Ride quality between Scarab & Yamaha

[vchiline]

Hey there,

I'm looking into a Scarab 215 and an equivalent on the Yamaha side of things (or perhaps a bit bigger if the used market allows). I haven't felt the ride quality in choppier waters on either boat. Have any of you got a report on how they handle? I'm going to likely use it on inland waters, though curious to know how they handle larger waves.

Lastly, how many of you have had to crawl underneath your Scarabs to clear weeds or debris? Most Yamaha users swear that their patented system for easy access is a god-send.

Thanks!

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I can't comment on the handling but I suspect both are similar.

I now have over 170h of use across 4 year's. I've had a single time where I had an issue with debris. It was right after I decided to purposefully idle across 1ft of water (yes, the boat actually rubbed the mud ground). It was a stupid thing to do. lol I sucked up a stick and it got stuck. Had to swim to get it out with a flashlight. It did suck. But that was the only time. I've never had weeds clog up my intake enough to stop me. I've had enough clumps of weeds to slow down performance a bit, but typically the reverse trick or the turn hard trick letting water flush in reverse through the pump does the trick for those if/when it happens. It's been a very rare thing for me. Mind you, I don't purposefully go across big weeds.

Keep in mind that Yamahas are not immune to sticks getting stuck. This just happened a few days ago: https://jetboaters.net/threads/sucked-up-a-stick.27182/#post-450615

The clean out port was of no use. If you suck something inside a pump beyond weeds, it's not a good thing for either boats. From what I've seen, Scarabs definitely have a significant advantage when it comes to weeds though. Just seems to chew it up and spit it out.

It's definitely something to consider, but frankly, if I were you, I wouldn't choose one boat over the other because of this. The rest of the boat is more important if you ask me.

 

[vchiline]

Thanks (merci) Luc!

 

[Julian]

The primary use of the clean ports for me are:

1. Clearing out stubborn sargasum weeds on the way to bimini (when reverse maneuvers don't get them off the shaft or intake grate tines
2. Removing an occasional object that gets sucked up - over my 17 year of use, that hasn't been much, but includes a frisbee, catfish, rock, and chunck of wood.
3. Smaller hard stuff-primarily twigs.
4. Ropes

In a Scarab, #1 above is much reduced due to their shaft seal, and #2,3 &4 don't happen often, but do happen. I've never been in a situation where #2-4 happened and I was far from the ramp, but that is the nightmare scenario I'd prefer not to risk. Running over a rope drifting in the gulf stream on the way to bimini would SUCK if you couldn't cut it out from the clean out port.

As for big wave handling....never driven a scarab (someday I will) but the Yamaha's are pretty good. If I was going to be ocean boating all the time, I'd add trim tabs. I suspect both boats drive very similarly given their hull shape and propulsion type are probably pretty close to identical.

 

[scarab215]

I've only owned a Scarab so I can't comment on the Yamaha but my Scarab handles amazingly.
I will admit that when I first got it, I was very skeptical of the steering and handling at low speeds. I live on a canal with LOTS of no wake zones. I immediately just knew that I was going to have to purchase those fin add ons for the two jets. However, after spending some time getting used to the handling and throttle along with the just general experience with it, I absolutely love the way that it is. I can manuever that thing like a surgeon and that includes open water, docking, no wake zones, pulling into the lift and getting my way in and out of sandbar parties with lots of tight neighbors. I've seen the add on fins in use and I'm sure they help but I found that I personally don't want for them any longer.

WEEDS and debris. I've only had two occasions of this happening.
Once was a small stick but it was wedged in there enough to make me have to pull in. In my case, I have a lift so I just raised it up and let her sit for a few days, the shrinking down after that stick dried out was enough for it to shoot on out the next time.
Second time was in a tiny cove gas station that was full of the floating weeds. I definitely shouldn't have gone in there but needed fuel badly so I made the call to do it anyway and paid for it. I had to limp home but again, I have a lift so I just raised her up and got in the water and pulled them all out very easily, both intake sides were completely clogged up but luckily it was thick enough stuff that it stopped at the grates. Nothing at all on the shaft cover or impellers.
I carry a mask and underwater flashlight with me now so that if it ever happens again, I'll just jump in and clean it out.
The Yamaha's do have the clean out ports but the Scarabs have the protected shafts so in both my cases, the clean out ports wouldn't have helped me at all.
Also, just a personal preference but I like the swim deck on the Scarabs a ton more than the Yamahas. The seating is better in my opinion and the wet storage comes in very handy.

 

[Scarabpaul]

here is a little comparison between the 21ft models a member did a while back. might help.....

https://jetboaters.net/threads/comparisons-observations-between-my-scarab-215-and-yamaha212ss.6081/#post-113974