Scarab going away?

[djboss5522]

Hey guys...I was/am very close to putting a deposit on a 2022 scarab 195 ID. I just did some reading that the french company that owns Scarab is looking to end the brand.....what are the odds scarab gets bought...is the company in trouble? I really don't want to buy a boat that won't have support from dealers, etc. What is everyone else hearing? Sorry if this was posted elsewhere....just getting nervous...

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

That was old news. Before covid. The brand is staying in the hands of Beneteau after all and are apparently selling extremely well. A bunch of stuff announced today actually with new features, designs, etc. Even if somehow it ever got sold, it would pretty much mean nothing to consumers. It would just change hands...

Local dealer support is dependent on your local dealer only and is probably the thing you need to consider the most.

 

[djboss5522]

That is great news luc! Do you have an sources/news articles on this? My parents had a nice little seadoo jetboat that I loved to bum around with and really would like to get a nimble boat that a jet boat can offer....with a little more space for my growing family.....also, where can I see the new stuff that was just announced?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The forum is fantastic to track/search for problems and such. But there's TONS of activity here: Facebook Groups

That's where these latest features have just been posted today by the admin who is a huge Scarab dealer in New Orleans. He's definitely "in the know". That's where we heard of the Scarab brand staying in the hands of Beneteau after all. Note that the brand wasn't going away, the plan was to sell it to someone else, but after covid hit and they couldn't keep up with demand, they decided to keep it.

 

[djboss5522]

Luc, FYI - This was published just 5 days ago by Beneteau..shows Group Beneteau is still planning on moving to 8 brands, scarab not being one of them....look at page 8....

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Why do you think it was published 5 (edit, 5, not 8) days ago? It literally says this is their 2019-2020 report all over that document.

 

[djboss5522]

It's page 8 on the printed document, 5 on the pdf reader...

A look back at an exceptional 2019-20 year

Groupe Beneteau’s 2019-20 activity report has just been released and recounts a year of rare intensity.

press.beneteau-group.com

June 14, 2021 - Just noticed it said it was committed to its plan as laid out in its "let's go plan"

I was just curious if there was any other info from GB that said they were reversing the course on going from 12 brands down to 8 brands as part of its let's go plan...this press release said they were committed...

FYI - I have a family member that works for a material supplier to scarab, and he said the same thing you did...that scarabs are selling like hotcakes and that he heard the same as you.

I just haven't seen anything on their website/elsewhere to say otherwise....

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Here, from that dealer... it's a long one. But no, I have not seen any explicit published articles on this. But this guy is probably the biggest Scarab dealer in the world. Don't quote me on that.

From Leonard on that Facebook group, Oct 19, 2020:

So I wanted to get out in front of an announcement that will be made later today. There is good news and in my humble opinion bad news on the Scarab ownerships and vision going forwards.
So going back to June of this year the ownership of Scarab Jet Boats and Glastron boats announced in a board of directors meeting that they were reducing their total number of brands from 16 down to 12. There were two brands in Europe that no one here had ever heard of, leaving the group and of course, Scarab and Glastron here in the US that were 95% sold in the North American market. The reason given was that Group Beneteau was wanting global brands that were 25’ and up to get their profit margins up. They also needed production of their euro boats here in the USA. So they were going forward with their global brand in a narrow focus. Immediately after the announcement and possibly before, I found out that there was plans to sell the two brands to an ownership group that would keep the Scarab jet boat brand along with Glastron in the Cadillac factory. The best part of the news was that the father of the two brands Christophe Levine was heading that group. For us dealers that were there from the beginning this was the best possible scenario for the brand going forward. Christophe, was the reason that Scarab existed. After negotiations with BRP broke down he continued to work with them to integrate jet into the regular boat market. He then took the original 195 Scarab design and built all models from that template. He was the voice and face of the Scarab brand. He also took the Glastron line from the lows of 2009 to a top 10 selling brand. This was good news. Well with today’s announcement of the separation of Christophe from the Beneteau group this is an unfortunate turn of events. For us dealers he was the heart and sole of the brand. 4 years ago I saw sketches of the 285 Scarab and a center console Scarab that really made you believe the glass is half full, this is a growing brand and the future is very bright. His driving force will be a huge loss, I only hope that the powers that be understand that he truly is the Father of the Scarab Jet Boat Brand. In business these curves in the road happen often. I can only hope there is a way back for Christophe to be part of the brand in the future. He will he missed. Very much so by me! I hope this is just part of the bargaining position that Beneteau felt they needed. It was rough for me losing Rock Lambert ( CEO of RBH) and Jay Wasinski ( my district manager) a few years ago. But now losing Christophe the heart and sole of the brand is a big mistake. But I’m just one dealer, that feels and thinks like a boat owner!
Now for the good news!
The reason that things have changed in future ownership is because of you. Your purchases of all available Scarabs on dealer lots has caused the largest reorder of boats in the 12 year history of the company. As of September 1st there are more Scarab Orders on the books (3 months in to the 2021 year) than all of the 2020 model year. 2020 was the largest year in record in Scarabs 6 year history. As of October 15th I’m told there are 50% more orders than just 45 days prior. The brand has exploded! Scarab is now the top brand in the 4 boat group for sales. This has made the value of the Scarab brand increase and the negotiating of the sale of the new ownership group an ever increasing number. This has caused the group group headed by the father of the brand to back away and the separation of all involved from the Cadillac group.
Operations of the production facility are back where we were before the announcement of the change in June. The good news is the Scarab brand now has the sales to push it forward and have top billing at the Cadillac operations. You have the financial backing of one of the largest marine groups in the world. Now that paper orders have converted to Pre approved bank orders. The current owners have decided that Scarab is now in focus for their future! A Change of mind and we are back to the future. So no change in the future as we stand now! This is a good thing for current boat owners and future owners. Change is always scary! The same old is very comfortable. As a dealer, I’m glad the future is not a question mark. As an enthusiast I’m very disappointed that Christophe ( as it stands today) will not be in the future. I’ll admit, the future was much brighter with him at the helm. My opinion!

 

[djboss5522]

My family member echoed much of the same written here...

FYI - I even called a dealer in the Detriot area a few months back and he was very "disgruntled" and almost was trying to talk me out of a scarab and told me how GB really made a mess and treated Chisophe so poorly....just thought it was odd....but it sounds like christophe was very popular among the dealers...

thanks for the heads up on the Facebook group, I asked to join!

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Just to be clear, I'm not saying they won't be sold. We just don't know what Beneteau will do. But I really don't think it will matter much to consumers. The brand could switch hands, or not. Wouldn't really matter. The question is whether your local dealer supports the brand if that matters to you. I have no idea if you're the type that requires dealer help or if you prefer to do your own work. But it is nice to have a dealer nearby if needed.

I don't have any dealer nearby... I do my own maintenance. I personally couldn't care any less about all of this because it just doesn't affect me. I hadn't even bothered to look into this since Leonard posted that until tonight. My boat is beyond any warranty period, it's rock solid and been treating me well (but I've been treating it well too, like all boats demand). About to hit 200h of use next week most likely.

 

[djboss5522]

How do you like your boat? You have a 165g? I was looking at a fully stocked 195....price point was quoted at $68,000....as you can imagine, lots of coinage and just was doing a bit of confirmation....I was looking at that or a Malibu Boat...just a totally different experience...ya know? And more money, but for $68,000 resale is important to me..... but I just love the nimbleness of jet boats...so fun....we had one of those yellow sea do boats..the small one...we could spin that sucker on a dime...

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Love my boat! It's a 2015 model... no "Ghost" label at the time. So it's kind of a mix of features... for example, I have a tilt steering but the Ghost models don't. But overall, it's more similar to the G model for sure.

I've had little issues here and there, but things could be fixed. The biggest ACTUAL issue was a stuck fuel float inside the fuel tank. That's a very long story, but I fixed it myself in the end. There's normal wear and tear but it's holding up pretty darn good. And yes, you can spin them on a dime I also much prefer jet boats to prop boats for various reasons. I spend a lot of time on a tiny lake system with teeny tiny rivers that are often at about 1.5 to 2ft deep in some spots. I go right by all the prop boats.

I can't speak to price since I'm Canadian. Our boat prices out completely out of wack from the US side which I presume you're from.

 

[djboss5522]

Just south of you...here in Michigan....

 

[Rtimleck]

Great information guys! I spoke to a sales rep are Rec Boats Holding's yesterday and he gave me a bit of onsite on what's coming down the pipe for the 2022 model line up.
I've been off the forum for a while now so it may be old news.

 

[djboss5522]

What did he tell you?

 

[Rtimleck]

For 2022 there will no longer have the 250hp engines. Scarab will be using BRP's 170, 230 and 300 HP engines.
All scarabs models will be going to the same graphics package as the 285.
All boats will come standard with a bow scuff plate.
Trailers will come standard with aluminum rims.
If I understood correctly, you can choose between white or black colour above the rub rail.
Has anyone else heard similar or additional info?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yes, from here: Facebook Groups

There is a ton of info, responses (79!), photos, etc. Sorry, too long to copy/paste here... hopefully you guys have a Facebook account and can join the page.

 

[Rtimleck]

For the non Facebook users including myself hahah, anyway someone can post some pics for us to see?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Courtesy of Leonard Maraist of Lafayette Power Sports.

 

[Rtimleck]

Thank you very much Luc. I had no idea they had already released all of this information.