2020 Scarab 195 with 1.5L Rotax Supercharger 200 HP

[Bcollins111900]

Is the 1.5L 200 HP even enough motor for this boat? Seems like boats in this same class have 250HP plus?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Personally I think it's on the lower end for this boat. But everyone is different. Have you researched the details? Here's the product tech chart for each engine on the 195.

 

[Bcollins111900]

Luc, the scarabs not having a clean out port like the Yamahas do. Issue for concern or a deciding factor or Yamaha over any other manufacturer?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

It's something to consider. It all depends on the type of weeds you have, how much garbage or twigs float around and driver behavior.

I live in Ontario, Canada. We have lots of weeds but no sea kelp or such things. The weeds here are never a problem. It chews them and spits them out. The bigger issue are the ones stuck on the intake grate. There's a flat spin maneuver you can do to clear those. Or next time you swim of course. But they don't stop you from moving.

Garbage and twigs suck. But from what I've seen, Yamaha isn't immune to this. I've seen many posts where the clean out ports don't help at all. Stick is wedged In there and the pump needs to be removed.

In short, if you boat on water with lots of debris or sea kelp type stuff, I'd consider Yamaha. Make sure to take your ports out regularly so they don't jam. But Scarab and the Rotax design work very well.

The best way to tell, talk to the local sea-doo owners. Do the skis have regular problems? Whatever they answer is what to expect. It's the same for Scarab.

I'm at 274h now. I've had such an issue exactly once. A stick. BECAUSE I was an idiot and drove through 12” of water while idling. I fully knew this could happen. I was able to use long plyers with a mask and light. But man that wasn't fun. Glad the water was warm. This is the behavior part. Many new boaters don't appreciate the environment. Don't drive through weeds on purpose. Don't start the engine unless you have a minimum of 2ft but ideally 3. If it's shallow, keep moving forward to avoid sticking something in. So keep that in mind regardless of brand. I'd buy another Scarab in a heartbeat. The steering compared to Yamaha is worth it.

 

[Bcollins111900]

It's something to consider. It all depends on the type of weeds you have, how much garbage or twigs float around and driver behavior.

I live in Ontario, Canada. We have lots of weeds but no sea kelp or such things. The weeds here are never a problem. It chews them and spits them out. The bigger issue are the ones stuck on the intake grate. There's a flat spin maneuver you can do to clear those. Or next time you swim of course. But they don't stop you from moving.

Garbage and twigs suck. But from what I've seen, Yamaha isn't immune to this. I've seen many posts where the clean out ports don't help at all. Stick is wedged In there and the pump needs to be removed.

In short, if you boat on water with lots of debris or sea kelp type stuff, I'd consider Yamaha. Make sure to take your ports out regularly so they don't jam. But Scarab and the Rotax design work very well.

The best way to tell, talk to the local sea-doo owners. Do the skis have regular problems? Whatever they answer is what to expect. It's the same for Scarab.

I'm at 274h now. I've had such an issue exactly once. A stick. BECAUSE I was an idiot and drove through 12” of water while idling. I fully knew this could happen. I was able to use long plyers with a mask and light. But man that wasn't fun. Glad the water was warm. This is the behavior part. Many new boaters don't appreciate the environment. Don't drive through weeds on purpose. Don't start the engine unless you have a minimum of 2ft but ideally 3. If it's shallow, keep moving forward to avoid sticking something in. So keep that in mind regardless of brand. I'd buy another Scarab in a heartbeat. The steering compared to Yamaha is worth it.

I like the interiors better in the scarab boats better personally, it was the lack of clean out port that had me apprehensive. I would be in freshwater lakes 100% of the time, I was just trying to prepare for a worse case scenario.