What I hate about my Scarab 215

I show you a couple things I hate about the Scarab 215 ID with the 150Hp twins and my first impresions.

[@keithjones2060]

one of the mail reasons I but Yamahas is the MOTOR's ......I'm talking from experience .......pay a little more $$$$ , trust Yam's....

[@TheJohnyasfour]

Hey thanks for the great video, I’m really curious how does it handle in rough seas or in open sea ? Thanks

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Johny Asfour Thank you! I don’t know. I only use mine in a big lake and on the river. I would say they handle big water the same as any other 21 ft boat. It would get a little rough in the big stuff. I would feel better on a 255.

[@Average_D]

Hey John, Thanks for the videos! The input is helpful. I have been doing some research on new boats and am trying to collect as much feedback as possible. Originally, I was only looking at New Yamaha models. Specifically the 2020 212X Wake series and the 242S. I am a big fan of Yamaha powersports as the engines have proven to be the most reliable in every toy i have owned over the years. I had seadoo waverunners within the past 10 years that were very unreliable as far as the engines were concerned. Mainly issues with the superchargers and cooling. From what i understand, the engines have greatly improved over the past few years. My questions for you...Have you had any mechanical issues with your 215? Would you have went up in size to a 255 and/or bigger engines if you had to do it over again? Also, how is dealer support for you with your scarab?? I understand your closest dealer is a bit of a drive. I live in Southeast PA and have Yamaha Dealers very close to me that I have worked with in the past compared to the closest Scarab Dealer being about 2 hours away. Not terrible, considering I frequent those shore points often in season. I really Love the Scarab models that compare to the yamaha models im interested in. Specifically the 2020 215 ID and the 2020 255 ID. They are a bit more expensive once i get done with all the Add ons being that yamaha doesnt really offer any real customization. I guess id spend the money on aftermarket add ons with the yamaha anyway so that isnt a huge issue. I would love your feedback! I would primarily be in fresh water with the occasional trips to the Jersey shore points throughout the season. My engine choices on the Scarabs would be either the twin 250 or 300s on either the 215ID or 255ID. The Yamahas both come with twin 1.8L High Output engines Naturally aspirated. Thanks in advance!

[@jetboatjohn8171]

David Cardone hey Thanks for the comments! We don’t need A 255 more boat than we need and much more expensive. But I would want at least twin 200’s if we did. The 150’s in our 215 are fine for us and have less maintenance than the supercharged engines. We have been lucky and only had the problem with the throttle neutral safety switch. If you have a Yamaha dealerships near you that you trust? That should be a big factor in your decision. That is something I’m not happy about is the lack of dealerships. But I just use the Can-Am / sea-doo dealer where we store it. Hope that helps!

[@Average_D]

Jet boat John Absolutely does! Thanks for the quick reply. I’m hopeful that the world is going to get back to normal soon and I will then go take a look in person and maybe setup a few test rides to feel them out. Thanks again!

[@jetboatjohn8171]

@@Average_D Anytime time! I can't wait to get past all this and be on the water with friends again! when you get a chance to look I always say "don't be shy" get in the boats sit down and spend some time in them. you'll know which one speaks to you. drive a Scarab if you can. they do handle Amazing. but having dealer support near you that you can build a relationship with and ask questions or easily get things like oil and Filters is very valuable.

[@Average_D]

@@jetboatjohn8171 Agreed! And believe me when I say I will analyze every aspect of each boat thoroughly when I can see them in person. Never Shy. lol. Im a big believer in doing homework and making the right choice the first time as opposed to having buyers remorse. To be 100% honest, the only thing that makes me hesitant of the Scarabs are the Rotax engines and pumps. Its all just experiences I have had personally with them in the past. Aside from that, I would choose the Scarab all day long. from fit and finish to customization. Yamaha jet boats are "As Is" There is no customization from the factory which I think is a mistake. However, Their engines are extremely reliable. Hope the world normals out soon so we can all go play!

[@scarabjetboat]

Great videos!!! I have to admit that I watched all of them before we purchased our 2019 Scarab 215 WAKE Edition (kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5DbfKh3jpJ4Z9k) and we are so happy with our boat. Do you still have yours? Have not seen any recent videos?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Yes I still have it. Have some more videos planned this season. I just work a lot more now and don’t have as much time to edit videos.

[@scarabjetboat]

@@jetboatjohn8171 I totally understand. Thankfully it is cold and snowy here, so gives us plenty of time to edit videos this time of year. Hope to see more from you in the near future!

[@HawaiiJetboat]

Aloha, I'm a Yamaha (2017 sx190) owner and the location of the throttle on the Scarab and the 2019 Yamaha's (at least the 190's) are in (my opinion) less than optimal for driving a boat in any kind of rough water where you have your hand on the throttle at all times while moving. The 2018 and earlier Yamaha's have the throttle down low next to the thigh with a pedestal mount where you can place your wrist and then wrap your hand around and hold the lever like a pistol grip (ignoring that T shape). Way better control than fighting gravity to keep the arm up high and trying to manage the throttle. Still a very nice boat that Scarab is. Very Sharp.

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Hawaii Jetboat Adventures I wouldn’t say the 215 is low. But this last time I drove it. I felt like it could be a little more forward. I’ll have to pay more attention to that next time. Scarab’s have electronic throttle so the speed doesn’t jump around in the chop like my old boat. I find myself just putting it where I want it and taking my hand off of it a lot now.. Thanks for your comments!

[@scottspooner6070]

The one thing I dont like about your throttle is that you cant control both engines individually. Now maybe because you dont need to because of the BRP design.

[@Achisachis73]

Yamaha

[@RKOAviation]

You know what I hate about them? They ruined the SCARAB name! That is for the Wellcraft Scarab go fast boat --the ONE and ONLY SCARAB!

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Randy Ott right? People ask all the time “is that a Scarab?” I reply “ no they spelled Sea-Doo wrong! Lol!

[@RKOAviation]

@@jetboatjohn8171 HA HA HA!!! We saw them at the Miami Boat show when we had a 38KV Miami Vice Scarab owner get together....its a shame they try to ride on the Go FAST Scarab fame....I would have picked a better name! Its all good I guess! Wellcraft messed that up! Larry Smith is the ultimate Scarab and Team Archer still make hulls for the 38 and 43' Scarabs!

[@bennyb6071]

Well said Randy, Scarab always got looks going down the lake or river, not anymore

[@alphasxsignal]

He has changed his mind and should have bought a Yamaha.

[@jetboatjohn8171]

alphasxsignal Lol! Not even close! 😀

[@patrickvaugn897]

Whining

[@robertragano7606]

Recently purchased Scarab 215 - where does stern light go?

[@maksum3]

Wow! Quite revealing. I am looking at the 195 ; i am in Nigeria, and my greatest fear is sucking up debri during operations. Our waters are not as clean as urs.

[@MEANSBC]

Did you buy your 215 new?

[@rrandydduke]

We bought our 165 at Galey’s too. Bummed they are not a scarab dealer anymore. I’d like to upgrade to your exact boat someday with the 150’s , they seem to power that boat great. What has been your max top speed so far ? Later man !

[@jetboatjohn8171]

rrandydduke I’m bummed Galey’s stopped selling Scarab’s for sure. So I find myself cruising at around 40mph. I think probably 46 mph is about all it has unless it’s glass! What hp do you have in the 165?

[@rrandydduke]

Jet boat John it is 150 hp . I run mine hammered down full throttle all the time and top speed is about 44 mph solo and 42 with 4 of us in it. It’s plenty fast for its size and has great get up and go ! It handles rough water really well, incredibly well . I can be hammered out over heavy rolling chop and boat stays well mannered compared to a larger heavier boat that would start digging in and up setting. The 165 will smash threw stuff and stay on top of the water if you can stand the punishment lol I’m bummed to hear that rough water can throw your motors out of sink because I feel that just isn’t what a scarab should do .

[@rrandydduke]

Jet boat John I have 67 hours on mine as of today and run my boat like it’s stolen and unbreakable at times. The 165 is a great boat and I hope the larger models are just as structurally strong . I like to pretend I’m off shore racing if you know what I mean 😂

[@jetboatjohn8171]

rrandydduke Lol! Hammer down!!

[@jetboatjohn8171]

rrandydduke little jetboats are definitely fun. I only had the engines come out of sync that one time. I’ve been in that same spot many times and the water is always gnarly there and I’ve had no problem. To be honest, I’m more worried about breaking the windshield! I’ve caught some air a couple times there! Because of covid the river is way busy now. It’s nice to have jets because we can use the parts of the river that the prop guys aren’t comfortable going.

[@ssullivan1376]

John - what tips do you have for surfing set up?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

S Sullivan Not much! I haven’t done it with this boat yet. But assuming you don’t have a wake edition I would get a fat-sac ballast bag and throw it on the back. I’ve used those on other boats and they are a cheap way to get a better wake. Jets always make it harder they knock everything flat.

[@keithjones2060]

you can always fix little stuff ,

[@ryanskare6670]

Thanks for all the insight. I'm going back and forth from the scarab to the Yamaha. I love the BMP drive system with the vectoring but I'm seeing more and more issues with the build quality. Any motor issues?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Ryan Skare Tuff decisions for sure! I haven’t had any engine issues yet. I only have 15 hours on them so far, but honestly I would be surprised if I did especially because I don’t have the supercharged engines. I personally don’t know anyone that has had a problem with their Rotax engine. And I know a lot of people who own them. Either in Sea-doo’s or can Am x3’s or ski-doo’s. There are a few trim pieces in the Scarab’s that are a little cheap. Like the color inserts in the tower have little plastic clips that can break, but I still like the tower better than the Yamaha. I would say spend as much time looking at both boats in person. Don’t just stand next to them. Get in and sit down. You’ll know which one you want and then look for a good deal!

[@ryanskare6670]

@@jetboatjohn8171 thanks for the reply and man I love that lake. It is the supercharged motor I've heard the complaints on. Apparently seals would go out but I never considered the non supercharged version. Any issues with getting back washed through the transom opening? Unfortunately we get some pretty big waters on the Columbia river and the local lakes.

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Ryan Skare Not yet! But I’m sure it could happen. All the jet boats are so close to the water. I would bet even on calm water if you stopped too fast you could get a wave over the back. That’s probably why they put a tailgate on the Scarab open center console fishing boat.

[@jchu5276]

Thanks for video John. I'm considering a 195, and doing my research before spending my hard earned cash. Do you recommend a "clean out port" like in the Yamahas? Is the risk of jet drives getting clogged considerable? Friends tell me never buy new, what do you recommend a source for slightly used ? TIA

[@jetboatjohn8171]

J Chu it depends on where you are going to use your boat. If there are of a lot weeds in the water then the port might be nice. You should try to avoid weedy patches anyway. It’s not really going to hurt anything you are just going to notice decreased power till you clear it out. I personally haven’t had anything sucked up yet. Big things like ropes or thick vines will stop your engine. That’s where I think I like Scarab’s sleeve over the prop shaft plus the closed cooling system I don’t have to worry about clogging the cooling ports.both boats are fine just different things you need to be aware of. You can definitely save buying used. I always buy new you never know what people do to their stuff.

[@jchu5276]

Thanks for the reply John. I'm probably looking to get the 195 next winter and will post on your channel. I'm on the Indian River Bay, DE.

[@gusalmighty5098]

@@jetboatjohn8171 My buddy has a Challenger 210SE. He sucked up a tow rope and the sleeve caused it to ball up between the end of the sleeve and the impeller. It actually started packing back into the sleeve. We put his boat up on our lift and removed the inlet grill. We got most of it cut out but that sleeve made it impossible to get it all out. There was a melted mass of nylon that was like a rod seal between the sleeve and shaft and the sleeve just made it impossible to get at coming from the inlet. So we had to dismantle the pump. It also destroyed that little rubber boot where the impeller mates to the shaft. At the time we had an I/O boat and I really liked his Challenger a lot.......until that happened. It was enough to put me off Rotax forever.....or at least until they change that to a sleeveless design. I just bought a Yamaha about a month ago.

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Gus Almighty that doesn’t sound fun! It’s never a good idea to run over a rope on any boat, jet or not! My friend has an older Sea-doo boat without a sleeve and it was a mess when he did it too! Had to remove the grate on his boat also. I highly un recommend it! Lol! Thanks for commenting on the video!

[@gvsukids]

is the bimini top made by sunbrella?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

Justin P I want to say no, because I don’t remember seeing anything on it the says sunbrella, but I honestly don’t know and can’t find anything in my manuals.

[@malcolmmorgan3522]

How is the all anchoring for your scarab?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

4XE SLASHER I don’t use the anchor locker in the front. It’s too small for the anchors I use. I just put it in the center locker.

[@malcolmmorgan3522]

Ok thanks!

[@malcolmmorgan3522]

And that then means you have to buy your own anchor?

[@jetboatjohn8171]

4XE SLASHER yes doesn’t come with an anchor. But that depends on the dealer. They all will give you a starter kit. Some have one, some don’t.

[@malcolmmorgan3522]

Jet boat John ok cool! I’m going to buy one in the next few weeks