporting obvious issues that weren't identified by their dealers. It's pretty frustrating.

 

[Pablo]

Thanks Luc much appreciated your responses. I will take some pics this morning and send to you. I have to pull the cover anyway. I wondering if the engine isn’t tuned correctly like a computer setting, that might be where the vibration is coming from
The engine was so loud, my wife innocently pointed to the ski locker in the center and asked if that was where the motor was? LOL

perhaps I should send out a string and ask about excessive engine noise and vibration