Scarab 165 Mods

[Luc Lafreniere]

So I've been working for a few days on my 2015 165 . Got most of the work done.

- Replaced the two really crappy speakers that were installed by the previous owner. Now 200W peak (100W RMS) each.
- Added two more speakers on the sides .This required new holes.
- snaked all wires to the battery area and zip tied everything. Also ignition wire to back.
- 500W bluetooth only amp installed near battery. Snaked controls back to dash and installed in a new hole.
- May not have a super fancy audio system, but it's waaaay better than before. I just wanted bluetooth so this simplified things.
- I removed the old crappy stereo head unit from the side of the console and cut a new hole and installed a hatch instead like the 2018 models. This cleans up wiring behind big time and make the storage wctuactu usable .
- Installed a USB dual port on the dash. It also shows the current battery voltage which is awesome.
- I installed a sonar phone SP200 box .You can see it on the side of the console. It's hidden when the hood is closed but allow me to reach the on off button without opening the hood. This model uses my phone as the display. I have yet to test it since I have to test the transducer location first. Hoping to do a through the hull installation without drilling holes.
- Replaced factory cup holders with stainless models. These new ones have holes to let water drain. Swim deck ones I added hoses so they drain to the bilge and not on the motor.
- Got an anchor buddy
- installed a spare tire

I still have toninstall my boat buckles and trailer guide posts but that will wait since I'm about to move to a new home in a couple of weeks .

It's been an interesting set of projects but happy with the results. Thanks to everyone for measurements over the winter. They were useful .

 

[ALAN MANN SR.]

Looks real nice. Good job.

 

[scarab165]

Looks great, did you have to install an amp for the other 2 speakers ? Also where is the factory amp located ?

 

[James McDougall]

Looks really great! Well done! Can't wait to see it sometime this summer when you come to Nipissing!

 

[scarab165]

Hey Luc, did your floor mats come with the boat or did you have them custom made ? I am looking for some interior mats for mine.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

For others reading this. I responded via PM. Here is my response in case others find this useful:

Definitely got advice. First, floor mats are SeaDek... I ordered from JetBoatPilot. They were the only company I could find that had the templates already made for the 165. I'm 45min (drive) from the USA border, I actually drove across to go pick them up (cheaper than shipping to Canada). The mats are pretty easy to install... lots of cleaning required, follow the directions and look up some youtube videos. It's very important to have the surfaces perfectly clean. Instructions say to stick half of a piece at a time, and remove the backing for the other half after the first half is stuck to the floor. Again, look up videos, it's all explained. Overall, still took me half a day of work to install them, but looks great, feels great, etc. Very happy with them. They also recommend against certain colours because of burning effects. You will be warned if you pick one of those colours on their site. You can also pick patterns, etc.

As for the speakers, so my big advice is to make the hole high enough on the port side (left). That side has some sort of structural piece that is behind the first wall. Look at the picture attached. The red circle shows where the speaker MUST go (about 3" higher than mine). The red line represents the approximate height of this secondary wall. Make a smaller hole first so you can see the positioning before making the big hole. That's the only important part. I tried to mount them a little lower because I was trying to make the starboard side (right) speaker not too close to the console and thus blocking the sound, but it wasn't worth it. Make them higher as indicated and you'll be happy (and not worried about breaking your boat!). Otherwise, jigsaw with tape technique worked wonderfully to make the holes, just make sure you don't cut any wires, especially on the starboard side where most wires run to the dash. I made a small hole again with a drill and felt around with a finger to make sure wires were clear. You can also push them around from the engine bay if you use something like a broom along the side wall. I've also heard you can remove the throttle plates to see underneath, but I didn't need to do that. Running wires was not very difficult with a clothes hangar that I made into a straight piece. Tied to the speaker wire, and pull/pushed through accordingly. Zip tied everything cleanly following the other cables. I installed the amp by the battery and installed the remote into the dash. That hole was a #(*$&)!@(*#)(!@# to cut. It need to be rectangular... I used a dremel in the end. Worked, but took me a lot of effort. Jigsaw would also work, just make sure to protect all surfaces well with masking/painter's tape so not to scratch anything. This applies to any hole you make. Sharp, small teeth on the blade works well... metal cutting blades worked well.. wood blades are a joke. You will lose with wood blades (both breaking them and your sanity). Fiber glass is pretty tough to cut because of the heat it generates. Metal blades work well.

I haven't had the chance to run the boat yet!!! Hoping this week. I just moved and the house required my attention. But I'll be curious to see how the battery holds with a 500A amplifier. That volt meter inside the USB ports will be handy to watch this.

Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions. If I can be of any help, more than happy to guide you. I appreciate all the help I got from this forum. Ready and willing to help when I can.

Oh and wear a mask. Lots of dust can be generated when cutting fiber glass. I think I'm going to die from cancer because of this dust at one point. I've seen someone recommend using a water spray bottle as you cut to keep the dust down. I would try it if I did it again.

 

[Boomer165]

Hey Luc, nice mods, I added the JetBoatPilot SeaDek Swim platform mats myself last week, makes a huge difference, unfortunately boat is out of service from sucking in a tow rope yesterday,
By the way, were did you get the stainless cup holders?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Thanks! Yeah, those mats are pretty awesome. I just got mine from Amazon. They are standard size apparently just a pain the remove the old ones. Here's the link the cup holders (Canadian site): https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0097MF4DU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rosseau... nice area! I lived in Huntsville for a while as a teenager.

 

[James McDougall]

Thanks! Yeah, those mats are pretty awesome. I just got mine from Amazon. They are standard size apparently just a pain the remove the old ones. Here's the link the cup holders (Canadian site): https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0097MF4DU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rosseau... nice area! I lived in Huntsville for a while as a teenager.

Those cup holders are very similar to whats in my 215 now. We love Huntsville too....but we always feel poor there...the amount of Toronto money knocking around there is crazy....and we aren't exactly doing badly either! haha Honestly? the Scarab mat we have is so nice on the feet.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Trust me, we felt poor there too! lol But great sight seeing!

 

[James McDougall]

We were out today....had a blast. You can see the mat at a point in this short video.
https://jetboaters.net/media/the-6-year-old-tubing-away-slowly.5831/

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Pretty calm Lake Nipissing! Can't wait to go up there... 2 more weeks and I'll be there for a week.

 

[James McDougall]

Awesome! Stay in touch!! We'll bomb it up to Sturgon and meet you at Twiggs if you like....would be awesome meeting another Scarab owner.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Will do! Even if mine will be a little smaller! I'll PM you when I'm up there. If there happens to be a good weather day... Twiggs sounds like a nice little outing.

 

[James McDougall]

Just going to PM you my phone number now. You said you guys stay in Sturgon when you come up right?

 

[Boomer165]

I agree the Rosseau area is over run these days!! My family has had land up there since the 1950's when you couldn't give it away. Glad we held on to it.
I am taking the boat to Mobile Marine in Huntsville to fix my rope entanglement issue.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Good luck with the rope! Hopefully it will only cost you an arm... and you can keep your leg!

 

[James McDougall]

I agree the Rosseau area is over run these days!! My family has had land up there since the 1950's when you couldn't give it away. Glad we held on to it.
I am taking the boat to Mobile Marine in Huntsville to fix my rope entanglement issue.

Hope they look after you. If you have any issues with them, my guy here in North Bay will look after you. I know It's a but of a drive, but Idylltime is an amazing little family dealership.

 

[Boomer165]

Great, thanks James. Will keep that in mind.

 

[James McDougall]

For sure...sorry you sucked a rope.....I'm always petrified of sucking stuff up...in fact, we nearly did it the other day. we just ordered 3 of the Airhead bungee tie ropes instead of the normal ropes.....that way they are nice and short.

this is it:
https://www.amazon.ca/Kwik-Airhead-Bungee-Dock-4-Feet/dp/B0012RJTUW/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529290072&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=airhead+tie+rope