Scarab has been a huge dissapointment

[ScarabMike]

Well folks,

Its time for me a once advocate of the new line of jetboats coming out to compete with Yamaha, and other stern drive boats to admit defeat. And its sad that a company that has had customers flock to them because of their nice design, and and modern feel have to be treated with such disrespect.

To me it feels like they are an afterthought, or maybe an inconvenience to Scarab, and their dealers. And the best part of all of this, is its something no one thought was going to be the issue.

I remember going back and fourth with all my Yamaha buddies in here about how they thought the powerplant Rotax engines were a huge issue, and how they dont have cleanout ports. How the engines were unreliable, and a bad overall design.

Well over the last year or so, the engines have been great for the most part. They have been rock solid. The issue has been workmanship, and quality control. This is happening before, and after the purchase. Its very Sad to see.

I haven't seen one Chap issue cross the lines here. Not one solitary issue. How are they doing it right? How are some of the modern (2010+) Seadoo boats still going strong, and are is such high demand that their owners will sell them even without advertising. These companies at least try to put out a product that will last, look good, and for the most part stand by their product. And all of this for THOUSANDS of dollars cheaper.

All of this, and my experience with my new purchase of a Yamaha product, and its quality and craftsmanship has motivated me to not stand by or back Scarab or any of their products. At this point my advice to anyone thinking of purchasing one of these boats is watch your wallet, back, and good luck if you ever need anything from Scarab. I encourage you to look at what else is out there in the market before you pull the trigger. You have been warned.

From now on my energy will be focused on trying to help current and future owners on this site. But I will no longer give advice on new purchases. That will solely be on whoever is wanting to purchase a Scarab. We have a ton of info here to help guide you on any new purchases. I suggest to anyone thinking about it, to spend some time reading up, and join this community not just lurk.

The power of the web, and communities like this can change a company's way of doing business. And the more people that bring their issues here, the louder the voice will become.

--- ScarabMike

 

[farrelltravis]

I have no words but....wow. I completely understand your thoughts. Even as a Yamaha enthusiast, I wanted Scarab to succeed! Heck, for that matter, I still want Scarab - and Sugar Sand - to compete in the jet boat world!

 

[Britboater]

That's really sad @ScarabMike ,you've always stood by your boat, and your positive attitude towards it, but I guess there is a limit to how far somebody can stand by a product. I certainly hope Scarab follow this site and take note, it's people's hard earned money buying these boats and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.
On another note, I have a Chaparal main dealer close to me here and they've been selling a ton of jet boats, (we have a tidal, shallow bay) and I'm getting reports that the boats are not living up to people's expectations. I'm not aware of specifics but it's just feed back from friends and family of owners.
Do you have any intention of getting a Yamaha boat?

 

[Zarrella]

Mike...sorry to hear of the short comings of the brand. Maybe you should just go ahead and reserve the name........
YamahaMike for the future!

 

[MikeyL]

Mike...sorry to hear of the short comings of the brand. Maybe you should just go ahead and reserve the name........
YamahaMike for the future!

Ya mean I don't "have" that already ???????????
LOL !

 

[farrelltravis]

Ya mean I don't "have" that already ???????????
LOL !

Not until we get pictures of stripers!!!

 

[d_coyne1984]

IT's really too bad to hear that. Scarab had some really great ideas built into their boats. It's very unfortunate that they weren't better executed. Hopefully they will come back from their shortcomings because competition drives innovation and it's fun to see the jet side of the boating industry evolving very quickly with new features and ideas. I hope Yamaha takes some hints on the next 190/192 design with the taller windshield for one.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Also sorry to hear about this! They are nice looking boats.

 

[Big AL Scarab]

I'm sorry to hear these words Mike!
I'm on the fence about purchasing a Scarab 195 HO and this makes my decision a no brainer. I will not purchase a Scarab until there are improvements!!!
I have a Yamaha Waverunner and it has been a blast with absolutely no problems in 5 years of ownership. I will look into the Yamaha jet boat offerings.
Thanks for all of your expertise and opinions Mike!

P.S. I might have to change my screen name too....

 

[rkluck]

Sorry to hear this as well. I knew there were some challenges but overall I thought you were still supportive. You must have really run across some stuff recently. I thought they looked good and had potential. The better they went the more Yamaha would have to try as well. What Yamaha product did you purchase?

 

[Pinhacker71]

I've had mine for 2 months and have only had a few minor issues. Been very pleased with it. Maybe I got lucky? Sure hope it stays that way.

 

[Cs419]

Worst news all day. Thanks Mike for everything that you do.

 

[Repsol69]

WOW..!!! And we were just getting ready to purchase one of these....THANX Mike But this SUX... only becuase out off all these jet boats we've been looking at the Scarab i think looks the best...LOL...Now I'll have to do some thinking n waiting....

 

[David D]

Mike...sorry to hear of the short comings of the brand. Maybe you should just go ahead and reserve the name........
YamahaMike for the future!

I was thinking the same thing. Sorry about your experience ... you've been a good supporter of the brand @ScarabMike ... I hope when you do change your name that all of your contribution history can move with you!

 

[ScarabMike]

Im not changing my name, or going anywhere. Im just not going to support, or be a part of this junk that's going on. Its nuts, and its a disgrace. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am in no way part of that shit. Everything I have posted has been through my own research through the web. The same as anyone here can do.

I don't work for, and I am not associated, to either RBH, or BRP. And until the get their shit straight, I would stay away from their products. Maybe when all of this junk hit their wallets, then they will have time to read, and do something about it.

Here was their response to me on FB.

Its funny, they do have time to take your money, and then shuve the boat with major issues up your ass while you wait weeks until the uneducated, and uninterested dealer attempts to fix it.

And everyone is supposed to just sit there and take it. You just spent 40K+ on something you dont need. Its supposed to bring fun in your life, and be recreational. Not another stressor, and issue to deal with.

When a fuckin dealer tells you to take their tech's computer, and tell you..."here go fix it" or like I experienced with @Slugger55 in Panama City when the dealer wouldn't even touch the boat that we were lucky to be able to fix. They were right fuckin there. And as I was leaving that same Marina, there was a yellow 195HOI that had issues being dropped off. For what, to then get towed to another dealer to work on because there werent Rotax techs available. Bullshit. Then dont sit there with 2 Scarabs on the lot. I bet they never tell their customers that they cant fix anything if it goes wrong.

Enough is enough.

Hello Miguel, thank you for being a fan an advocate of the jet boat segment of the industry and thank you for being in contact with your members. We understand the more Scarab jet boats are sold, the more owners we will have and the more customer service needs we will have. With that we would ask that if you are going to provide feedback that owners are directed to address their concerns with their local Scarab dealer or with RBH customer service directly. RBH customer service can be reached at 231.775.1351. As much as we would like to be able to monitor all forums and provide customer feedback, the R&D team and engineers simply don't have the time available to do so. Also, we don't want to potentially misdiagnose a concern over the internet with out seeing the actual unit to determine the true issue at hand. Again we appreciate your feedback and we will try to visit the page when we can.

 

[David D]

Here was their response to me on FB.

.... nice

 

[4x15mph]

@ScarabMike, good call on no longer supporting new purchases of Scarab at this time. I know that my experience has been limited to a forum but it has been a shit show. I feel bad for people that spent this kind of money on a boat but the real issue is losing time away from enjoying it.

I am sure you will be sought out for continued help with maintenance, mods, and customer service advice.

 

[Repsol69]

So what they need new dealers that care n know What there doing???? Do you think the new 2016 models will be better ??? Less problems???

 

[ScarabMike]

@Repsol69 There are a couple people here that purchased new 2016 boats. We will see. In my opinion the R&D team needs to be busy figuring out how to make their customers right than trying to design new boats.

 

[biglar155]

@ScarabMike - You have been a huge advocate of and for Scarab. It takes guts to come out and admit you are wrong. I applaude this post.

For my own part, having no interest in buying a new boat for the next decade plus, I've watched the Scarab show in morbid fascination. The boats are beautiful to the point of being bad-ass. But reading about the issues folks have been having with them and the "dealer support" they are getting has made me scratch my head.

Scarab had the opportunity to really go after Yamaha's market share. Now they will probably be out of the jetboat business in a few years because they have a bitter customer base with broken boats.

Good dealer support, something many boat brands lack - jet or not, is what one of the manufacturers must do to turn the jet boat world on its head. Keep the pretty graphics and the fancy gadgets, lets first start out with a quality boat that WORKS, and then fix it right the first time when it does break. The first one that does this will see their market share increase as word gets around. Then the other manufacturers better watch their collective asses because there will be a mass exodus from those brands.