I am thinking about buying a Scarab 26 with a 502 Mag from 1996. Before I go to see this boat I would like to know whether there are any weak points of the Scarab 26 I need to pay particular attention to please ?
Brian

I owned one for three years. Just sold it about 3 months ago. I had the same year and motor.

She's not the fastest kid on the block. Boat is heavier than most it's size. I wasn't a big fan of the cabin design Scarab put in it. They could have utilized more of the space available IMO. I couldn't find anything structural about the boat to complain about. I saw normal stress cracks around the windshield area which is common on a lot of boats.

Take a close look at the hinges on the engine hatch. When Wellcraft screwed them on at the factory they used screws that were too long on mine. When you stepped on the hatch in the area over the hinges the screws would poke through the vinyl into your foot. Hurt like hell. I removed the screws from the back side and cut them shorter fixing the problem. I looked at several 26s the same year but didn't see another one like that. Maybe mine was the only one...???

I had no major complaints about the boat. They seem to have a little better resale compared to the 25' Outlaws. I think it's because there aren't as many Scarabs on the market.

Good luck,

Buck

I'm looking at those too for my next boat. I really like them.

Roby

I've driven Buck's old boat. Drove really nice, and launched off cruiser wakes at LOTO nice and level.... right Buck?? LOL!!

I've also riden in 26Scarab's boat on lake Michigan at nearly 80 mph in 2+ footers and it was rock solid.

Wow, by fever mike's account it sure does not look like a good boat. Hull and deck not fiberglassed together? Lack of true stringers? No thru-bolting? Looks like these guys cut too many corners in building this thing...

I had a 1996 26' scarab for two seasons and liked it a lot. Had nothing go wrong with it that hasn't gone wrong with any other boat iv'e owned. boat rode solid in the Long Island Sound , where it is sloppy most of the time. Good Luck !!!!!!!!!

I've owned mine since new (1997). I've had zero structural problems with it. Sure there are some stress cracks here and there mostly where things are fastened , like the windshield.
I've had a 675hp 540 in it for the last three seasons and the boat handles it very well. I had solid motor mounts made for it because I couldn't put a true offshore mount in it without hacking the liner up. Hyd. steering was not a problem to add, niether was the 18" Victory trim tabs which helped a lot.
I think these boats are VERY underated. Sure they take a lot of power to go fast but handle and ride better than some boats that are bigger. They have a fairly large cockpit , cabin is enough to sleep two comfortably. For the price they are great boats.

I've ridden in 26Scarab's on more than one occasion and the boat runs strong and rides nice. I'd recommend one.

Have owned my 1997 26 since 2000 and have had no problems with boat. No stress cracks, engine mounts never came loose, and either have my bolsters!!!! Sounds like Fever Mike must have gotten a lemon! No complaints would buy again.

Early 90's Nova SS ?