Comparing scarab 285 to Yamaha 275sd for newbie

[Gregvjr]

Hello all! I’m new to boating and ownership, as we close on our first lake house next week. I’m looking for a 27-29 ft bow rider and came across the wonderful world of jet boats, and trying to determine the best boat for my family (10 yr old, two 8 yr olds). Our lake (Ozarks) is choppy and full of boats, so I’ve been advised that I need a larger boat to be comfortable. Our goal is a good family boat, some water sports if kids get into them aside from tubing, and general ‘putzing’ around coves and lakeside restaurants. Really like the lack of lower props in jet boats as it makes me nervous with the kiddos swimming aft,etc. Also my dock comes with a 6000 lb lift, so hoping to stay there weight wise. Can’t find any used 275sd’s yet so looking new. From reading various threads on this site seems like Yamaha has addressed the slow speed issues with the paddle system and scarabs issues were 4+ yrs ago. Pros and cons of either of these larger jet boats please. Thank you very much in advance!

 

[Acard7]

Love LOTO. What MM are you buying a house at?? My wife and I have a 4 year plan to get a lake house there! Would love to be around 8-15MM but going to stay at a few more VRBOs to decide, we may like around 30MM too.

We have taken our AR230 out during the week and only the Gravois arm on the weekend. Definitely wish we had the new hull design of the 250 series which will be what we buy in the future, but the AR230 handles LOTO fine as long as you’re smart. We cruise around 27-32mph during the week there. The 275 would be our dream boat, but it would definitely stay at the lake house due to size.. You will definitely want the Yamaha so you have the clean out ports. We usually get something stuck in the impellers one day that we are there (usually stay 4 or more days at a time) and travel well over 100 miles total for the stay. Maybe the new hull design on the 275 protects the intakes more? Hopefully someone that owns a 275 will chime in to see if they’ve had any issues sucking things up. We’ve never sucked anything up on the main channel (knock on wood), but the Gravois arm always seems to be riddled with jet boat hazards.

As for it being a family friendly boat, idk how many times I’ve told my wife it was the best idea to go jet. We have a 3 year old that loves the water and the boat, it’s so nice not having to worry about her (and other friends with kids) jumping off the back or swimming near the rear as well. We had an I/O prior and we were always having to make sure everyone stayed clear of the prop and outdrive. You can still kick the jet pumps hard enough to make yourself bleed but you really have to try, we haven't had anyone kick our cobra jet fins or pumps. We tube and wakeboard behind ours, we have a rope with booster ball to cut down on the jet wash spray for tubing. The booster ball also helps prevent the rope from getting sucked up, but it’s still possible!

Pros for the Yamaha: Maintenance I can do myself, safety, the swim deck design, storage, reliability, clean out ports, flushing ports, two engines, maneuverability, shallow draft, and this forum. (There’s some scarab owners that are helpful on here too)

cons: two engines=more maintenance, no true neutral so takes some getting used to (I don’t have experience with the drive system paddles), and sucking things up so choose your lakes wisely! LOTO will be fine though, I’ve seen plenty of Yamahas down there.

Below is a photo at Mozingo lake (Maryville, MO) where we go often. As you can see it’s pretty stress free when it comes to anyone swimming near the back, and we love it.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I'll chime in...

Note that although I own a Scarab, I'm not a fanboy. But I do like my boat, just like I'm sure many Yamaha owners do. I chose it because I needed the very opposite of you, a tiny boat. Yamaha doesn't make it that small.

To quote the previous comments about the pros and cons of the Yamaha. I'll say all of that applies to Scarab too except the clean out ports. We don't have those. Whether you think you need them or not depends I guess on the debris in your lake. I'm at 215 hours now, sucked up ONE thing. A tiny stick BECAUSE I FULLY KNEW I was idling in 1ft of water. The draft of the boat is 1ft. lol So yeah, I knew what I was doing and the likelihood of it happening. Otherwise, I have never needed to access the pump at all. Luck? Skill? Design differences of the pump/intake? A little bit of everything? No idea. It definitely can suck stuff up, some do... but it's never been an issue for me. Generally speaking, weeds just get chopped up and spit out the back. The ones that get stuck on the intake grate, you can do a "flat spin" trick to flush them out. Both boat brands hate ropes... lol. When in doubt of where a rope is located, turn off the engine. Period. Don't risk it.

One BIG pro in my opinion of Scarabs that is definitely worth looking into further is the steering at neutral and slow speeds. It designed completely differently than Yamahas and in my opinion, is one of the very best features of Scarabs. Although Yamahas are very maneuverable, they are NOT as maneuverable as a Scarab. Period. Some are great boaters with them.... but you just can't do what we do with Scarabs. Is it necessary? Nope. Is it an awesome pro? Hells yes. Maneuvering into docks with wind at my side, no issues keeping the boat perfectly aligned with the dock. During 360 deg while stopped, no issues. Etc.

I'll let others chime in on the design of the interior of the boat, etc. These bigger boats are out of my league and I can't intelligently comment. From what I've seen, a lot of that is based on personal preferences. Some prefers the look/layout of one over the other.

Honestly, in either case, I think you're making a great decision. I drove IO boats too for the majority of my life. NEVER going back. Both brands have way more pros over those. But yes, there are cons... depends on what you value. Also, in either case, you NEED to maintain the boat properly and PLEASE read the stupid Owner's Manuals. I don't know how many people break their boat, blame the brand (doesn't matter which one) because of lack of knowledge or not maintaining the boat. It's a boat. Boats need maintenance. Things become loose, hoses have to be checked. Things have to be greased. Etc. lol Learn to do this and you'll have a good experience in any brand of boat. Also, all brands have lemons. Hopefully you don't get one.

 

[Jet Boat Brant]

I was just at Lake of the Ozarks for a week. We stayed at the Harbour Towne Condos by Bagnell Dam. A lot of big boats in that lake, and it is definitely choppy! I have a Scarab 215 HO Impulse, and it was definitely small for that lake. It did fine though, aside from the bumpy ride. We took it as far as to coconuts on the lake (bar with pool.) I really do like my boat, but I do want a bigger one. My sister in law has a 2019 Yamaha 275SE and I will say that it is a beautiful nice boat. My favorite thing on the scarab boats however is the steering and maneuvering. BRP just has Yamaha licked on the reverse bucket design. I can parallel park my boat if I want to.

I am going to be buying a bigger boat in the future and I'm leaning towards another Scarab, most likely a 255ID. I'd love to have the 285, but It's a little out of my budget!

 

[Gregvjr]

All - thank you for your replies! It has helped me get comfortable about jet boating. Last weekend we did close on our new LOTO home, and I rented a 2017 Yamaha AR 242 for 1/2 of the day to see how I would like it (no 275's available - this was the largest rental jet I could find). We took it from 26MM up to the 8MM where the house is, and then back again - on a Saturday. The main channel did bounce us around a bit - but the kids loved it and kept asking to go faster. By the end of the day I was more comfortable with it, and had it flat out a few times in various coves - I think 42 mph was as fast as it went. This is just fine for us (perhaps too fast). It was a bit tricky on coming back into the dock at the rental marina but not too bad. I would expect the 275SD with the DRIVE system and the fins/keel additions will handle better at slow/idle speeds?

Pros of the 242 - 1) Easy operation
2) good size for just our family of 5.
3) great layout
4) ease of stern reboarding from the swim platform.
5) Low rise - once underway I could see just fine - didn't need to stand. My friend's new Regal 28ft boat seemed so strange the angle it had before we leveled off, and even then it felt strange looking forward and only seeing the interior of the bow and our kids, no water view, from sitting aft. Felt like I was one story below the bow of the boat.

Cons - 1) It is loud. Once I figured out how to turn on radio it didn't much matter as couldn't hear anyway. I read that the 275 has some additional sound dampening that should improve on this?
2) LOTO main channel tosses us around a bit. Large waves/wakes - the boat drive intake comes out of the water perhaps and power is paused' until it comes back down. Larger size, wider beam of the 275 should lessen this?

Bottom line - I put a deposit down on a 2022 Yamaha 275SD to get in line for one. Apparently only 4-5 a year get to the largest Yamaha dealer at the LOTO, and 2 are already sold. As its refundable, I will have the time over the next few months to get smarter about jetboats and if I want to go back to looking at stern drives again (new or used). Used 275's are unicorns at LOTO, so don't think any will come up forsale for the next few years, and a lake house with no boat is not an option. Plus it fits on the lift that came with the house (6,000 lbs) where the stern drives of similar lengths would not. Unfortunately Yamaha has raised the price $10K for 2022's with no increase in any features, so the 'value' part of the 275 package is not that far off from new stern drive Regals, and maybe See-Ray's. Still lower, but not the screaming bargain that I thought they might be.

Still welcoming any thoughts on my inital posts - thanks to this community as it has made me more comfortable with jets. Thanks! Greg

 

[mrcleanr6]

Well i do have the 275sd and love the boat. I do highly recommend you go with the sd model. The hard top on the boat is huge so no one has to cook in the sun on the hot days. As i am the guy running the boat i can say that the best thing about it is the paddles for the low speed docking. Its basically effortless to put the boat anywhere you want to go. I wet slip mine and my slip is only 6” wider than the boat. And between the docks is only about 29’ so i have to pull in, spin on axis and back into my slip. Its like threading a needle but with the paddles its incredibly easy. I dont even think about it anymore. Only thing i will say and this is with any jet is your going to lose some efficiency so you will burn more fuel than with your typical outboard. I looked into the scarab 285. While im sure its built good, overall i saw no comparison as far as interior, dash and controls, tower/bimini and layout. Now if the boat was quite a bit cheaper than the 275 i could see it but i believe its a hair more money. The 285 is a nice boat but comparing the 2, i just dont get the price point.

 

[mrcleanr6]

I am not going to lie, the yamahas are loud. Its not terrible though. While running the boat at cruise i can talk to my friend sitting in the other captain chair but i have to talk loudly. It doesnt bother me though since i always sit on the bolster or stand up with my head above the windshield so the wind noise is way louder and i dont even hear the engines at that point. I have also had the boat out in the ocean quite a few times. People always tell me how surprised they are how the boat handles out there. 1-2 ft is comfortable. 3ft is ok but i dont really want to be out in anymore than that. Its always a pretty dry ride though and handles well. Its not fast in those conditions but not bad

 

[Acard7]

We are at LOTO now, our AR230 handles it alright, not the biggest boat but it’s totally doable. I’m jealous of you getting the deposit on a 275 though, that’ll handle just fine down here.

 

[Gregvjr]

Thanks! Heading back down this weekend, still boatless of course. As for the noise, has anyone put any extra dampening in the storage 'cubbies' under the rear seats/above the engine bays? Seems like enough storage elsewhere around the boat that these wouldn't be missed.

Also - did anyone here consider a Chaparral 267ssx? While more expensive than the 275sd (it looks to be about $10K-15K more), I wonder if the deeper hull might take the LOTO chop better - and the huge swim platform on it eases my mind a bit about the lower drive/props. The built-in under the waterline seating somewhat matches the Yamaha's stern seating as well. Still trying to come to terms with the $50K premium over the 252sd as well.

Thanks!

 

[mrcleanr6]

I am not a chap fan. I have to do repair work on them quite often and the build quality and shortcuts i see are scary. I looked at that boat. The tiny little bimini is a complete no go for me and useless. Thats 1/2 the size of the yamaha hard top and being fiberglass its alot nicer. Your on loto so no saltwater for you but in salt you get about a year or two before the paint is bubbling and peeling off chap arches and towers. Had to strip and repaint a few of those but everyone of them fails. Its a big bodyfiller sculpture. Some places the filler is 1/2” thick. Took 5 gal of filler on one arch to smooth in all the crap metalwork. Everything about a chap is made to look nice but not to last. I do agree that it may handle the chop better than a yamaha since its a deeper v but i get comments about how well my boat handles the chop every time i have someone new on my boat. The bay here gets snotty as all hell, 1.5-3ft and i have zero issue

 

[MajorBummer210]

Take a test drive on the new hull design of the Yamaha 250/252 line. Should handle the chop better than the older hull design of the previous Yamaha you mentioned renting. You could also get a boat ALOT cheaper and ALOT faster. You have young kids. They are goi g to knock around in it just like my 5 year old and my 8 year old and all of their friends. A small ding here and there and spilled crackers are a lot easier to understand on a boat that is $50K cheaper! You’re going to be traveling across the lake then to the coves where it’s smoother and where you’ll do most of your boating and relaxing. Go with the 25 and use that $50k more wisely.

 

[Enduro900]

All - thank you for your replies! It has helped me get comfortable about jet boating. Last weekend we did close on our new LOTO home, and I rented a 2017 Yamaha AR 242 for 1/2 of the day to see how I would like it (no 275's available - this was the largest rental jet I could find). We took it from 26MM up to the 8MM where the house is, and then back again - on a Saturday. The main channel did bounce us around a bit - but the kids loved it and kept asking to go faster. By the end of the day I was more comfortable with it, and had it flat out a few times in various coves - I think 42 mph was as fast as it went. This is just fine for us (perhaps too fast). It was a bit tricky on coming back into the dock at the rental marina but not too bad. I would expect the 275SD with the DRIVE system and the fins/keel additions will handle better at slow/idle speeds?

Pros of the 242 - 1) Easy operation
2) good size for just our family of 5.
3) great layout
4) ease of stern reboarding from the swim platform.
5) Low rise - once underway I could see just fine - didn't need to stand. My friend's new Regal 28ft boat seemed so strange the angle it had before we leveled off, and even then it felt strange looking forward and only seeing the interior of the bow and our kids, no water view, from sitting aft. Felt like I was one story below the bow of the boat.

Cons - 1) It is loud. Once I figured out how to turn on radio it didn't much matter as couldn't hear anyway. I read that the 275 has some additional sound dampening that should improve on this?
2) LOTO main channel tosses us around a bit. Large waves/wakes - the boat drive intake comes out of the water perhaps and power is paused' until it comes back down. Larger size, wider beam of the 275 should lessen this?

Bottom line - I put a deposit down on a 2022 Yamaha 275SD to get in line for one. Apparently only 4-5 a year get to the largest Yamaha dealer at the LOTO, and 2 are already sold. As its refundable, I will have the time over the next few months to get smarter about jetboats and if I want to go back to looking at stern drives again (new or used). Used 275's are unicorns at LOTO, so don't think any will come up forsale for the next few years, and a lake house with no boat is not an option. Plus it fits on the lift that came with the house (6,000 lbs) where the stern drives of similar lengths would not. Unfortunately Yamaha has raised the price $10K for 2022's with no increase in any features, so the 'value' part of the 275 package is not that far off from new stern drive Regals, and maybe See-Ray's. Still lower, but not the screaming bargain that I thought they might be.

Still welcoming any thoughts on my inital posts - thanks to this community as it has made me more comfortable with jets. Thanks! Greg

I’ve been a fan of jets for many years, been boatless for 20 years, then decided two years ago to get back into it (yes right when covid hit).

I was looking strongly at 23-26fters, so the 242/252 Yamaha’s. Scarab 255 and the Chap/vortex 243 ( I wanted a head/holding tank for soon-to-be grandkids and yes early and late-season rides up here in MI when its too cold to…..in the lake.

The BRP-powered boats really do handle the docking better/low-speed tight rivers/traffic better, and with 600hp options and better head options I was leaning that way.

If I was you I would also look strongly at the Monterey m-65/outboard in your price range…It has a true pump-able head, huge bow with flip-up armrests, a very large swim platform to hang out on, and those outboards are much quieter, and the boat planes much better than an I/O though maybe not quite as flat as a jet…unless you get trim tabs then it may in fact be pretty close. The m-65 is also yacht rated so when your kids bring friends you can bring as many that will fit….

I ended up picking up a 2012 Seadoo Challenger 210SE with dual 215’s two weeks ago for now to make sure i have something for next season while i continue to shop for the long-term solution, and I can confirm the low-speed control (docking mode), Cruise control, ski mode, and eco mode are very impressive (all standard in the BRP-powered boats. Also Maybe not a big deal to you but the BRP-powered boats have a single lever controlling both engines with auto sync, instead of the dual throttles that Yamaha uses (although the E-series/Drive system on the 275 allows 1-lever operation although you have to find the setting in the menu).

Good luck!