I’ve noticed that there is not much info out on the Scarab Jet Boats. So I’ve compiled the brochure along with videos and information on the whole lineup of Scarab Jet Boats.
Make sure to share this with your friends on Facebook! These are wonderful boats and the world should know about them.
Important: These Scarab’s in this post are 2016 models.
Most of the pictures I have here on this post come from the scarab brochure. But they tell you a lot more than what Scarab puts on their own website.
Feel free to click on the images to get a larger version of them.
To start off the Scarab Jet Boats are powered by a Rotax Engine. Unlike other boats that are just retrofitted “truck engines” these Rotax Engines designed for water use from the starts.
Scarab Doesn’t Use Truck Engines
Yes, the engines like Mercury, Yamaha, and all the prop boats use the same engines you would find in a Chevy, Ford, or any major Truck Brand.
These engines work great for trucks but boats have whole different situations to deal with. Like keeping it at one speed all the time, and pushing water is more stressful than pushing tires.
Closed Loop – Ocean Ready
One of the biggest perks of a Rotax Engine is that it’s a closed cooling system. Which is kind of funny since the truck engines were originally design to used a closed cooling system, but they swap it out to an open cooling system when they put it in a boat.
The problem with open cooling system is that it takes in lake or ocean water to cool the engine. This can lead to corrosion of the engine and its easy to clog the cooling system because there is debris in it.
A closed system that is used in all cars just uses anti-freeze to keep the engine cool. A closed system never takes in water to cool the engine. I go into more detail of closed vs open cooling systems here.
As you can see in the picture above that with a Jet drive have a shallow draft and since its a jet drive you get on plane quicker. This also means wakeboarders can get one plane faster too.
In the picture above you can see the cutaway of the engine and the prop. The shaft has a protector around it to keeps from sucking up weeds around the driveshaft.
Right under the impeller is the ride plate which is your radiator to keep the engine cool.
No Shifting Gears
The real important part of the jet powered boat is the reverse gate. Unlike a normal boat where it has an exposed prop, the scarab jet boats have a prop that is sealed up in the boat.
This means you don’t have a prop to cut your foot on. We do still recommend that the engine be off when boarding any boat.
Unlike every other boat out there a jet boat does not shift into and out of gears. Other boats have to grind a gear to go forward or reverse. This causes people to be quick and rushed because if you don’t shift those gears quick enough you’ll grin them kind of like a manual transmission car.
A Jet boat is more like an automatic transmission boat. A jet boat is smooth and only needs small gentle movements.
Better Control At Lower Speeds
A Scarab Jet Boat only moves a reverse gate in the rear. This gate redirects the direction of the water to either forward, neutral, or reverse. When the engine is on the impeller is moving and the gate controls where that water goes to. What this does is gives you better control of the boat at lower speeds.
The gate that Seadoo created for Scarab Jetboats gives you the best control compared to any other jet boat ever created. You can steer the boat even in neutral!
The key thing to remember when driving a jet boat is that to go slow. You have more control over the boat than you will with a prop boat. Just like with anything in the world, practice will have you being able to dock a jet boat better than any other boat.
Scarab has also released the new iTC which gives you, even more, control of the forward and reverse at low speeds. Even allows you to adjust neutral in small increments.
New for 2016, Scarab has the new Wake Editions. You can get these in the 21 foot and 25-foot Scarabs. We will go into more details about the Wake Models down below.
Scarab 165
First up in the line up is the Scarab 165. There is no other boat like it in the world and is probably one of our best sellers. If you want something bigger and more practical than a jet ski then the 165 is your boat.
Scarab did just release the new Scarab 165G (Ghost) which is a bare bones 165 for under $20K. Check out my overview of the Scarab 165 Ghost here.
As you can see the 165 is a 5 person boat. The layout has been maximized for space and comfort. The seats they use actually have a spring in them. Other manufacturers will use just foam which doesn’t give you maximum support in the choppy waters.
The seats on the Scarab 165 are so comfortable I’ve been known to take lunch on them – really nice seats!
You can see the color options listed above. The impulses only come in the impulse colors. You can make the regular black, navy, and red into impulses if you want. All scarab jet boats can be customized to how you like them.
You can see above what comes with each version of the 165. This stuff is what comes with the stock version, but you can add a ton more to each one to make it your own.
Scarab 195
Next up in the Scarab Jet Boat line up is the 195. The 195 is the 19 foot version of the scarab jet boats. The one picture above is the impulse with a tower package.
For a 19 foot (18foot 10inches) boat it is very roomy. They cut out the corners of the back seats so that your legs have some room to go. You can actually fit 3 adults in the back without having to bump knees.
The windshield is the edge to edge glass much like how the iPhones have. The designs of all the Scarab Jet boats are new and bold. Every other boat is this round “90’s” looking boat, Scarab is bringing good boat design back in 2016.
- The 195 is a 8 person capacity boat, but a very comfortable 8 person.
- 31 gallon fuel tank for all day fun.
- 12 inch draft.
- Dry weight under 2500 pounds.
Scarab 215
The Scarab 215 is the 21 foot version Scarab Jet Drive boat. This is also the first one in the line up to have a twin engine option along with the 255. Driving a twin engine Scarab is the same as driving a single engine. The computer does all the sync for you.
The 215 is the perfect boat if you plan on doing a lot of water sports like skiing. You have storage in the rear of the boat for gear. Along with the 195 you also get the edge to edge glass windshield.
- Fuel Tank is 41 gallons
- Draft 15 inches
- 10 Person Capacity
- About 3100 pounds dry weight
- Twin engine 150 (300HP) to Twin engine 250 (500HP)
The 215 is where we get to see the new Wake Edition too. Feel free to click on the images to get bigger picture of them.
The 215 is very customizable, but listed above is what each model will come with.
Scarab 255
The Scarab 255 is the biggest and probably the best jet boat on the market for comfort. I actually have a detailed review of the model above called the platinum edition here.
One of the things I noticed about driving this boat was that it was a lot easier at the docks then I expected. This is the biggest jet boat I ever driven and found it just as easy to dock as the 195, if not easier.
Tons of room in the 255. Along with the back seats of the 195 and 215 you can lay them flat to layout in the sun. You can also expand the seats in the cabin for more room. You also have a head (bathroom) with a sink.
- 56 Gallon Gas Tank
- 15 inch draft
- 13 Person Capacity
- About 3660 dry weight
- Twin 150 HP (300HP) to Twin 250HP (500HP)
The trailers do come with the boats but you can build one with out the boat in the build sheets.
