As part of the CQL’s digital commerce team that helped re-launch Scarab Jet, I remembered Scarab from the Miami Vice days in the 1980’s, a prominent offering in the Wellcraft Brand. I could almost see Don Johnson sporting his wayfarers speeding on the ocean when I had an opportunity to visit one of the original boats earlier this month at the Miami International Boat Show. The boat was a magnificent paint swirl of teal and purple and just looked F-A-S-T.
But after my first Miami ride in the Jet-powered Scarab I must admit, embarrassingly so, I let out a couple screams of joy with the hairpin turns and I might have unwittingly have helped sell a couple of boats with my unbridled excitement…
The Michigan based team of Recreational Boat Holdings have had the vision to re-launch Scarab Jet boats since 2013, however the implementation of these plans started in earnest over the past six months. CQL’s goals in helping the Scarab Jet team was to help Rec Boat envision the direction for where they wanted to take the new Scarab Jet site (with a focus on Lead Generation for dealers, as well as a reduction in PPC and other digital marketing costs) mixed with a User Experience that would separate them from their competitors and show excitement for this classic Brand. This has been accomplished with the launch of www.scarabjetboats.com.
After pouring over digital and lifestyle images for months, I can tell you these new boats have an aggressive look: bold colors, fresh styling, and a heavy dose of seating for friends that is all standard. If you did not know, this new line of boats is coupled with a Rotax® jet propulsion engine. Yes, I said Jet. Go fast, Go really fast. (And when you get close to the shore, it won’t suck up sand and debris.)
Besides creating a wake that allows you to surf behind the boat, Scarab Jet boats have fun-inspiring add-ons like amazing sound systems and wakeboard holders. There is nothing lacking for a day on the water.
Working with the Scarab Marketing team for the last six months, I learned that the Rotax’s® award-winning iST (Intelligent Shift and Throttle) technology brings confidence of electronic shifting and throttle control to boating.
But that was what I learned on paper.
What I experienced on a test drive in Miami is the boat’s ability to rotate 360 degrees without throwing passengers around and that the interior is designed by boaters for boaters. No detail is missed. This means even a novice can dock a boat with confidence and your fellow boaters will enjoy all the moments for days.
I have to admit after months of seeing all the features in spreadsheets, I didn’t know what I was in for when I was offered a ride on the new 255 Wake Edition. As we made our way out of the marina and into smooth water, we were told to ‘Stop taking videos…’ and ‘…hold on.’
We didn’t take the Scarab Jet driver seriously, so he sent a more direct command. We listened and we are thankful that we smartened up (One of us surely would have been overboard as we hit maximum speed in seconds flat). We easily climbed to 52 mph and the boat didn’t miss a beat. The ride felt like a roller coaster and combined with water and sun, it was pretty hard to beat.
Who knew jet-boating was so exciting!
And of course, the CQL team likes fast too – even if it is only on the ecommerce systems we build. The rich, video-enhanced www.scarabjetboats.com site loads in under 2.5 seconds and the page views and visit times have doubled in just a week since it launched.
It appears that future Scarab Jet boaters are ready for the same exhilaration that we experienced in Miami as they have built 853 of their own versions (in just a few days) on the CQL-designed Build-a-Boat feature.
Is it summer yet? I am really looking forward to the coming months where I can try my hand at wakesurfing.
I have to admit, when you get to help legendary brands bring their passion to the web, it is as exciting as a ride in a Scarab Jet boat.
Based on what we are seeing from the response to the new website, I am not alone.
Explore the new Scarab Jet website at www.scarabjetboats.com and visit them at a boat show close to you. Get onboard and experience it on the water.
You’ll be a raving fan too.
