switching from yamaha 212x to scarab 215 id

[Munir]

hi guys,
I'm thinking of trading my yamaha 212x 2019 to scarab 215 ID
the main reason is the maneuverability, which all the reviews I read indicate that scarab is way easier to drive and dock than yamaha
There is a strong current in the marina which makes docking difficult. Despite the fact that I have a twin engine boat, docking is not easy
I get smooth ride in my yamaha especially when I fill the central ballast
My question is , how is the ride on scarab 215 in rough water, lets say 1 ft wave comparing to yamaha? And will filling the central ballast make any difference
Thank you and I appreciate all feedback

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I only have a 165, so not in the same class. But I've read many reports of the 215 in rougher water. No issues to the best of my knowledge on that front. Jet boats (all brands) don't track as well as prop boats of course, so they don't handle as well in rough water compared to them. But nobody is reporting issues in rougher waters, especially not at 1ft.

As for maneuverability, I haven't driven a Yamaha, but yes, Scarabs are highly maneuverable as compared to Yamahas at slow or neutral speeds. It's one of their strong selling features for me personally. It DOES take quite a bit of practice to get used to it and learn how it handles. But once you do, wow... it's incredible. No other boat I've seen behaves and handles like that around marinas/docks,etc. In fact, when I do drive it around those areas, I can tell people think I'll hit something because they don't know the boat can turn when in idle. Or I can maintain boat angle to dock even in wind/current/waves. It's a little surreal having driven a prop boat for many years. But it's counter intuitive. The boat ALWAYS turns in the direction of the steering wheel, EVEN IN REVERSE OR NEUTRAL. In reverse, it's OPPOSITE to a car. Hence, you need to get the hang of it. In my opinion, you have no need for any steering accessory add on. They don't provide much benefit as long as you've learned to drive them correctly.

 

[Munir]

Thanks Luc for the info. I'm going to try the scarab 215 ID in the upcoming in water boat show.
Now, I'm leaning more to switch to scarab, probably at the end of the season.

 

[John P Jones]

hi guys,
I'm thinking of trading my yamaha 212x 2019 to scarab 215 ID
the main reason is the maneuverability, which all the reviews I read indicate that scarab is way easier to drive and dock than yamaha
There is a strong current in the marina which makes docking difficult. Despite the fact that I have a twin engine boat, docking is not easy
I get smooth ride in my yamaha especially when I fill the central ballast
My question is , how is the ride on scarab 215 in rough water, lets say 1 ft wave comparing to yamaha? And will filling the central ballast make any difference
Thank you and I appreciate all feedback

I have a 2014 Scarab 215HO. We only run it on a fresh water lake - not sure where you plan to run yours. Maneuverability was one of the big selling points for me as well. Our "lake" is part of a river - with hydro-electric dams at both ends to form the lake. The current is regulated by the power company depending on the need to produce power. Some times, the lake is dead quiet, sometimes, it's moving pretty good. In either case, docking the 215HO is far easier than the old I/O I used to have.
In terms of ride - I don't have a central ballast in this one,and wakes on the lake can get over a foot. I take them on an angle with no problems. Straight on with some power behind me and the boat would catch some air time, so I don't do that.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the boat. We love ours.

 

[jEt_jAk]

I’ve had both AR195 and Scarab 165 and the Scarab is way more manuevarable especially in reverse and neutral. The lateral thrusters and thrust vectors helped close the gap though.

 

[Nexus]

I'm curious... We are playing with the idea of upgrading to the larger 215 in a couple of years. Never would have really considered the wake package unless it was thrown in (not likely). Would having the extra ballast make a significant difference in rougher water? I guess that would make sense.