Scarab 285

[Paul Dufault]

Anyone out the there own a Scarab 285? I am seriously considering trading my Scarab 255 open for a 2021 used 285. Any feed back on the boat is appreciated.

 

[Tennydod]

No... I was thinking about it too. Paul do you know how to reset the maintenance on your 255? I have the same boat.

 

[Paul Dufault]

No I don't. My dealer does that when I bring it in for maintenance.

 

[Tennydod]

Thanks! I brought it to BRP instead since I did not buy it nearby.

 

[Jimmers]

Did you pull the trigger and make the trade? If so, please share a few details. The layout of the 285 looks very user friendly, I like the flat walk through. Has your 255 been a good and trouble free boat? Theres only one small Scarab dealer in Minnesota, so we don’t see many of them here.

 

[W255openID]

I just bought a 2022 285 with only 10hrs on it and will be taking delivery around the 23rd of July. I have had a 255 open with the ACE 300's for 3 years, and it has been rock solid. Engines are fantastic and the handling is remarkable. The scarabs are not luxury boats, they are nice enough, but the handling is far better than anything else out there. (IMHO). I know the 285 will not be as nimble, but ultimately we just needed a bit more room. in my 3 years with the 255 I had a few issues, but standard boat stuff you would have regardless of manufacturer, no major failures for anything. I am happy enough with the 255 that I didn't even shop any other makes or models, and having a jet on the shallow Tampa Bay waters is definitely the way to go! I will report back on the 285 once I get a little time with it.

 

[TheRaptor76]

How has your 285 been? I am contemplating buying a used 2021. I dont see much difference from '21 to '22 other than the touch screen controls and the RGB lighting in the cockpit.

 

[W255openID]

How has your 285 been? I am contemplating buying a used 2021. I dont see much difference from '21 to '22 other than the touch screen controls and the RGB lighting in the cockpit.

So I just took delivery of the boat last week. I had some work done to it at my local dealer before getting it home. Added a battery tender and a Nav system and had the swim platform removed. We were able to spend about 6hrs of cruising time over 2 days before we had to start hurricane prep... Took it to a couple beaches and restaurants and my first impression is that I made the right choice. The 255 was/is a great boat and we'll be sad to see it go (will be for sale shortly), but we instantly loved the 285. the layout is awesome, the driving position is very good. The quality and finish of the boat is far better than the 255 was, not sure if that will be the case for all, but it was for me. We love everything about the boat and have zero regrets, I actually kept the 255 just in case we didn't like the 285 for some reason. after about 10 minutes, we knew there was no question about keeping the 285. handling of course is not as nimble as the 255, but I didn't expect it to be. That being said, its still very fast and handles extremely well, still exceedingly easy to dock. just have to be aware of the extra 1500 lbs, lol.
We really like the layout for hanging out at the beach and with friends/family while cruising and it doesn't feel cramped like the 255 - (there isn't much room to get around the center console when you have a full boat and people trying to load/unload at the beach). we have the brown interior and it does get hot when you are just parked, but we use the fresh water showers and spray them down real quick or cover with a towel if needed. The only downsides so far would be the 2 coolers are tiny, almost laughable in size. But we just use the small coolers for food, and then filled one of the front bow compartments with ice for drinks and that worked great since it was self draining. you could also easily fit coolers in other storage areas of the boat, so not a real issue, It has a lot of storage space. the other would be the draft is 20"... not a big deal at all, still a very shallow water capable boat. And the windlass Anchor system is amazing, now even my wife can do the anchor with zero effort! So overall, I am a huge scarab fan and this boat is better than I expected and we are really looking forward to spending more time with it.
If you have any specific question or anything else you'd like to know feel free to ask! my recommendation would be to get the 285!

 

[TheRaptor76]

Beautiful boat! We just got our 2021 285 this past Sunday and we love it (so far). Havent been able to bring it home yet cause its getting new marine mat installed but we cant wait to play around with it.

Reach out anytime and I will to you with questions I have. First one is, does the hard top bimini collapse??

 

[W255openID]

Beautiful boat! We just got our 2021 285 this past Sunday and we love it (so far). Havent been able to bring it home yet cause its getting new marine mat installed but we cant wait to play around with it.

Reach out anytime and I will to you with questions I have. First one is, does the hard top bimini collapse??

Awesome! you will love the 285! The hard top is structurally mounted and is for wakeboarding etc, so it does not collapse. let me know how it goes once you get some time on it! feel free to PM me and we can exchange info for the future, in case either one has issues. There aren't a lot of these boats out there from what I can gather and VERY little info, so will be good to have some "Go To" people. Also, the owners manual is completely useless(same as the one for my 255...) since its SO out of date and nothing about the 285 specifically. my local dealer is pretty awesome and services a few of these, so I'll have some resources here in St. Pete.