WELLCRAFT SCARAB 195

ALMOST NEW 2014 19' SCARAB BY WELLCRAFT WITH ONLY 14 HOURS. WE HAVE USED IT FOUR TIMES, JUST PAST THE "BREAKIN" PERIOD. HAS JUST 14 HOURS ON IT. PRACTICALLY BRAND NEW CONDITION WITH HUMMINGBIRD DEPTH FINDER AND GPS ADDED, ALONG WITH BIMINI, AND ALL BUMPERS, LINES, STAINLESS STEEL ANCHOR, EXTINGUISHER, ETC.

HERE'S WHAT ONE WRITER FROM PROP-TALKHAS TO SAY:

If the name Scarab conjures up images of Crockett and Tubbs cruising across Biscayne Bay in a Wellcraft go-fast, we have some bad news for you: youre officially old. But if, on the other hand, Scarab makes you think of hot little jet boats with sizzling graphics and a 1503 Rotax 4-TEC jet-drive, youre young and hip. Or, at the very least youre keeping up with the times, because starting with the 2014 model year, Scarab is back in a jet boat incarnation.

Rec Boat Holdings, the same company that owns such name-plates as Four Winns, Larson, and yes, Wellcraft, has taken the Scarab brand and applied it to its new line of jet boats. (Current Wellcraft Scarabs are to be tagged "Scarab Offshore.") BRP exited the sport boat business and stopped building Sea Doo jet boats last year, leaving what Rec Boat Holdings saw as an opportunity. And they pounced in time to introduce the line at this past Octobers Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Of course, since BRP does still make the powerplants, everyones happy.

That everyone might just include you, if you take a test spin on a Scarab 195 Impulse. This is one hot little number rigged with the 200-hp Rotax, and with the upgraded HO 250-hp model, posts speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour. Not bad, for an 18-foot, 10-inch long boat. And in either case, the low-profile Rotax powerplants allow Scarab to take full advantage of the stern, turning the usual sunpad into additional seating. Individual center and back sections can be adjusted independently to form aft-facing seats or can be folded flat to maximize tanning space.

Another unique feature can be found in the running bottom. Many jet boats tend to wander easily, since they dont have a lower unit or rudder beneath the hull. So Scarab molded fore- and aft-running channels into the hull (which sports a 20-degree transom deadrise), about 10 inches outboard of the keel, to help keep the boat on course. Early reports are that they work well, and the boat runs in a straighter line than one would expect from similar jet-powered features.

Other stand-out features include a huge swim platform, a transom ski tow-eye, and an elevated towing point on a (relatively small) tow-tower. Graphics are off-the-charts cool, with eye-popping colors and radical designs. Even the base-boat comes with a colored hull, though not with the additional stripes and checkers. The interior comes decked-out with textured, multi-colored fabrics and panels. Drivers and passengers seats are comfy buckets, and the bow cockpit is large enough for two people to stretch out in the forward-facing position or for four to sit upright. More about that bow: its squared-off in Sea Doo style, which is no surprise, since the tooling for the Impulse was originally crafted by that company.

Will the Scarab 195 Impulse make it in todays tough marketplace? Trying to predict would be foolhardy, but the fact that MarineMax has taken on the line is an extremely good sign. And we think this boat looks so darn cool, were even prepared to ignore the fact that it doesnt have a prop. Hey, if we at PropTalk can say that, anyone can.