The American brand Scarab is today the largest manufacturer of jet-powered boats. The shipyard's model range extends from 4.80 m (165) to 5.73 m (195, our test boat) and 6.40 m (215) up to 7.62 m (255) in length. Each boat size is available in three different configurations, with the top models being labelled "HO Impulse" in addition to the length in feet.
>>> Caution when reversing!
With this knowledge, we board our test boat, the 195 HO Impulse, in Schweinfurt. As a skipper, you need to know that the steering behaviour of a jet-powered boat works in reverse compared to conventional propeller drives.
Just how important this information is becomes clear when mooring, casting off and slipping. Once you have made it onto the trailer for the latter, you can trailer the Scarab with its compact dimensions of 5.73 metres in length and 2.43 metres in width to your destination on the road without any restrictions. The compact class with a towing capacity of 1600 kg is already suitable as a towing vehicle.
The Scarab 195 HO Impulse is powered by a three-cylinder, four-stroke Rotax engine in combination with a jet drive. It should be mentioned here that the jet ski manufacturer BRP supplies the entire drive unit to the shipyard. The petrol engine has a displacement of 1.5 l and, thanks to supercharging, delivers an impressive 250 hp. This gives the 195 HO Impulse a top speed of 37 knots at the 8000 rpm we reached. The Scarab is economical when travelling at 6000 rpm or 23 knots.
At this speed, consumption is 1.35 l/sm, which is 0.48 l/sm below full load consumption. This results in a range of 74 nm when travelling economically with a full tank of the 117 l fuel tank (minus a reserve of 15 %). If the lever is on the table (full load), the range shrinks to a meagre 54 nm. At a canal speed of a good 6 kn (3000 rpm), the tank is sufficient for a range of 95 nm until the reserve is used up.
The fact that the Scarab was not designed for long tours is evident not only from the range but also from the noise level. This is 93 dB/A at maximum speed, dropping to 89 dB/A at cruising speed, but is still well above the BOOTE comfort limit of 80 dB/A.
The manoeuvring behaviour is very sporty, as you would expect from a jet. The Scarab turns forwards and backwards in full circles with a diameter of half a boat length. Turning from starboard to port and backwards takes place within two seconds. When travelling slowly, a shift in weight on board has little influence on the course stability, so that the skipper has to make corrections. The transition from displacement to planing speed takes place between 3500 and 6000 rpm.
At the same time, the view to the front - neither when standing nor sitting - is hardly impaired by the slightly rising bow. The 195 HO Impulse performs best at 6200 rpm. At this speed, the very sensitive steering responds well, and the Scarab negotiates waves from other sports boats safely and effortlessly from all sides.
The 195 HO Impulse shows what it was built for when it comes to fast turns, slaloms and turns. When travelling at top speed in increasingly tight circles, the boat ends up turning on the spot. We were unable to detect any ventilating or unsafe rocking. On the slalom course, the Scarab really livens up and shows what it can do. Depending on how hard the skipper turns the helm, the hull glides directly and controllably in the right direction.
As with the jet ski, you can switch from "full power forward" to "full power back", which slows the boat down considerably.
To prevent damage to the jet, the speed is limited to 4000 rpm when travelling in reverse (stowage flap lowered). Fast turns or circles on the spot are therefore possible without any problems.
On board the Scarab, everything is modern and rather minimalist, as befits such a sporty boat. The driver and co-driver each sit in a well-padded and finished bucket seat. The rest of the crew of up to eight people will find ample seating in the bow and on the L-shaped rear bench seat. The bench can be used as an extension of the stern sunbed by folding down the backrest cushions. If that's still not enough "relaxation space", simply extend the bow seating area with an inlay board and cushion to create another sunbathing area.
Once you've finished sunbathing, you can take a refreshing dip in the cool water, from where you can easily get back on board via the bathing ladder mounted under the bathing platform.
There is a large compartment under the cockpit floor for stowing sports equipment. Smaller items can be stored in the other stowage compartments under the seats. Here, however, the inside and underside of the compartments show some very careless detail work/solutions (unclean finishing) of the otherwise well-made Scarab 195 HO Impulse.
