SCARAB SUCKS

[Julian]

WOW, yes I did walk through the boat and it looked good. I couldn't have noticed the clip or foreseen the damaged it caused. The windshield door opening fell inside the frame under normal driving conditions. Yes I did notice the cooler was not easily accessible on the initial walkthroughs but it was worth mentioning on the fact of poor design. A lot of these issues would have never been so overwhelming if the manufacturer delivered a quality product and the major issue of a recall (reverse clip) that had not been taken care of.
This list was just a beginning and I apologize for expecting a quality build for $90,000 dollars. WOW, I Will just shut up and go away(NOT). I feel attacked for trying to share buyer beware for future customers.
Impeller grates should be removable without pulling the engines to get the nut back on the backside.
I don't think its to much to ask for anywhere on the boat to NOT look like a dumpster.
Thank you so much for the long-winded review of my review.
SO nice to be personally attacked for trying to help others. So brave of you to attack someone online.
JUST ADD WATER BOATS in Indianapolis did an amazing job and they tried to make everything right and eventually did. I will buy every boat from them if i buy a brand they carry. My next will be a Nautique if I can not find a quality jet boat.

Glad to hear your dealer handled all of this well.

In regards to getting "attacked" here, you can't expect to join a forum and copy and paste the exact same HIGHLY volatile content 6 times to 6 different threads then disappear for 5 days and not have gotten some feedback. This has happened a couple of times before (never 6 copies of a long post) and its always been a disgruntled owner seeking to sling mud around at the manufacturer. Imagine walking into a club you've never visited and you start yelling how much you hate something about X, and you just keep yelling. Members are going to get tired quickly.

We don't have many posts here that are "Reported" (its a link at the bottom of every thread that any member can alert the admins to a problem) - but yours were because members don't like SPAM - that isn't the best way to join a forum.

That said....WELCOME! I hope we can help you with your boat and get you to having fun vs fixing quality issues!

Do you plan on keeping the boat or are you too soured on Scarab at this point? I get some of the points you mention - crap in the bilge...ALL boats in our price range deal with that. I think that I got the last out of mine last year - after two years of shavings appearing out the drain!

Coolers.....I've yet to see a boat with a good cooler location....even the new 27' Yamaha has it in a cabinet (which makes no sense).

 

[Todd Kyle]

I hear ya.. but I just purchased a 2019 Yamaha 242x and have so many similar experiences but they are on all boats. I considered it part of "boating" and the cost of doing so. While annoying that you're spending your hard earned money and want quality.. I don't think quality is there any more anywhere.

5 hours on my boat and the ski locker acuator came un-screwed(holes stripped), front anchor latch not latching (poorly aligned).. shavings in drain plug.. (still coming out after 15 hrs)...

Its part of it..

I had the same issue on 2017 242x - I just redrilled and added some anchors - works better now Were you able to get the lath properly aligned on the ski locker? I am still struggling with that one...

 

[Julian]

I had the same issue on 2017 242x - I just redrilled and added some anchors - works better now Were you able to get the lath properly aligned on the ski locker? I am still struggling with that one...

I had to buy a new strut...mine wasn't opening the ski locker far enough.....I still wonder if they just ran out of the correct length at the factory and said...oh well....this will do!???

 

[tewilx]

I am not sitting here waiting to participate in the next comment and don't have an issue anyone can help with. My offer was to help provide ONE experience and a place someone else might add if needed. If no one else on the planet has an issue with their new Scarab boat then this thread will die.
If it looks like an attack it might discourage someone else from posting or me participating in this forum. You attack the victim and expect me to explain?? No... more like a woman walking into a bar and crying rape and you saying well did you see that skirt you are wearing in the mirror???!!!!

It is my 1st jet boat, so I don't know if or how long I will keep it. Finally enjoying the savings I have worked so many years to start to enjoy. Getting all the bugs worked out, but still feel like for the amount of money spent I should not have seen any issues the 1st season on the boat. Its unacceptable for every product in our country to reflect Walmart standards of everything is disposable we have come to. To the point of "the boating experience", I would say we should expect more with better technology not less.
As long as I don't experience the hull cracking I have read somewhere I believe I can get the bugs worked out and get my money out of the boat and enjoy my family on it, but it was a lemon out of the gate. I would not have had down time if it were not for the reverse module and would have not screwed up family vacation and maybe wouldn't hurt so much. I took all my accrued vacation 8 weeks and lost 4. We had other trips planned so I have had a solid 2 weeks on the boat now and I am enjoying the family, but still alway worried something is going to break.

 

[Beachbummer]

As I read these interesting experiences with new boats, it reinforces my previous practice of purchasing used. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to you new boat buyers, because you supply my boat, but I am challenged in the value proposition, specially with warranty service so spotty. I'd rather take the gamble and figure it out myself once it has been well shaken out, and the growing pains are addressed.


Sorry to the OP. It does suck, but for whatever reason at this price point the builders are more house builders than car builders and it all seems quite rudimentary in the gel coat/boat part of the build. (Engines are more like auto engine construction, but chassis/hulls feels very one by one and shoddy overall)

 

[djetok]

I am not sitting here waiting to participate in the next comment or have an issue anyone can help with. My offer was to help provide ONE experience and a place someone else might add if needed. If no one else on the planet has an issue with their new Scarab boat then this thread will die.
If it looks like an attack it might discourage someone else from posting or me participating in this forum. You attack the victim and expect me to explain?? No... more like a woman walking into a bar and crying rape and you saying well did you see that skirt in the mirror???!!!!

It is my 1st jet boat, so I don't know if or how long I will keep it. Finally enjoying the savings I have worked so many years to start to enjoy. Getting all the bugs worked out, but still feel like for the amount of money spent I should not have seen any issues the 1st season on the boat. Its unacceptable for every product in our country to reflect Walmart standards of everything is disposable we have come to. To the point of "the boating experience", I would say we should expect more with better technology not less.
As long as I don't experience the hull cracking I have read somewhere I believe I can get the bugs worked out and get my money out of the boat and enjoy my family on it, but it was a lemon out of the gate. I would not have had down time if it were not for the reverse module and would have not screwed up family vacation and maybe wouldn't hurt so much. I took all my accrued vacation 8 weeks and lost 4. We had other trips planned so I have had a solid 2 weeks on the boat now and I am enjoying the family, but still alway worried something is going to break.

@tewilx I read your issues and yes I would have been upset and worried too. Its a lot of money and it is not living up to expectations. Sh!t happens and it always happens at the worst time.

This is a very helpful community, please stick around as you will definitely get help from this site.

 

[255IDTwin300s]

I am not sitting here waiting to participate in the next comment or have an issue anyone can help with. My offer was to help provide ONE experience and a place someone else might add if needed. If no one else on the planet has an issue with their new Scarab boat then this thread will die.
If it looks like an attack it might discourage someone else from posting or me participating in this forum. You attack the victim and expect me to explain?? No... more like a woman walking into a bar and crying rape and you saying well did you see that skirt in the mirror???!!!!

It is my 1st jet boat, so I don't know if or how long I will keep it. Finally enjoying the savings I have worked so many years to start to enjoy. Getting all the bugs worked out, but still feel like for the amount of money spent I should not have seen any issues the 1st season on the boat. Its unacceptable for every product in our country to reflect Walmart standards of everything is disposable we have come to. To the point of "the boating experience", I would say we should expect more with better technology not less.
As long as I don't experience the hull cracking I have read somewhere I believe I can get the bugs worked out and get my money out of the boat and enjoy my family on it, but it was a lemon out of the gate. I would not have had down time if it were not for the reverse module and would have not screwed up family vacation and maybe wouldn't hurt so much. I took all my accrued vacation 8 weeks and lost 4. We had other trips planned so I have had a solid 2 weeks on the boat now and I am enjoying the family, but still alway worried something is going to break.

This post makes a lot more sense now and it is all in the way that you wrote it, it has some reasoning in it and no more of the vindictiveness ( although some of it could be argued that it was warranted) in it. It looks like you are looking more to the positive/practical side now and that is awesome. Life is too short. We all buy these boats with ideas and dreams in our heads about how we are going to use and enjoy them with our families and friends. I have to admit, if I lost half of my vacation and those dreams of playing with the boat were during that , I think everyone can understand how frustrating that would be. It's all about context. thank you for sharing the context, as it makes a huge difference in your situation and how people can understand.

 

[swatski]

Impeller grates should be removable without pulling the engines to get the nut back on the backside.

That is a big issue, actually, and they have knwon about it for years now. Surprised they did not fix it!

My next will be a Nautique if I can not find a quality jet boat.

They all have issues. Every single brand.

--

 

[tewilx]

I had the same issue on 2017 242x - I just redrilled and added some anchors - works better now Were you able to get the lath properly aligned on the ski locker? I am still struggling with that one...

My ski locker and shocks work fine. They just slam shut. The shocks hold it open fine it just slams shut. Seems it could have a hydraulic soft close or at least have some door silencers so it won't slam.

 

[tewilx]

That is a big issue, actually, and they have knwon about it for years now. Surprised they did not fix it!


They all have issues. Every single brand.

--

Believe me I know about boat issues. I was born on skis and I am over 50, but this is the 1st Brand new boat I have purchased and we shouldn't be "conditioned" to accept that a new boat comes with issues as part of the "boating experience".

 

[tewilx]

It is worth mentioning I do LOVE the power of the twin Rotax 300s and have no issue so far (fingers crossed). The engine compartment could look a little cleaner.
This forum seems to be the only place to find reports of experience with the Scarab. Youtube has no real reviews. You can not count boaters mag or Scarab promotional videos, they all make the boat look perfect.
My goal here is to hold them accountable to the customer and at least force them to invest some of their huge profit on customer satisfaction. It really seems it would not take them much to reach a quality reputation if that was important to them. Believe me with the customer service response (and lack of) mostly the latter they have a bit of a challenge on their hands and it does not appear to be important.

 

[wango tango]

WOW, yes I did walk through the boat and it looked good. I couldn't have noticed the clip or foreseen the damaged it caused. The windshield door opening fell inside the frame under normal driving conditions. Yes I did notice the cooler was not easily accessible on the initial walkthroughs but it was worth mentioning on the fact of poor design. A lot of these issues would have never been so overwhelming if the manufacturer delivered a quality product and the major issue of a recall (reverse clip) that had not been taken care of.
This list was just a beginning and I apologize for expecting a quality build for $90,000 dollars. WOW, I Will just shut up and go away(NOT). I feel attacked for trying to share buyer beware for future customers.
Impeller grates should be removable without pulling the engines to get the nut back on the backside.
I don't think its to much to ask for anywhere on the boat to NOT look like a dumpster.
Thank you so much for the long-winded review of my review.
SO nice to be personally attacked for trying to help others. So brave of you to attack someone online.
JUST ADD WATER BOATS in Indianapolis did an amazing job and they tried to make everything right and eventually did. I will buy every boat from them if i buy a brand they carry. My next will be a Nautique if I can not find a quality jet boat.

You will pay for that nautique!!!
Just wish that scarab would have more QC inspection

 

[tewilx]

You will pay for that nautique!!!
Just wish that scarab would have more QC inspection

Maybe this is my new boat lesson. I have had Nautique boats and many other brands. I expect issues with a used boat and can do 90 % of anything mechanically. I do like the jet boat part of this experience and we will see if I stay a jet boat lover. So far that part I am happy with as long as it keeps running. Rotax gets that credit, NOT scarab.

 

[wango tango]

One other thing is if you are on shallow lake like mine any prop boat will hit bottom. 2 boats on the lake, mastercraft and air nautique hit bottom both had over 20k in damage. I don't like the QC issues scarab that scarab needs to correct but I needed a jet and I took the sexy boat home with some issues, just like marriage. LOL

 

[Beachbummer]

.... this is the 1st Brand new boat I have purchased and we shouldn't be "conditioned" to accept that a new boat comes with issues as part of the "boating experience".

Agreed 100% I refuse to play (so I buy used), and will continue to, and this decision is reinforced every time I see a post like yours. If you hang around you will see them too, about once every 2-6 months.

 

[MrMoose]

@tewilx, I own a 2015 Yamaha, and some of my first posts to this forum had the same tone as yours. My Yamaha was the second new boat that I purchased. My first new boat (not a jet boat) had some issues, mostly related to a crappy dealer that didn't know how to set up a motor to properly run at 3500 feet above sea level. So my first "new boat" experience did not meet expectations, but the boat only cost me about $18K, perspective.
Before purchasing my Yamaha, I read up on the brand, mostly from an old defunct forum, and eventually found Jetboaters.net.
BULLET PROOF!
That's what I thought I was buying. Apparently the bullet proof claim applied to the motors that I believe are made in Japan.
I bought my boat when I lived in TX, and lots of people carry guns there.
Apparently, the bullets made many holes in my boat, which I believe is made in the USA. It leaked like a siv.
I'm going to shorten the story. Leaks were fixed. Weeks of boating lost (but I could boat year round in TX). Dealerships (I worked with two of them) were 100% incompetent. If it had to be fixed properly, it had to be taken back at least three times, where the only QC and root cause analysis had to come from me, where I had to sign to agree to pay for the parts and labor if Yamaha did not agree with the warranty claim, and most of the time that the boat was at the dealerships, it got damaged and had I not caught the damage at the time, it would have been my problem. So, needless to say, spending almost 4x the $ gave me 4x the headaches.
Ok, so misery loves company @tewlix.
Fast forward.
I'm pushing 200 hrs on my jet boat, and some of my best life experiences have been made possible because of it.
I'm no longer living at sea level in Houston, and I'm back at 3500 feet above sea level.
Just yesterday, I casually cruised up a river with my depth finder reading 1.5 feet, not a problem. In the 5 years that I've owned my jet boat, I have only jammed an impeller once (plastic bottle cap). I removed my grates to pop the bottle cap out without issue. If I were you, I'd be pissed that you end up with a floating nut in your bilge when you remove a grate. That was not the case for me.
@tewlix, you have a sexy boat. If I were you, I'd give it some time to get the bugs worked out of it. If you still don't feel comfortable with it, then ditch it and get something that makes you happy.
For the folks who have responded to your initial post saying that it's best to buy used because the original owner took care of all of the initial quality issues... ok, but as a Yamaha jet boat owner, I've run into soooooooooo many ignorant, irresponsible and non-anal owners who are in the practice of buying a boat, owning/abusing it for a couple of years and ditching it.
It's a gamble either way, but if you buy new, at least there's a company who's responsible for fixing it.
Lastly, @tewilx, I understand your anger and I appreciate that you feel that people should know about the shortcomings of the various boat manufactures so that they can make educated purchase decisions.

 

[wango tango]

@tewilx, I own a 2015 Yamaha, and some of my first posts to this forum had the same tone as yours. My Yamaha was the second new boat that I purchased. My first new boat (not a jet boat) had some issues, mostly related to a crappy dealer that didn't know how to set up a motor to properly run at 3500 feet above sea level. So my first "new boat" experience did not meet expectations, but the boat only cost me about $18K, perspective.
Before purchasing my Yamaha, I read up on the brand, mostly from an old defunct forum, and eventually found Jetboaters.net.
BULLET PROOF!
That's what I thought I was buying. Apparently the bullet proof claim applied to the motors that I believe are made in Japan.
I bought my boat when I lived in TX, and lots of people carry guns there.
Apparently, the bullets made many holes in my boat, which I believe is made in the USA. It leaked like a siv.
I'm going to shorten the story. Leaks were fixed. Weeks of boating lost (but I could boat year round in TX). Dealerships (I worked with two of them) were 100% incompetent. If it had to be fixed properly, it had to be taken back at least three times, where the only QC and root cause analysis had to come from me, where I had to sign to agree to pay for the parts and labor if Yamaha did not agree with the warranty claim, and most of the time that the boat was at the dealerships, it got damaged and had I not caught the damage at the time, it would have been my problem. So, needless to say, spending almost 4x the $ gave me 4x the headaches.
Ok, so misery loves company @tewlix.
Fast forward.
I'm pushing 200 hrs on my jet boat, and some of my best life experiences have been made possible because of it.
I'm no longer living at sea level in Houston, and I'm back at 3500 feet above sea level.
Just yesterday, I casually cruised up a river with my depth finder reading 1.5 feet, not a problem. In the 5 years that I've owned my jet boat, I have only jammed an impeller once (plastic bottle cap). I removed my grates to pop the bottle cap out without issue. If I were you, I'd be pissed that you end up with a floating nut in your bilge when you remove a grate. That was not the case for me.
@tewlix, you have a sexy boat. If I were you, I'd give it some time to get the bugs worked out of it. If you still don't feel comfortable with it, then ditch it and get something that makes you happy.
For the folks who have responded to your initial post saying that it's best to buy used because the original owner took care of all of the initial quality issues... ok, but as a Yamaha jet boat owner, I've run into soooooooooo many ignorant, irresponsible and non-anal owners who are in the practice of buying a boat, owning/abusing it for a couple of years and ditching it.
It's a gamble either way, but if you buy new, at least there's a company who's responsible for fixing it.
Lastly, @tewilx, I understand your anger and I appreciate that you feel that people should know about the shortcomings of the various boat manufactures so that they can make educated purchase decisions.

You are so right about used boats, be careful and check everything !!
And don't trust anyone!!

@tewilx, I own a 2015 Yamaha, and some of my first posts to this forum had the same tone as yours. My Yamaha was the second new boat that I purchased. My first new boat (not a jet boat) had some issues, mostly related to a crappy dealer that didn't know how to set up a motor to properly run at 3500 feet above sea level. So my first "new boat" experience did not meet expectations, but the boat only cost me about $18K, perspective.
Before purchasing my Yamaha, I read up on the brand, mostly from an old defunct forum, and eventually found Jetboaters.net.
BULLET PROOF!
That's what I thought I was buying. Apparently the bullet proof claim applied to the motors that I believe are made in Japan.
I bought my boat when I lived in TX, and lots of people carry guns there.
Apparently, the bullets made many holes in my boat, which I believe is made in the USA. It leaked like a siv.
I'm going to shorten the story. Leaks were fixed. Weeks of boating lost (but I could boat year round in TX). Dealerships (I worked with two of them) were 100% incompetent. If it had to be fixed properly, it had to be taken back at least three times, where the only QC and root cause analysis had to come from me, where I had to sign to agree to pay for the parts and labor if Yamaha did not agree with the warranty claim, and most of the time that the boat was at the dealerships, it got damaged and had I not caught the damage at the time, it would have been my problem. So, needless to say, spending almost 4x the $ gave me 4x the headaches.
Ok, so misery loves company @tewlix.
Fast forward.
I'm pushing 200 hrs on my jet boat, and some of my best life experiences have been made possible because of it.
I'm no longer living at sea level in Houston, and I'm back at 3500 feet above sea level.
Just yesterday, I casually cruised up a river with my depth finder reading 1.5 feet, not a problem. In the 5 years that I've owned my jet boat, I have only jammed an impeller once (plastic bottle cap). I removed my grates to pop the bottle cap out without issue. If I were you, I'd be pissed that you end up with a floating nut in your bilge when you remove a grate. That was not the case for me.
@tewlix, you have a sexy boat. If I were you, I'd give it some time to get the bugs worked out of it. If you still don't feel comfortable with it, then ditch it and get something that makes you happy.
For the folks who have responded to your initial post saying that it's best to buy used because the original owner took care of all of the initial quality issues... ok, but as a Yamaha jet boat owner, I've run into soooooooooo many ignorant, irresponsible and non-anal owners who are in the practice of buying a boat, owning/abusing it for a couple of years and ditching it.
It's a gamble either way, but if you buy new, at least there's a company who's responsible for fixing it.
Lastly, @tewilx, I understand your anger and I appreciate that you feel that people should know about the shortcomings of the various boat manufactures so that they can make educated purchase decisions.

 

[wango tango]

A negative post with some very good positive views and information.
By the way my stereo (sony)has been acting up, work not work, I was pissed, 2017 with shitty stereo, but it was a cheap stock radio so I upgraded like alot of people did. Very happy now I'm glad it did take a shit.
I'm not sure who cost me more money my wife or the boat!?

 

[Tempest]

You will pay for that nautique!!!
Just wish that scarab would have more QC inspection

A good friend had a Nautique... sold it in the divorce. Man, they’re Expensive!!!

 

[Weeb]

Believe me I know about boat issues. I was born on skis and I am over 50, but this is the 1st Brand new boat I have purchased and we shouldn't be "conditioned" to accept that a new boat comes with issues as part of the "boating experience".

I agree with this. It’s like Yamaha tells people it’s normal for the boat to leak, really lol.