Scarab Quality

[Tempest]

Can anyone please give their honest opinion on the build quality of these boats? I’ll be placing an order for a 195 ID or a Yamaha AR 195S within the next few weeks and am still torn. I’m leaning towards the Scarab in terms of the Ace 300, styling, color schemes and interior layout but, the “quality” and pricing of the Yamaha just can’t be overlooked. Thank you!

 

[Tatalover78]

I have '19 195id with the 300 ace @ 30hrs. Bought new. Small quality topics inc: turbo tube rubbing against bracket, windshield hinge screw came out, bilge fuse blown, gate lever bracket disappeared, cover snap pulled thru...nothing that has prevented a day on the lake or wasn't a 10min fix. Overall I'm happy and would have made the same decision.

 

[Winerocks]

I have a ‘15 215 HOI, and I’m happy with build quality. I’m approaching 100 hours, and no mechanical failures. The Scarab engines are little, and rev high (same for Yamaha), so there are more vibrations than most I/O boats. This means that screws and bolts can come loose lover time. As they’ve come loose, I’ve applied Loctite and re-tightened. For some, this indicates poor build quality; for me it is simply boat ownership. I’ve had to re-staple some upholstery that wasn’t done properly from the factory, but I’m not aware of others with this issue. Again, part of boat ownership. Both Yamaha and Scarab are assembled by people in factories. Some workers are good, some are not. We chose Scarab over Yamaha because we felt that it was a better boat; from performance to fit and finish. Also, the fact that you need to add parts to the Yamaha to be able to maneuver at low speed was a little unsettling. Both are good boats, both have problems, and both are powered by jets. I firmly believe that many people who are unhappy with either simply didn’t know what they were getting into with jet boats and regretted it.
I’ve heard from a couple of 195 owners that they have a hard time maneuvering at low speeds. My boat has 2 jets, so likely moves a bit differently than the 195.
Can you test drive both Yamaha and Scarab?

 

[Tempest]

I have a ‘15 215 HOI, and I’m happy with build quality. I’m approaching 100 hours, and no mechanical failures. The Scarab engines are little, and rev high (same for Yamaha), so there are more vibrations than most I/O boats. This means that screws and bolts can come loose lover time. As they’ve come loose, I’ve applied Loctite and re-tightened. For some, this indicates poor build quality; for me it is simply boat ownership. I’ve had to re-staple some upholstery that wasn’t done properly from the factory, but I’m not aware of others with this issue. Again, part of boat ownership. Both Yamaha and Scarab are assembled by people in factories. Some workers are good, some are not. We chose Scarab over Yamaha because we felt that it was a better boat; from performance to fit and finish. Also, the fact that you need to add parts to the Yamaha to be able to maneuver at low speed was a little unsettling. Both are good boats, both have problems, and both are powered by jets. I firmly believe that many people who are unhappy with either simply didn’t know what they were getting into with jet boats and regretted it.
I’ve heard from a couple of 195 owners that they have a hard time maneuvering at low speeds. My boat has 2 jets, so likely moves a bit differently than the 195.
Can you test drive both Yamaha and Scarab?

Thank you for the reply. It may have been your post pertaining to the staples that I had come across, as I've read about that. I believe the new 2020 Yamaha boats have better low speed manueverability. The checking of bolts, etc.. I am not averse to as that is part of ownership and ensuring proper and safe operation. The shavings, inoperative bilge, the pass-thru window always falling through and screws of the wrong length poking through visible areas I would be pretty upset about. I've seen one instance where water in the engine bay wasn't properly draining causing moldy sound-proofing. These are things that would sway me in another direction.
My area dealer sells both Scarab and Yamaha but, I detest the owner and would need to make the purchase elsewhere so test-driving boats is a bit more challenging even though it would seem otherwise. Your input is truly appreciated as I never considered a Yamaha but, here I am.
Dropping $50-54k on a Scarab vs $43-45k on a Yamaha makes me think twice when Im not sure which boat is the better purchase. Typically, the more $$$ might seem the better boat...

 

[Rtimleck]

If the Yamaha is cheaper I would go with the Yamaha. I've never owned a Yamaha jetboat but I think the build quality is alot better than the Scarab. Just my opinion! Performance wise the Scarab is going to perform alot better especially top end. They are two totally different layouts when it comes to the cockpit. Do you want a sun pad to lay out on? Or are you alright with the fixed seating at the stern? This is just one of the many decisions you will have to make. Whatever you choose keep us informed!

 

[WiskyDan]

From what I've seen on this forum it appears that both are quality boats that have their strengths and weaknesses - I think you'll be happy with either of them. I love the look of Scarab's, and they have some innovative features, but for me I just trusted Yamaha's engines a bit more than BRP. Doesn't mean I'm right - this is my first year owning a boat - just the criteria that I used after doing my research.

 

[Enduro900]

Can anyone please give their honest opinion on the build quality of these boats? I’ll be placing an order for a 195 ID or a Yamaha AR 195S within the next few weeks and am still torn. I’m leaning towards the Scarab in terms of the Ace 300, styling, color schemes and interior layout but, the “quality” and pricing of the Yamaha just can’t be overlooked. Thank you!

If you go with scarab make sure you get the digital speed control option (this helps with the docking/cuts the rpm for better control). This should be standard as a baseline advantage over low-speed control around the docks but Scarab makes it an option instead (lost opportunity for bragging rights in my opinion)......it also allows you to have better control for water sports.

Also, i think Scarab dealers will usually negotiate more than Yamaha so that might reduce the price spread.....btw I’m in the same bot (pun intended).....I keep going back and forth between Yamaha and Scarab.....if they were the same price it would be a no-brainer.....I’d choose the Scarab

 

[Nexus]

I have the same boat with about the same hours as @Tatalover78 but have had none of the issues he mentioned. So far its been pretty trouble-free. Part of the reason we chose the Scarab is that our previous boat had the brp engines, so we were already familiar, and we loved the layout. Right now the plan is to upgrade to a 215 in a couple of years.

 

[DaveShip55]

What a great post!.. I love hearing the opinions of each brand. That’s what’s great about this forum, having both jet boat brands here.. (and others, but the Yamaha and Scarab seem the most compared)..
It does seem to me that there’s more Yamahas out there, definitely here on the southern west coast, so it would be expected to see more complaints about the Yamahas. And, as with everything within forums, you mostly see complaints, and the majority that have no ‘major’ issues never post.... so you have to take that into consideration.
I bought my first boat back in 2005, a AR230 HO, and hate to say it, really didn’t do much research... just owned a Yamaha Waveblaster, and when Insaw the new Yamaha boats withe the twin 4 stroke MR1 motors, I had to have one.... It was a GREAT purchase!!!! Other than some small issues,... like the gas gauge not working, depth gauge stopped working, and the usual nuts and bolts loosening (especially the damn nuts on the pop up cleats.. LoL!)... but it was a great boat for 16 years!!!!!! Not a single motor issue!!! And all I did was change the oil and spark plugs every year. But unfortunately this summer one of the motors overheated and broke a rod.... I think the SERIOUS overheating weakened the rod bearing and ultimately broke. So I sold it.....
So here I am now!!!!.. on the same boat!... LoL!... either going to buy a 2021 Scarab 255ID with the twin Rotax Ace 300’s, ..... or the 2021 Yamaha 255XD (with the twin supercharged motors, hence the 25’5’.... haha). Going to be a TOUGH choice!.... definitely going to have to list the Pros and Cons of each!... and of course follow this Forum..... what a great source of honest opinions.....

 

[Enduro900]

What a great post!.. I love hearing the opinions of each brand. That’s what’s great about this forum, having both jet boat brands here.. (and others, but the Yamaha and Scarab seem the most compared)..
It does seem to me that there’s more Yamahas out there, definitely here on the southern west coast, so it would be expected to see more complaints about the Yamahas. And, as with everything within forums, you mostly see complaints, and the majority that have no ‘major’ issues never post.... so you have to take that into consideration.
I bought my first boat back in 2005, a AR230 HO, and hate to say it, really didn’t do much research... just owned a Yamaha Waveblaster, and when Insaw the new Yamaha boats withe the twin 4 stroke MR1 motors, I had to have one.... It was a GREAT purchase!!!! Other than some small issues,... like the gas gauge not working, depth gauge stopped working, and the usual nuts and bolts loosening (especially the damn nuts on the pop up cleats.. LoL!)... but it was a great boat for 16 years!!!!!! Not a single motor issue!!! And all I did was change the oil and spark plugs every year. But unfortunately this summer one of the motors overheated and broke a rod.... I think the SERIOUS overheating weakened the rod bearing and ultimately broke. So I sold it.....
So here I am now!!!!.. on the same boat!... LoL!... either going to buy a 2021 Scarab 255ID with the twin Rotax Ace 300’s, ..... or the 2021 Yamaha 255XD (with the twin supercharged motors, hence the 25’5’.... haha). Going to be a TOUGH choice!.... definitely going to have to list the Pros and Cons of each!... and of course follow this Forum..... what a great source of honest opinions.....

It sounds like Yamaha dealers are charging MSRP right now on 2021 orders. Scarab dealers had been discounting (pretty heavily before covid). I’d be curious to hear if they are still discounting......there is a thread “what did you pay for your scarab”/older thread but surprising how much people saved off MSRP ($10k-$20k or more in some cases)......