The usual BOOTE test is the product of months of organisation and planning. Boats have to be organised, trips booked, photographers and cameramen hired and the weather monitored with a critical eye. Nothing is left to chance. When a test ends up in the magazine, there is a lot of work behind it. Only this one is different.
"Hey, Johannes," Dennis Pfister from Boote-Pfister in Schweinfurt approaches me between testing the Saxdor twins and a SeaRay SDXE 270. "You're almost finished with your programme ... We've just got a Scarab in. Do you fancy a race against a Waverunner, jet against jet?" It's the middle of October. The Main is lousy cold, the sky is overcast. Anything but the kind of weather for which the two boats were developed and designed. "Sure," my answer surprises me. "This could be pretty cool." In both senses of the word.
Need more information? The comparison of jet boats with technical data and further pictures can be found in BOOTE issue 05/2021 since 21.04.2021 at the kiosk or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
My curiosity is piqued because I had already ridden the Yamaha GP1800R a few months ago and I know that this thing is incredibly fast. But the competitor is not just any boat, it's a Scarab - everyone has known the name of these film-like boats since "Miami Vice", which became the epitome of a synthesis of design, style and speed. In the advert for the famous Wellcraft Scarab 38 KV, the slogan even reads: "The only way to catch up with this boat is on TV."
However, the Scarab 255 ID does not come from the same company as the series from the 1980s. After the partnership with Wellcraft, the Scarab brand ultimately ended up in the Beneteau Group, which saw a gap after the withdrawal of SeaDoo to establish a series of small, fast jet boats. The Scarab brand name came at just the right time. The boat fits in beautifully with the venerable family: The seats are upholstered in fine imitation leather, a glass cockpit creates the ambience of a jet - which the boat with the two Rotax engines in the stern could actually be. We'll see ... The test drive before the race is exciting, because it requires a little rethinking when mooring and casting off. After all, the wheel has to be turned backwards in exactly the opposite direction due to the jet drives. The throttle lever looks old-school and taken from the old Scarab models. The acceleration is remarkable, and thanks to the jets, extremely tight sliding turns are possible. The fun factor is great. But will the Scarab 255 ID stand up to the Waverunner?
The GP1800R is also well equipped with its 4-cylinder engine with 250 hp and, with an unladen weight of 350 kilograms, is significantly lighter than the Scarab at 1660 kilograms. If you calculate the horsepower-per-kilo ratio, then the Waverunner with 0.7 hp per kilogramme is even more than twice as powerful as the Scarab with 0.3 hp per kilogramme. Nevertheless, we are curious to see whether this will also be reflected in the performance.
The Yamaha flagship floats very stable and high on the Main. Really pleasant, because I don't want to get my feet wet in the 8 degree air temperature at the moment. In the Scarab with its windscreen and high freeboard, however, the rider feels much more protected in this weather. I do a few laps to warm up the Waverunner's engine. Is that possible in this weather? In any case, the display remains on "cold" for a long time. Then we go to the starting positions.
Need more information? The comparison of jet boats with technical data and further pictures can be found in BOOTE issue 05/2021 since 21.04.2021 at the kiosk or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
The camera boat gives the starting signal and I pull the throttle like the trigger of a pistol. The Waverunner shoots off so fast that I can only cling to the handle in shock, while at the same time my cap flies off my head. It feels like I'm riding on a cannonball. But I stay on the throttle. The GP1800R accelerates and accelerates. I avoid grinning, because that was my experience the last time I rode this model: Once your mouth is open, you can hardly get it shut. My cheeks flutter. It's lousy cold. But it has started: the rush of speed. On the water, just over 110 km/h feels worlds faster than on the road. Who has ever experienced 60 knots on the water? At the end of the straight, I reduce speed. But not too quickly, because the GP1800R doesn't know how to slip. If I simply let go of the throttle, I run the risk of falling forwards. I turn round and, after a while, I see the Scarab approaching. I suspected that the Waverunner was a bit faster, but so much faster? Madness.
The camera boat catches up with us. A Jeanneau 10.5 WA with 2 x 300 hp. For a few nice "jet against jet" photos, we are supposed to drive dynamically alongside the boat. But at some point, the photographer starts waving his arms wildly, signalling me not to go so fast. But the Waverunner can't be moved much slower than 20 knots without becoming sluggish, which is at the expense of the steering dynamics.
Next, we have to play in the wake and perform a few jumps with a running start. The Scarab has a clear advantage here with its weight and can make much more daring jumps. After all, the water is freezing cold and I definitely don't want to go swimming. The steep stern wave only makes it possible for me to jump through close behind the stern of the camera boat, where the wave is somewhat flatter. Approach slowly, pull the throttle just before the wave - and the jet immediately jumps over the hurdle like a horse stung by a hornet. There are a few times when I come in so hard that a wall of water crashes over me. Either that or I've broken the sound barrier. Fun factor: gigantic!
Need more information? The comparison of jet boats with technical data and further pictures can be found in BOOTE issue 05/2021 since 21.04.2021 at the kiosk or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
When we get back to the jetty almost an hour later, I'm completely soaked and chilled despite my wetsuit, but Dennis Pfister is also climbing out of the Scarab soaking wet. "Well, how did you like it?" he asks me. I stammer: "A rocket. I really didn't remember it being that fast!" - "I also made it a little lighter and optimised it," he confesses, "I wanted to see your scared face when you pulled the trigger." He succeeded in his surprise. No wonder the Scarab didn't stand a chance.
