Scarab 255 - Twin 150s or 200s?

[Kurt Film]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I'm looking for some help. I decided on getting a Scarab 255 model for a number of reasons. What I can't decide on is if I should go for the 200s or stick with the standard 150s.

I know the 150s are more fuel efficient, but at cruise speeds both engines seem to be about the same according to the Scarab product information guide. So it's really on top end the 200s are less fuel efficient, but makes sense since they go faster. Fuel efficiency is not an issue for me.

I'll be boating on lake St. Clair in MI. It's quite choppy probably 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time the lake is glass smooth. There will be plenty of opportunities to top it out.

My main concerns are engine noise, long term maintenance, and what do you really gain for the extra money?

I saw a post where someone bought some sound dampening material and they said it helped a lot so that is an option to cut down on sound. I may do that anyways if I get the 150s. People say the 150s are quieter than the supercharged motors, but by how much? Is the sound like the fuel economy thing....where the 150s are quieter on the top end because they're not going as fast? or are they legitimately quieter along the whole RPM band? Though additional sound dampening is an option, I'd like to know what I'm getting into before buying and not have to rely on aftermarket tweaks to not go deaf.

The dealership is saying the supercharged engines as of mid 2018 and beyond no longer require any additional maintenance. Supposedly no more rebuilds every 200 hrs. But they've only said this verbally. I haven't actually read this in anything official from Scarab or Rotax.

And finally, what do you actually gain with the 200s over the 150s? The 2018 Scarab product information guide shows the 150s topping out at 44 while the 200s top out at 51. That said, the only boat review I've ever seen on a 255 with twin 150s shows a top speed of only 40 mph. Boatingworld.com reviewed a 255 with twin 200s and claimed a top speed of 54 mph. Does a 100HP really net a 14 mph gain?

I figured I'd reach out to some folks who have some of these boats with the twin 150 and 200 engine set ups and see what you all think after living with them for a while. Something to note, I have room in the budget for 200s, but not 250s. Curious to know what owners have experienced from a loudness standpoint and actual top speeds of the 150s and 200s.

Edit: We'll be using the boat primarily for long boat rides...maybe 2-4 hours on average (which is why overall loudness of the engines is a concern) and short trips to a nearby sandbar for swimming. I read on another thread the superchargers allow for a greater speed at a lower RPM so would that equal less volume equipped with twin 200s at cruise speed (say 25 mph) than a boat with twin 150s since RPMs would be lower? Is the volume difference between motors negligible?

Thank you!!!

 

[Need A Vacation]

Kurt,

We are looking at a 215 ID ourselves, and recently did a lake test in a 215 that had the 150s. I have not been in a boat with the 200s or 250s, but there was a noticeable difference in the motor noise when slowing down or speeding up some. I can’t recall the exact mph, but want to say it was around 30mph @ ~6,000rpm. Slowing down some, to ~5,500rpm (didn’t pay attention to the speed), it was a noticeable change. And about the same when running about 6,000rpm vs ~6.500rpm. I was paying more attention to the motor rpm to compare.

We are currently trying to work a deal going with the 200s. Part of it based on the engine noise, part of it based on resale down the road, and not being sure how the twin 150s would do pulling a skier.. Since you’re looking at the 255, myself, I would probably only consider the 200s, because of the additional weight of the 255, and higher passenger capacity.

I have been told the same about the super chargers now being maintenance free. It almost sounds like it was from the beginning of the ‘18 models from what I was told, but I haven’t been able to confirm this.

What dealer are you going with? Can you do a lake test?

 

[Kurt Film]

Thanks for the reply.

I was noticing the 200s run about 650-700 rpm lower for the same speed vs. the 150s. So perhaps the 200 engines will run a tad quieter at the same speed than the 150s.

I did take a 255 open with twin 150s out on a test run, but the lake the test was on was more like a big puddle....not even long enough to top out the motors. Acceleration felt good, but the lake was absolutely perfect condition....like a sheet of ice. There was a lot of wind noise with the Open and the 150 wasn't too bad from a loudness standpoint. At the same time we were only out for about 15 minutes. Maybe we'd get sick of the sound if out for a couple hours.

Something else I actually just noticed as I read another post from someone who wrote to Scarab was in Scarab's response they mentioned sound deadening for 2018. I couldn't find anything on the Scarab website about it until I downloaded the 2018 product guide. In there they list "quiet performance" as a feature for 2018. Basically additional matting that dampens sounds and vibrations. It's not available on the 165 model or G models. The 255 Open I tested was a base model (assuming it was G) and not even sure that it was an 18. Regardless, pretty sure the test boat didn't have the dampening. So maybe the volume of the motors isn't an issue with 2018+ models.

Glad to hear others are also hearing the superchargers are maintenance free.

Thanks again for the info. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Need A Vacation]

YW and TY!!!

I have read that starting in ‘18, there is more sound deadening as well. I do know we lake tested a 215 G, and it did resonate a little, about mid ship. But having read about the sound dampening, figured the ID model will be quieter.

Hope things work out for you as well!!!

I will be talking to our salesman tomorrow to try to hammer the price out. What is meant to be will happen!!!

Keep us posted.

 

[Joatmon]

I can only tell you my experience having twin 150's in my 255 so I have no comparison to twin 200's. Boat tops out at 40 mph with a light load. Engines are loud compared to OB and stern drives. Of course I would like to go faster but once having a boat that went 83 mph I really don't miss the body beating ride.

I am satisfied with the twin 150's. I am mostly in the Gulf so cruising at 25 with family is okay for me. You just need to think about how often you will go over 40 mph and if the extra speed if worth the money. Now, I am getting old so speed is not the thrill it used to be.

You should check the manufacturing dates on the engines if Rotax did make a change. My 2017 boat has engines made in 2014. I was not happy about that.

 

[Kurt Film]

Thanks for all the input. I went with the 200s. I did verify the engines that will go in my boat will be the maintenance free supercharged engines. Not sure of exact date of manufacture, but should be sometime in 2018 as my understanding is this was new for this year, but the boat will be a 2019 model year.

Thanks again for the feedback. It helped a lot!

 

[Need A Vacation]

Congratulations!!!

What is the estimated delivery time frame?

Keep us posted!!!

 

[Kurt Film]

Thank u!

Boat should be in by January but the dealer is going to hold on to it for me in indoor storage until spring.

 

[PointeAuB JetBoater]

Thanks for all the input. I went with the 200s. I did verify the engines that will go in my boat will be the maintenance free supercharged engines.

I was under the impression that the maintenance free supercharger was only coming on the new 300 ACE engine. Are you sure that ALL superchargers for 2019 onward are this no (low) maintenance version?

Thanks

 

[Kurt Film]

I will go back and ask my dealer to double check with his Scarab rep, but he has already said to me, "The engines you'll get in your boat will be the new maintenance free superchargers."

That statement was in response to me asking about what year of manufacture i would be getting in my boat (regarding the engines)?

And this whole time I was telling him I was concerned about going beyond the 150s due to maintenance and he insisted from the get go that all rotax engines, and definitely the 200s are now maintenance free. Something about rotax changing the kind of superchargers they used.

 

[Compatico]

I was under the impression that the maintenance free supercharger was only coming on the new 300 ACE engine. Are you sure that ALL superchargers for 2019 onward are this no (low) maintenance version?
Thanks

Yes all of the superchargers are now maintenance free thanks to the 300 ACE design. It has to do with how they were balancing the blowers previously, to how they do it now as a complete part - so 200/250/300 are all maintenance free from now on. If you have a boat with the older superchargers, you can pay extra to have it replaced with the newer design and get maintenance free performance.

 

[Darrell]

I was told the SC are also backwards compatibile… so if you happened to blow the SC on an older engine they could be replaced with the new version. bolt on.

 

[Need A Vacation]

I was told the SC are also backwards compatibile… so if you happened to blow the SC on an older engine they could be replaced with the new version. bolt on.

I was told this also. They run ~$2,000/ea vs the ~$6-700 to have one rebuilt. But it may be worth it if you use the boat a ton of hours.

 

[Kurt Film]

Sounds like the 2018+ supercharged engines are the way to go! Doing the 200s. Once i get the boat, i'll keep u all posted on if that is in fact true.