Yamaha, Sea Doo, or Scarab... Oh my

[SWOJET]

Hi everyone, I am in the market to become a first time boat owner. I have been scouring craigslist and other boat buying sites to try to get an idea of what I think would be options for my family and I (family of four). I have decided that I want to go the jetboat route but now I am torn between a few different options and looking for help/recommendations. Without getting into too many specifics about cost, there seems to be four real options for me for buying a used boat and really only one option for a new one.

Used:
1) Early 2000's Yamaha LS2ooo or LX210 between 4-8k
2) Step up into the later Yamah 19ft models for about double 15-18k
3) Found a 2014 Scarab 195 HO Impulse - 12k
4) Sea Doo Challenger/Utopia - 5-7k

New:
The only real option, price wise for me is going to be the Scarab 165 - 20k

I am looking to use this as a family boat that will be able to pull tubes for tubing and possibly water skiers.
Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[Julian]

Looks like all the boats you are looking at are small, is that because you have a tow vehicle limitation? If no tow vehicle limitation at 20k is your upper limit, I'd be looking at a nice used 23' Yamaha as these boats have proven reliability, good size for you and another family, and easy maintenance.

If size matters then I'd be looking at a 19' Yamaha or a newer smaller Scarab (but that starts getting really small!). The older Scarabs, the 2 cycle Yamahas and Seadoos all come with a need to know what you are getting into and what to look for (well all boats do, but these more so!).

 

[ruztew]

I believe there were a lot of issues with the scarab in 2014, I'd stay away from that one

 

[biffdotorg]

If you go the SeaDoo route like the Challengers and Utopias, be sure you have a local mechanic that will work on it. The older ones were twin rotax and same goes for the newer ones. But in the 2000-2005 range there were a number with Mercury engines. They are solid boats and come in sizes up to 20ft. But you will have limited options for service as many dealers will not touch it. It's a seadoo with a merc. No, it's a merc in a seadoo, stop, you're both right..

That's why we got out of our SeaDoo X20. The 240efi Merc was an awesome engine, in a 20ft boat. But the thought of it bailing scared me. The yamaha motors I can work on myself, or worst case, I take it to a waverunner shop.

Good luck!

 

[SWOJET]

Thanks for the info and recommendations... I've been reading on the horror stories of the early scarab's but I have also read from those who have not had any issues. I really like the styling of the scarab, but I also am concerned about the increased maintenance cost of the supercharger. As for a tow restriction, I am going to be limited to about 3500 lbs (unless I can somehow talk my wife into a boat and a truck). I like the yamaha's as a good across the board, but am wondering if my entry into jet boating should be the less expensive sea doo challengers with the intent to upgrade to the yamaha sx190's as they come down in price in a few years.

 

[SWOJET]

Is there a big difference between the LX210, the LS200o and the newer sx190's?

 

[Scottintexas]

a world of difference,

The two strokes require more mechanical finessing, are you experienced with two stroke motors? oil lines, carb adjustments, heads? if you know what you're doing it's a very good option, if you're going to pay someone it gets expensive,

I don't do much mechanical so I went with the Yamaha mr1 engine, in seven years it's just been plugs/oil, if I would have had to do other work I probably would have sold the boat by now as I never use it as much as I think but it's just so easy to keep, it just runs,

 

[SWOJET]

biffdotorg and scottintexas, thanks again. I will not be doing much if any of the maintenance, so that is good information for me to consider. I have verified that I have a local sea doo personal watercraft mechanic a few miles away, but not sure if they will work on the challenger with a merc in it. I still don't know what to do. Part of me says to get the cheapest one as a tester and then sell it next season and upgrade if we like it. The other part of me thinks that I should pay a little more now and get everything we want so we don't have to start all over again next season.

 

[Scott E]

If you looking at used Sea Doo's I'd recommend sticking with the later models with the Rotax 4-tec motors. They did make a Utopia for a year or 2 with twin 155 hp motors I think. I used to have a Challenger 1800 with the 240 hp Mercury. It was a great boat, we just needed more space.

 

[SWOJET]

If you looking at used Sea Doo's I'd recommend sticking with the later models with the Rotax 4-tec motors. They did make a Utopia for a year or 2 with twin 155 hp motors I think. I used to have a Challenger 1800 with the 240 hp Mercury. It was a great boat, we just needed more space.

Thanks for that recommendation. That makes sense... I'm trying to balance finding space for 7ish people with a small enough boat to pull with our minivan.

 

[Matts18]

Have you considered getting a pontoon boat? You could get a 20' tooner with a 90hp outboard that would be easy to tow and zippy enough to entertain the kids on tubes. It should be easy enough to tow and very low maintenance. Plus, as your first boat, you can't do much to mess it up.

 

[SWOJET]

Have you considered getting a pontoon boat? You could get a 20' tooner with a 90hp outboard that would be easy to tow and zippy enough to entertain the kids on tubes. It should be easy enough to tow and very low maintenance. Plus, as your first boat, you can't do much to mess it up.

I haven't ruled it completely out yet, but I am fairly set on trying to make a jetboat work for us. I have never really been a fan of outboards or pontoon boats. But I do agree that it woudl meet our needs as far as occupancy, weight, and functionality.

 

[SamCF]

How old are your children? The Yamaha 190 is perfect for a small family, but will get cramped quickly when you kids start bringing friends with them.

I wouldn't even look at a 2-stroke boat. I came from a twin engine 2-stroke SeaDoo. My favorite thing about my current boat is that it starts right up when I turn the key.

 

[SWOJET]

How old are your children? The Yamaha 190 is perfect for a small family, but will get cramped quickly when you kids start bringing friends with them.

I wouldn't even look at a 2-stroke boat. I came from a twin engine 2-stroke SeaDoo. My favorite thing about my current boat is that it starts right up when I turn the key.

My kids are 4 and 7 right now... we usually hang out with another small family of 3... that's why I'm looking for at least 7seats.

 

[SamCF]

My kids are 4 and 7 right now... we usually hang out with another small family of 3... that's why I'm looking for at least 7seats.

A 19' boat will be somewhat crowded and sluggish with 7 people. It might work for a few years, but you will definitely be looking to upgrade. With that said, a 19' Yamaha around $16,000-$20,000 would still be the best boat in your price range.

 

[SamCF]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2013-ar-190-low-hours.17798/

 

[Scottintexas]

What exactly is the tow capacity of your minivan
How far to the water
That's going to be a real issue

 

[Beachbummer]

SX or AR230...you can find them for around 20K depending on condition. Some great deals even below that!

 

[SCP1]

Honestly I would find a way to get a used 190 or a 192. My recommendation is to get the AR with a tower for 4 reasons. 1. You will use it eventually even if not right away. 2. This will help your resale value. 3. They look cool. 4. Last but this may be the most important, the J seating really makes this boat feel bigger. I previously owned a SX190 with 2 captain chairs and now own a AR195 with the J seating.

 

[SWOJET]

What exactly is the tow capacity of your minivan
How far to the water
That's going to be a real issue

The tow capacity is 3500 lbs and we are about 15-30 miles from the different lakes that we would go to.