Tight steering on scatab 165

[Reindeer]

Hi guys,

Has anyone come across the steering in the scarab boats tightening up??
Test dtove one and asked the guy why is the steering so tight and he said cause it hasnt been driven for awhile.
Any advice appreciated

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

That seems a little odd. My 165 has no such issue. My first recommendation would be to inspect the nozzle and cable attachment points at the stern. Make sure it moves freely. The other thing is it's easy to open up the dash from beneath the hood of the 165. At least on my 2015 model, it's 6 screws and then you can see the mechanism for steering. Confirm everything is good there and lubricate it.

Otherwise, it's out of my realm. Probably a cable that is stuck somewhere, but not sure how to fix that without replacing it. But my steering definitely isn't stiff.

I realize this isn't your boat yet... but I would recommend that this be figured out before buying it.

 

[Reindeer]

Yeah i thought it was abit strange!
I brought it to the dealer's attention and he said he would have this fixed up and a full service on the boat, then i can come back and have another test drive.. Just thought it was abit strange with only 30hrs on the boat.
He reckons boat has not been driven for about 6 -8 months..

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Maybe the cable is just seized or something. With that being said, my boat just came out of hibernation... it was not driven for 7 months, no such issue. And this will happen every year for me. Hopefully it's a one off. But if they fix it, hopefully they will tell you what was wrong with it. Definitely report back if you find out. Good info to know for other 165 owners (and probably the rest of the Scarab models).

 

[Reindeer]

Will keep you posted mate!

 

[Reindeer]

Hey Luc,

Put the boat in the water 1st time today and love it. It's like a rocket on the water. Was very happy with all aspects of the boat.
Just wondering where you got the deck mat from as the floor gets so dirty.

I also noticed when flushing the boat there was a slight rattling noise. Is this common??

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Hi @Reindeer , glad you like it! I got SeaDek http://www.seadek.com/ but I have no idea if you can get this stuff in Australia. I ordered my kit from @JetBoatPilot . They were the ONLY ones that had the template made for the 165. In fact, I got it shipped to the USA/Canada border and then I drove down (45 min drive) while heading to upstate New York and pick it up on the way in. But I agree, it's really nice to have something like SeaDek. There are other materials that could do the trick as well but SeaDek seamed very popular.

As for the flushing, I can't help you there. My boat stays in the water most of the summer. I only take it out on occasion and I only frequent fresh water. So I don't really flush... maybe I should anyways? lol You sure the rattling sound isn't just the jet nozzle moving around as the water drains from the boat or something like that?