Scarab 195 HO - New to Jet Boats

[Reno Rob]

In the process of buying a 2017 Scarab 195 HO Impulse Wake Edition, and it has the single engine, 1503 Rotax 4 Tec turbo with 250 HP. Really excited to get this boat on the water. We will be the second owners, and the first owners had this in a slip in a northern California lake. They have a total of 27 hours on it is all. I also have a 2003 Kawasaki STX12F JetSki, so I understand some of the concerns I will need to be cautious of.

I have a couple of question I am hoping some of you may know about.

1 What is the reliability of this powerplant over all? And I have read the turbo may need to be rebuilt frequently, but I am not sure at what frequency.

2 Should I use dino oil or synthetic? I am a Harley guy and love synthetic in my Ultra Classic, but not sure with a Rotax (first experience with one).

3 I am hoping to get it on Lake Tahoe soon, but there is a lot of concern and regulation regarding invasive species of muscles there. What areas of the Scarab should I focus on for cleaning and what should I clean them with?

4 How should I best winterize this since we have deep freezes from November through February?

5 Where do you find fishing rod holders for a wake tower? Stainless?

6 Also we do not have a Scarab dealer anywhere close, closest is about 3 hours away. Can a dealer who works on a Chap (which has the same Rotax) work on these as well?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give, it is very much appreciated.

Reno Rob

 

[ChrisM]

I can offer my opinion some. I am a tried and true BRP propulsion fan, not one issue from my Rotax 215 in my 2008 SeaDoo RXP. Not one issue from my 2016 twin 250's in my Chaparral. I can't remember all the details completely, but the generation of supercharger in my Seadoo, (carbon trhust washers I believe) required rebuild at an interval on 100 hours. When I had that performed 5 years ago, the thrust washer design was improved, titanium and or steel I believe, and now have a rebuild interval of 200 hours. And it is said that the new BRP 300 HP do not require rebuilds. Every year at the start of the season I always replace the plugs, oil filters, oil filter housing O rings, and oil, with only BRP oil which is now semi synthetic. I do not winterize either as they live in the garage when not in use. The engines are closed loop cooling similar to a vehicle, the lake water is pumped through the exhaust and catalytic converters. You would either used compressed air via the flush port next to the pump transom base, or the preferred method, use the same flush port and flush with RV antifreeze, usually 1 gallon is needed before the exiting water from the side exhaust port turns pink. The use of the exhaust flush port is only done with the engine running first, then turning on your water flush source. This allows the exhaust pressure to keep the flush water/pressure from entering the engine via the exhaust valves.
So connect flush hose, start engine, turn on water. The reverse is done to cease flushing.
Chaparral dealers can work on Scarab, and vise versa, but each may sight license issues and not offer you the service.
My opinion is service your engines to the BRP letter, and you should expect stellar service. Others may disagree with my comments.
Maint and owners manual attached, including flush procedure, intercooler draining, ETC. Page 36.

 

[Reno Rob]

Wow, all great information, and thank you for the attachments. Very helpful.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Agreed with @ChrisM . It's a boat, needs regular and proper maintenance as per his comments which are all bang on. I'll add, check your clamps once a year and make sure they are still snug. Clamps can loosen over time due to vibrations and thermal changes. It's a common failure point in any boat. Fourth season and power plant is running perfectly still for me. 170h.

 

[ChrisM]

I noticed something I haven't been doing is checking/greasing the impeller shaft splines each year as they suggest, I think my SeaDoo schedule may have been 5 years. For the amount of use I give each craft, that's ok with me. I'm in fresh water only, when I recently checked the SeaDoo shaft, it was ready for a spline clean, and lube. So that's definitely an area to check.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I noticed something I haven't been doing is checking/greasing the impeller shaft splines each year as they suggest, I think my SeaDoo schedule may have been 5 years. For the amount of use I give each craft, that's ok with me. I'm in fresh water only, when I recently checked the SeaDoo shaft, it was ready for a spline clean, and lube. So that's definitely an area to check.

Yeah, I also replace the two O rings inside the nose cone of the pump and refill with grease every few years. I just got a hold of the impeller removal tool so that I can take the impeller off as well.

Point is @Reno Rob , all of this maintenance is pretty simple to do with basic tools and skills. If you stay on top of it, the reliability is very good.

 

[hvluve]

How much did you pay for it? I'm also looking to get one.

 

[Reno Rob]

We picked it up for $36K. I have seen this same boat go for as high as $50K. I feel we got a good deal. It only had 27 hours on it when we bought it, but I failed to check it out of the water before a purchase. It had been on the water for 3 years, and had quite the algae build up on it. Spent an entire weekend cleaning and waxing. We are very happy with it. I found a great FB group called Scarab Jet Boats. Fantastic info there and often times you can find these for sale. I wish you the best finding one.