New to the Scarab Line - Could use some guidence...

[Jeebus]

I just parted with my 2014 yamaha AR190, sadly... and im looking to get something in the 21' Size.

I have lots of friends with yamaha jet boats, and they all say to steer clear of Scarab, but when I ask them why, or what problems they had when they owned one, none of them have an answer, its just what they "heard"

So, hear I am, i found a 2015 Scarab 215HO locally with under 100 hours. It appears clean, and well taken care of from the photos. I am going to see it in person tomorrow, and take a spin in it. He is the second owner.

My questions are pretty basic, and straight forward, i think.... Do the 2015 models have the same long list of problems that people seemed to have experienced with their 2014 models? What are some of the major complaints of the 2015 model? Anything i should specifically look for when i get to this boat in person?

As far as routine maintenance, living in michigan and the boat only ever being on fresh water lakes, what is the typical yearly maintenance like? I have read that the supercharged motors like to have fresh plugs, but that is about it. I have never owned a supercharged boat, so is there any special things that these boats need regularly done?

Does anyone know if the 195ID towers fit onto the 215 Shell? I am wanting to put a wake tower on at some point as well.

Lastly, I am buying this boat at 29k. This seems to be the cheapest one i have seen, so it seems like a good deal, but i can also buy a 2015 Yamaha 212x with double the hours for the same price.... am i making a good decision going with the Scarab?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Hi. So first, I am not against any specific brand. Choose what suits your boating style best. I would have considered Yamaha, but I needed a small boat for our tiny lake system. Enter my 165. Now on 158h of use, fourth season up here in Ontario, Canada. Obviously very different to the 215, but the engines are essentially identical. Mine is NOT supercharged. I went with the 150HP version on purpose. I didn't want or need the extra HP on this little boat.

For the "laundry list of problems". I'll tell you one thing, I subscribe to the Scarab section of the forum and the Scarab facebook groups, on top of the General Discussion sections which are almost entirely Yamaha related. I realize there are way more Yamaha owners on here than Scarab. With that being said, if you were to look at all the various complains I see coming across, you wouldn't be able to tell which brand has the most problems apart. THEY ARE BOATS. They all break. They all need maintenance, all the freaking time. lol Toys like these are expensive and require a lot of TLC. Doesn't matter if it's Scarab or Yamaha. Both brands, just like my past Nissan car or my current Subaru car have had significant issues. Each car/boat is different. Things like who built it, what day, how was the QC that day, etc. Some major problems exist in both brands and some minor ones. Hope you don't get one with bigger problems and if you do, I hope the dealer takes care of you. So consider that in your purchase. I'm a DIY boat guy and do all my own work up to now. So that part wasn't as much of a factor.

As to what to look for, well, for Scarabs... the big ones are when is the supercharger maintenance due (200h on the 250HP and 200HP engines, maintenance free on the 300HP version), how does the impeller and wear ring look, is the engine running nicely and do you reach the correct top RPM/speed. Maintenance records of any kind can help. Fresh water boat shouldn't have too much oxidation on all the metal parts. Take a look at that in general both in the bucket area as well as in the engine area. Beyond that, it's the usual checks like hull, cleats, etc. But that all applies to any boat.

For maintenance, it's pretty low if you ask me. In an ideal situation, you change the oil once a season along with the filter (trivial to do), you change the coolant every TWO seasons (also easy to do). Spray a bunch of XPS lube on all components when you winterize. I like to go one extra step and disassemble the pump and inspect it carefully. Replace the grease and O rings while I'm there. But you don't need to do that every season. Only every few years. All of this is very inexpensive, especially if you do it yourself which you definitely can. This isn't hard. I learned it all from scratch and I'm more than willing to help you if you need it. Walk you through each step and can give you other general tips. Winterizing the boat for cold weather is a joke beyond that. General maintenance that applies to all boats like tightening screws, keeping an eye on things, etc. Cleaning/waxing it once in a while.

Can't comment on the tower question. Can't comment on price.

But as to "am i making a good decision going with Scarab"... it all depends! lol Is the Scarab the right style of boat for you? Pros and cons that go with it? Both brands have their pros and cons. What suits your style of boating and style of waters best. In both cases, you could buy the boat and discover a major problem or series of problems and swear off that brand forever. I see it all the time on this very forum. It's surprisingly common. Eventually, people won't buy any brand at all anymore since they seem to all break down. lol Again, they are boats.

My little 165 is now at 158h. I'm at the cottage this weekend using it once again. I've definitely encountered issues (look through my post history). But go through anybody's post history and you'll find issues on all brands. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. Is it flawless? Far from it. Would a Yamaha have been better? Maybe? Maybe not. Different problems for sure, but there are still problems.

Some of the things to highlight on Scarab's as compared to Yamaha: the steering/maneuverability in neutral/reverse is amazeballz. Yes, you read that right. It's really, really handy and beats Yamaha any day but it does take practice to learn to drive it. No need for any accessories to help you steer. Give yourself some time there. It chews up weeds like nobody's business. Can weeds clog it? Yes. But it's damn rare if you make an attempt at avoiding them. I've rarely had to go for a swim (and I've only ever done it when I was planning on going for a swim) and pull a few weeds from the grate (not the impeller). Just to clear it. But even then, it wasn't needed. I just lost some top speed. I did have a piece of wood stuck, ONCE, in 4 seasons. That did require a pair of long, needle nose style pliers to remove. AND it only happened because I was idling in 1.5ft of water. Was fully aware of what I was doing. lol Styling of the boat is pretty nice. But that's a personal preference I suppose. The top speeds I hear are a little faster than Yamahas, but don't quote the guy who bought a 150HP engine. That was not a priority for me.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask me.

 

[Nexus]

Some of the things to highlight on Scarab's as compared to Yamaha: the steering/maneuverability in neutral/reverse is amazeballz. Yes, you read that right. It's really, really handy and beats Yamaha any day but it does take practice to learn to drive it. No need for any accessories to help you steer.

Just to add... Besides the steering ability when going slow or not moving at all is the true neutral capability. I think this was discussed somewhere else before but the new BRP products (that have iNR) allow you to put the boat in neutral and it won't move (much). Similar to a "normal" boat and un-similar to most jet boats.

It chews up weeds like nobody's business. Can weeds clog it? Yes. But it's damn rare if you make an attempt at avoiding them.

ditto. but usually, a "reverse move" is enough to clear the intake. Also, and I've thankfully never had to use it, Scarab impeller shafts now have a sleeve that should prevent things like ropes getting wound tight.

I'll also add that we love the layout of our Scarab. We really like the dual captain's seats, which I think used to be difficult to get on the Yamaha's without giving up some other feature. I think they've changed that now. Also, we really love the rear platform. Or, rather, the ability to have one or not. Underway, the rear-facing seats are useless since no one should be riding there. So it's just wasted space. Scarab's unique rear-folding seats allow you to maximize the area and even gives you the option for a rear sun deck. Our current 19' Scarab feels bigger and is more spacious than our previous 20' Sea-doo!

But, let me say that I've never owned a Yamaha and don't know that much about them. Just what I see on You-Tube!

 

[Yellow Jacket]

I agree 100% with what Luc said. Additionally, I think that’s an excellent price for a 2015 215 HO with under 100 hours. What engine size and options?

 

[Jeebus]

Thanks for all the replies, I love hearing both good and bad of the brand.

I agree 100% with what Luc said. Additionally, I think that’s an excellent price for a 2015 215 HO with under 100 hours. What engine size and options?

So, this is a 215HO boat, and from what I gather, it’s the 200hp motors, but I have yet to confirm. Is there visual way to know which one is which?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The 250HP has a larger, external intercooler. The thing on the right of the image with two big tubes going to it. That doesn't exist on the 200HP version. Silver in colour towards the back of the engine.

 

[Jeebus]

The 250HP has a larger, external intercooler. The thing on the right of the image with two big tubes going to it. That doesn't exist on the 200HP version. Silver in colour towards the back of the engine.

View attachment 127103

Hmm, hard to tell from this photo here, but it appears to have the external intercooler hoses...

 

[Jeebus]

Now option wise... I’ve gotten confused on this. Being that this is not an ID boat or Impulse package, doesn’t that make the boat a 215G by default? It appears to have some things that i didn’t expect on the 215g, such as snap in carpet, exterior under water lighting, interior led lighting and swim platform mats.

S

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yeah, I don't have these engines so I'm a poor choice to view the photo and decide. Definitely hard to tell from that photo.

In 2015, the HO was the 200HP. The HO Impulse was the 250HP. The "ID" branding didn't exist then.

Keep in mind, it's possible they paid for various separate upgrades....

 

[Nexus]

Looks like they added thrust vectors too. That should help when going slow. I find the Scarab to be a bit more squirrelly, at slow speeds, than my previous boat.

Curious: Why'd you give up your previous AR190?

 

[blthlt]

Looks like the 200s to me.

 

[Jet Boat Tom]

Definitely 200's. Right on the front of the engines is a copper housing with hoses going to it. The 200 is the only version of these engines with this. It is a small intercooler built into the intake manifold.

 

[ChrisM]

I/C's shown. Twin 250's.

 

[Winerocks]

Definitely the 200HP engines. In 2015, the HO was 200hp as Luke mentioned above. The HO Impulse was either 200 or 250, with no distinguishing marks or naming...just some squiggly graphics. Snap-in carpeting was standard. ID name wasn’t introduced until later. I have the same year and size, but the Impulse version with 250’s, and the tower. The deck mat on that boat is in exceptional condition! The underwater light had to be either a dealer add-on or PO add-on. The internal LED's may have been an extra option...now sure if they were standard on the HO.

 

[Yellow Jacket]

Looks like they added thrust vectors too. That should help when going slow. I find the Scarab to be a bit more squirrelly, at slow speeds, than my previous boat.

Curious: Why'd you give up your previous AR190?

Are thrust vectors those twin rudder things attached to each nozzle? My 2016 HO doesn't have those. Are they just passive rudders, or is there some sort of active control over them? Looks like springs at the attachment points.

 

[Winerocks]

Are thrust vectors those twin rudder things attached to each nozzle? My 2016 HO doesn't have those. Are they just passive rudders, or is there some sort of active control over them? Looks like springs at the attachment points.

The thrust vectors or whatever they are called turn with the jets, and help to direct thrust. These are pretty much a necessity on Yamaha jets, but most people with Scarabs find them an unnecessary nuisance. I believe the springs are there so that if you hit bottom, they move out of the way instead of breaking off.
There are a few threads in this forum that discuss the pros and cons of these systems.

 

[Jeebus]

Thanks guys, greatly appreciate the help!

 

[Nexus]

I believe the springs are there so that if you hit bottom, they move out of the way instead of breaking off.
There are a few threads in this forum that discuss the pros and cons of these systems.

Just watched an old @JetBoatPilot youtube vid, and it seems like the force of the jet will also move them up and out when underway. I don't have the product, so I can't be sure.

 

[Yellow Jacket]

Thanks guys, greatly appreciate the help!

Did you ever end up getting this boat?

 

[Jeebus]

Did you ever end up getting this boat?

yes, I did. I have not been able to get it on the water yet, but have plans to be on the lake all next week so i will get plenty of time tomorrow!

ive tried to do a lot of research on the boat, but had a limited window to jump on the boat while I could. It was the cheapest one in the state, and surrounding area, the owner actually lived on the lake that scarab tests there boats, up in Cadillac, he seemed really honest and trust worthy, and the testing facility actually worked on the boat last summer for him to fix a wire issue.

i had read so many horror stories about these boats, but I’m hoping mine is not one of them.