Used 2014 Yamaha AR240 vs Slightly used Scarab 215 IO

[vchiline]

Hey there,

I'm shopping for a jet boat to upgrade from my older 2002 Nitro Fish & Ski. I've been considering Scarab's 215 and now, the Yamaha.

I spotted a used Yamaha AR240 from 2014 with around 400 hours on the engines. It looks to be very clean. Asking price from the private seller is ~$37k.

Then there are two Scarabs, both with the dual 200hp engines and in Wake edition. One from 2016 for $49k and one from 2019 for roughly $53k sticker prices online. There's even a third one, again 2016 without Wake edition but with dual 250s for $49k. All are within a 200 mile radius.

I know the AR240 is more in-line with the Scarab 255.... size-wise... but is the generational gap between the two huge? I know Yamaha's updated a few things from that version of the AR240... would it be a mistake to consider it?

Thanks!

 

[Ronnie]

I have always liked the way Scarab boats look but based on posts I’ve read I wouldn’t buy on of the early models as I’d be concerned about reliability.

The 240 series boats have been around since 2010 and 2014 or 2015 was the last year of the first generation 240 series boat so it is the most mature of that generation meaning Yamaha worked out most or all of the bugs in that model.

Reliability aside, you get a lot more boat for a lot less money with the Yamaha, 3’ in length which should equate to more seating capacity, a compartment that can hold a head/toilet and naturally aspirated engines (no turbos or superchargers to maintain or feed premium unleaded) which produce roughly 180 hp each.
mall for $12k to $16k less than the scarabs you are looking at.

if it were me, I’d go with the yamaha for the reasons above but would try to get a shop (dealer or pwc) to scan the engines not for the engine hours but for the error code history. A scam should reveal if/when an engine threw an error and when. For instance, low oil pressure at 151 hours after being put into service. I believe a scam will also show you how the engine has been run. For instance 400 hours broken down into how many at max rpm, idle, etc. if I could not get a scan done, I’d still buy the yamaha if everything else checked out.

 

[Enduro900]

Are you planning to wake surf or wake board?

If the 2019 has the wake package I would consider the Scarab if you are (and 2 years old vs 7 years old, and I am pretty sure the 2019 BRP units no longer have the supercharger re-build requirement).

The scarabs have a much easier transom walk through as well.

The scarabs have docking mode and Intellegent neutral, (a weakness of the slow-speed handling for Yamaha’s), but the Yamaha’s have the clean-out ports.

But as stated, $12k-$16k difference is also a consideration.......

 

[vchiline]

Thanks for the points above. I am comparing apples and oranges... I do plan on learning to wake.... but never tried it so it's not a TOP priority yet...

I'm in Canada, but also looking at maybe buying in the US, though I cannot go and visit/test in person with the current crazy situation.

I'm wondering if 2020's crazy covid situation is also making boat price negotiations much tougher since people are spending money on pools, and boats, etc...

The used marketing is the way to go, keeping an eye on the classifieds here as well.

 

[vchiline]

For those who have tested both - how does each boat handle in somewhat choppy waters? Is one better? It's not something I can order on boat test days lol. Curious to know. I do realize this is a heavy-yamaha focused group, but from what I read, most people here are awesome with their reviews and comments. A rarity of online groups!

 

[Canuckjetboater]

@vchiline .....not familiar enough with Scarabs to know if they have a clean-out port for weeds. Sea Doos don't and it's funny (maybe not so funny) to see Sea Doo owners dressed to go to a waterfront restaurant having to dive under their boat to get weeds/debris from their intake grate. In the Yamahas we are much more civilized. We can keep dry and use our clean-out ports on the swim platform. No need for a swim. To me that's uuuuuge.

 

[vchiline]

@vchiline .....not familiar enough with Scarabs to know if they have a clean-out port for weeds. Sea Doos don't and it's funny (maybe not so funny) to see Sea Doo owners dressed to go to a waterfront restaurant having to dive under their boat to get weeds/debris from their intake grate. In the Yamahas we are much more civilized. We can keep dry and use our clean-out ports on the swim platform. No need for a swim. To me that's uuuuuge.

hahhahaha.... well... that's the one thing I've read over and over... but read that they don't jam frequently for many people... but again, the web is hard to find the truth on it. You're Canadian (Canuck in your name), where you at? I'm in Q-bec...

 

[Canuckjetboater]

hahhahaha.... well... that's the one thing I've read over and over... but read that they don't jam frequently for many people... but again, the web is hard to find the truth on it. You're Canadian (Canuck in your name), where you at? I'm in Q-bec...

@vchiline ....hey brother. I'm next door. Wet slip the Yamaha at Clark's in Gananoque. We boat on the St. Lawrence and this year with reduced "propeller" boat traffic the weeds have proliferated. I have seen at least 20 Sea Doo owners going for unintended swims this year. If I were buying a used jet boat one of my main concerns would be the service records and if I could download the on-board computer. We sold our 2018 Yamaha SVHO FX Cruiser this summer. It looked (and was) cleaner and better than it arrived at the dealers. All of my OCD service records were available. The guy still wanted a data dump. No problem. He saw the way it had been treated (complete RPMs from the minute it was started, average RPMs etc. etc.) and it was hooked to his truck so fast! Some jet boaters use the jet boats respectfully others beat them up far worse than any "prop" boater would - so I would be very careful that some cowboy didn't beat it to death - even if it looked cosmetically good. You're talking about some serious money! Best of luck!

 

[vchiline]

@vchiline ....hey brother. I'm next door. Wet slip the Yamaha at Clark's in Gananoque. We boat on the St. Lawrence and this year with reduced "propeller" boat traffic the weeds have proliferated. I have seen at least 20 Sea Doo owners going for unintended swims this year. If I were buying a used jet boat one of my main concerns would be the service records and if I could download the on-board computer. We sold our 2018 Yamaha SVHO FX Cruiser this summer. It looked (and was) cleaner and better than it arrived at the dealers. All of my OCD service records were available. The guy still wanted a data dump. No problem. He saw the way it had been treated (complete RPMs from the minute it was started, average RPMs etc. etc.) and it was hooked to his truck so fast! Some jet boaters use the jet boats respectfully others beat them up far worse than any "prop" boater would - so I would be very careful that some cowboy didn't beat it to death - even if it looked cosmetically good. You're talking about some serious money! Best of luck!

hahahhaa, omg... data dump!!! Wow.

Well, I'd be mostly using the boat near Montreal, on "Lac St-Louis" by Kahnawake/south shore. But not sure how weeds are, as I'm not super concerned by them with my current Nitro Fish & Ski 188 sport.

Hmmm.... I would like a boat with balasts on it... the Scarabs are in my price range kinda, but not the Yamaha Wake ones (used that is). Errr... maybe I should wait a year... decisions decisions. Going to the boat show here in Montreal tomorrow (on water). Will see what there is first hand.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

hahahhaa, omg... data dump!!! Wow.

Well, I'd be mostly using the boat near Montreal, on "Lac St-Louis" by Kahnawake/south shore. But not sure how weeds are, as I'm not super concerned by them with my current Nitro Fish & Ski 188 sport.

Hmmm.... I would like a boat with balasts on it... the Scarabs are in my price range kinda, but not the Yamaha Wake ones (used that is). Errr... maybe I should wait a year... decisions decisions. Going to the boat show here in Montreal tomorrow (on water). Will see what there is first hand.

@vchiline ......just remember your nitro has a built-in weedcutter (prop) LOL so you shouldn't have a problem with weeds but our jet boats love to suck them up if given half a chance! The Montreal Boat Show should be a lot of fun!