Is 250hp enough?

[Vetterman]

I am looking at a 2016 195 with the 250 supercharged engine. I have never owned a jet boat before but have wanted one for a few years now - they are kinda rare in the toronto area, so I am hoping for some advice or insights for those who have and use these boats.

My plan is general cruising with everything from just me and the wife to a boat load, but most likely it will be all the teenagers who want to go tubing...double tubing....waterskiing and wake boarding - not the surf style.

If I have 6 or so kids from 8 to 18 in the boat and one on the rope trying to waterski will I be ok with the 250hp?? Of course the 300 is the best, but does it work ok??

I read one post that was talking about impellors at 150mm vrs 161mm - if its the one with a bigger impellor would that not help with low end grunt to get a skiier up fast??

My current boat is a 4.3litre inboard with a top speed of around 32mph - the boat is really more ment for cruising - it gets the kids out of the water but it takes the boat a long time to plane and get to a proper skiing speed and while it works, I know its harder for the kids to get out of the water.

Also - because this is a used boat - only 45 hours and the impellor and wear ring were already replaced - any suggestions on what to look for when I go to see the boat??

Thanks.

 

[Dean P]

Hi and to the forum!!! Great place to be. 250 is enough to do what you want to do with some left over. These boats plane very quickly and will not have any problem getting skiers up. The 250 will top out in the 40's. The wear ring probably got damaged by sucking up a hard object which created a groove. Any wear facets will hinder performance. I have 300 hours on mine and they okay.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I can't speak too much from the power side, I don't have that boat. But I suspect it's a non issue with a 250HP. I believe the top speed is about 42mph (please chime in if you know better). Hole shot to pull skiers out shouldn't be an issue.

New impeller and wear ring seems a little odd considering the hours. They probably sucked up something pretty badly. I'd just have a close look through the intake grate at the bottom of the boat to make sure there's no other damage. But odds it's good if that's been replaced.

One thing to consider is dealer support in your area. I know there's one in Barrie. But keep this in mind... resetting lights for example, maintenance, etc. If you are relying on a dealer to do this work, I'd ask around who is willing to do this stuff. If you're doing it yourself, I can definitely walk you through all the maintenance but it will require some tools. Resetting lights on the computer can ONLY be done with the dealer software BUDS or the after market option called Candoo Pro. Candoo Pro is licensed based and requires a Windows machine to run. Costs about $600CAD all in + laptop.

Feel free to PM me if you have various questions. You can also get quicker responses through Facebook Luc Lafrenière

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Hi and to the forum!!! Great place to be. 250 is enough to do what you want to do with some left over. These boats plane very quickly and will not have any problem getting skiers up. The 250 will top out in the 40's. The wear ring probably got damaged by sucking up a hard object which created a groove. Any wear facets will hinder performance. I have 300 hours on mine and they okay.

@Dean P , you beat me to it! lol Thanks for chiming in as usual!

 

[YamPat]

Top speed 2 people on board should be in the high 40mph

 

[marcham]

With 3 adults and 3-4 kids, we have no issues with tubing, wakeboard and wakesurf. Top speed was 48mph (gps) on ours with 2 on-board. Mine is a yamaha but I can't imagine that the scarab would be that different.

 

[Nexus]

The product information guide for the 2019 250 hp says 43 wide open throttle. I dont think there we're any significant changes from the 2016.I have the 300 and the PIG says 48 mph. I've seen about 45 mph WOT max. We had no problems water-skiing with 3 adults (+1 in the water) and 2 kids on board. Didn't try tubing but I don't think it would be a problem. YMMV but is there ever really enough?

 

[Scarab16]

I think the 250 would be no problem. I have a 2016 195 with 200HP. Tubing and waterskiing with 4 people on board is ok although less weight is always better. I get 41 Mph top speed but the important thing is that it gets out of the water quickly. That's the best part of a jet boat. Just be ready to spend $$$ on fuel. These boats like to drink it!

 

[Miitch]

I have a 215HP and i have had no problems tubing/wakeboarding. Even with people on board, these boats plane fast. Were not winning any races with single engine 19ft boats, but we can definitely do watersports all day.

PS. if you ever find yourself in the Niagara Region, i dont mind letting you test drive. I dont have a scarab, but my boat is the same powerplant and size.