Scarab vs Yamaha, new vs used

[Chwtom]

i currently have a 13 Yamaha sx190. Have never been thrilled with it. It is stupid loud, and the cruise control is kind of worthless (it doesn't keep the boat at a fixed speed at all).
Love the layout of the boat, and that the boat doesn't have a prop.

A friend has a scarab 215. It is much less noisy. I actually found some sound tests online of both boats. At 20mph, a scarab 195 ho is 77 db. At the same speed, the Yamaha is 89 db. Because decibel measurements are on a log scale, that means a Yamaha is more than twice as loud as the scarab at a given speed.

Anyways, my local scarab guy has a new 195 ho for 36k, and he'll give me 16k for my Yamaha. A place 5 hours away has a 14 scarab 195 ho for 26k, and they'll give me 19.5k for my trade. Big difference.

So my questions:
Is there anything majorly different about the 14 than the 17 scarab? The 14 has 20 hours on it.
Do people that own the scarab 195 ho like it?

 

[mraz72]

the 14 sounds like definitely the way to go, I am not sure of the differences though...

 

[OCMD]

Used is always the way to go. Although I can't speak to the reliability of a Scarab.

 

[veedubtek]

Used is typically always the way to go, but being a first year Scarab, I've read lots of issues on here. Definitely sounds like a great deal, if it comes with a great warranty and your local shop has some experience working on them, but even just searching through the forum on here you'll find lots of issues with '14 models. You may also consider a newer Yamaha, as the updated models have considerably more sound deadening and it makes a huge difference. Don't disregard Chaparral or Glastron jet boats either.

I'd really see what else that place 5 hours away has, lol. Offering 19.5K on a 4 year old SX190 sounds too good to be true. I'd be willing to bet it doesn't even have a retail value that high. Get that in writing before you make the trip.

 

[Chwtom]

I do have it in writing...

If the Yamaha has made improvements in sound deadening, it hasn't been borne out in tests. The 2016 is 90 db at 11 mph. That is really, really loud. For comparison the 14 scarab is 74 and a 19' Bay liner is 75. That's the difference between being inside a car on the highway and having a blender next to your head.

The boAt I'm looking at has another year and a half on the warranty. Maybe I can get it extended. Just hard to justify spending 10+ grand to maybe have more reliability.

 

[Mike Cardillo]

The 2014 sounds really tough to pass up. 20 hours is practically new. I tried to look up what has changed over the years with the 195 but it is difficult to tell. Good luck - tough but good choices!!!!

 

[viggen]

Possibly find out why the 14 owner traded or sold the boat, if possible try to talk to the owner. As stated a few people seemed to have reliability issues with the early scarabs

Seems like the biggest complain I read about now is why not offer 2 engines in the 195

If you want the new one possibly talk to that dealer and see if they can meet half way, not a clue if they would drop another $5k but it might be worth a try.