New to power boating

[Robe]

Hi - never owned a boat but intrigued by the idea of a jet boat - specifically the 2020 scarab jet 165.

I live on a tidal creek that is about 1 foot deep at low tide. I’m hoping to be able to take it out in 2-3 feet of water. Think I can with this boat?

I’m planning on boating to the beach - which is maybe 20 nautical miles away. Think I can easily get there and back on a tank of gas?

Also, to get to the spot I want on the beach I’ll need to cut through a bay and ride along the Atlantic Ocean. See any issues with this?

Thanks!

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

165 owner. 2-3 feet of water is definitely not recommended (they recommend a minimum of 3ft). Realistically, yes, you can. I wouldn't sit still so that you don't suck up things. What's the bottom? Sand? Pebbles? Also, how certain are you it's 2-3 feet everywhere? lol You definitely don't want to hit anything.

As for gas, you can see my stats here: https://jetboaters.net/threads/2015-165-150hp-gas-consumption-stats.19333/

That should give you a realistic range which is HIGHLY dependent on your speed and weight in the boat.

As for the ocean, there are many that use this boat there... obviously it's a small boat. You have to know when to NOT go. lol

 

[Robe]

Very cool gas stats!

Are you happy with the 165? Wish you had gone bigger?

bottom of the creek is sand and probably decaying leaves and sticks. I’ll need to be careful at low’ish tide it sounds. Or I’ll just time the tide.

Other question - think I can just keep the boat on my lift all year? Or do I need to put it in the garage for the winter?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Happy, definitely. Is it flawless? No. There are lots of minor issues... I had one big issue which appears I've recently solved (fuel float getting stuck). The other major-ish issue is porpoising. Small boats tend to porpoise... I installed trim tabs last year and it appears to have helped a lot. But I need to go out some more to test them more before calling it solved and recommending that as a solution. You can see my boat and some of the "mods" I've done: https://jetboaters.net/threads/scarab-165-mods.17479/ I recently drilled tiny holes in the floor to allow water to drain out (the drains aren't very well thought out). I can probably tell you tons... lol But overall, yes, I'm happy. Just remember, boats require regular maintenance regardless of brand. Also, they are used seldomly which means inspections and such are much more important. I do my own maintenance and have had very few problems... 145h of use now with this thing.

Sand will just go through... shouldn't be an issue. Scarab's use antifreeze to cool the engine, lake/sea water to cool the exhaust. The intake for that water is at the stern. Yamahas take the water from the main grate from my understanding to cool both. So the only issue are those sticks. Sticks + jet boat = jammed impeller. Those will suck a lot if that happens. You pretty much have to get the boat out of the water to pull the stick out using long needle nose pliers or take the pump out (which takes about 15 min to remove, 15 min to reattach, not hard but does require a few tools).

I boat in fresh water... sea is foreign to me. I'm in Ontario, Canada.... pretty far from any salt water. But from what I read... ouch. You definitely don't want to leave it in the water. On a lift, yes, not a problem. You need to flush the engine after usage which is easy to do. There are products like Salt Away I believe... but I'll let others chime in on that front. I'm no sea water expert. Parts can rust since it's salt.... trailers especially. I would highly recommend you get a galvanized trailer.. not the painted one. Also, make absolutely sure you have the correct type of anode on your metals parts. If you have the wrong type, your steel parts will degrade very, very quickly.

How cold is "winter" where you are? lol Does it get close or below freezing?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The best way to judge if a jet boat will work for you in that area.... are there jet skis there? Do people complain? Because it's about the same. Similar in most ways. If they are good then this boat will be good in shallow water.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I forgot to comment on size.... lol I happen to boat on a set of miniature lakes connected by a miniature/shallow river. I NEEDED a small boat like this one. With that being said, I used it on much bigger water periodically. If I did this most of the time, yes, I would have preferred bigger for sure. When it gets rough, bigger is always better IMO. You still have the same draft... 1ft. Also, now that I know Scarabs are HIGHLY maneuverable at idle (you can turn the boat while standing still... which is messed up and awesome! Does take some practice though), I may have considered the 19ft version but man, that would be hard to get through some of my rivers.

 

[Gbd165]

Another 165 owner here. I have the 250hp version, and surprisingly get the same gas mileage as @Luc Lafreniere. I plan on 5GPH at about 30-32MPH on a 20 gal tank. I read a lot of Luc's posts, and they've been a big help in understanding my boat. Would love to hear more about the trim tabs. The other item I'd love to figure out, is how to get a better bimini for sun protection. I have the ski tower, which has a ridiculously small bimini. I'm also in Ontario, but only on a large body of water. You need to be very cautious of rough water, and get to know your weather apps really well. The 165 is really a rush to drive, and my favorite part is taking new people out and seeing their faces at that first full throttle acceleration! All in all, I love the boat, but it does have it's limitations.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

@Gbd165 Glad you found my posts helpful. The main reason I post so much is because I was soooooo frustrated when I first got mine. There was zero info practically on the 165 specifically... I felt alone. So I promised myself I'd post what I learned so others could hopefully benefit. Really happy to hear that! I'll definitely be reporting back on the tabs on my 165 mods post once I'm confident whether it helped OR not.

And I will second the bimini comment. I have none... unless you have the wake tower, there seems to be no good looking bimini. They are either too small and look ok, or too big and look stupid (but actually provide sun shade).