Yamaha, Sea-Doo, or Scarab

[Rstew0980]

I will be purchasing a new/Used jet boat next spring in 2021. I have been doing a lot of research and I would like to hear from people that have a Yamaha AR240, Seadoo 230 wake or 230 challenger, or a scarab 115 ID. I would like to know what the pros and cons are of your boat.

 

[KCAR250]

First, Where’s the nearest dealer where you can get service on those three brands? What’s your budget? What are you wanting to do with it? How many people do you typically boat with? Do you boat inland lakes or do you go offshore? Do you need to store it in a garage or will you pay to store it elsewhere? Having asked all that I’d probably still go with the AR240. Vortex is another brand if you want to throw another into the mix.

 

[Rstew0980]

There is an all brand boat dealer about a mile from my house. My budget is going to be no more than $40k. On the norm it’s about 4-6 people we boat with. 2-3 adults and rest are kids. We like to do innertubes and wakeboard so a tower is a must. I won’t ever put my personal boat in salt water. Too many horror stories of engines getting F up. It will be stored in my driveway in southern Cali. I am down to honestly between the ar240 and the 230 wake. I’ll take a look at the vortex. What is a compatible model to these other 2?

 

[KCAR250]

Vortex would be VRX 2430, the scarab would be 255ID. They all have there advantages and have a dealer that services all of them helps. Personally I like the looks of the scarabs the best but would take Yamaha for reliability, resell value, clean out ports, and you can probably find an AR240 for $40k. SeaPoo stopped making boats years back so I probably wouldn’t get one of those. Vortex is a chaparral brand but are still new to the scene. Some people will comment that the fit and finish is better in the vortex or scarab. Again I’d still take the Yamaha over the others.

 

[Enduro900]

You will be very hard pressed to find a VR or VRX 2430 for $40k, or a scarab 255 for $40k-ish. Yamaha has been making boats longer, with a lower sticker price than the other two so you could find an AR240 for around the $40k mark (hard to say what the next few months hold, the prices are out of wack this year).

All three have their pros and cons. The first couple of years Scarab seemed to have issues (they started in 2014 making boats again under that name). Vortex and Scarabs have 150hp, 200hp and 250hp twin options so keep an eye on the engines when you shop. I think the 150hp twins will be a little underpowered for a 24ft/25ft boat but its just an opinion. Later BRP added a 300hp option (600hp total) but you wont see any of those boats in your price range.

I personally like the transom design of the chap/vortex and scarab better than the Yamaha’s, but I wouldn’t avoid any of the three, just try and get a good gauge on the maintenance/history. Hopefully you can find a well cared-for single owner that is only selling to move up to something else.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[KCAR250]

I was thinking the VXR and Scarabs would be more expensive but didn’t really know what the used market was for them. I’ve never seen them for sale where I live and only seen one in the water.