Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Engines that move you - even faster Part II
I thought we were up to date on outboard engines…..but the last two weeks have been exciting for the outboard market.
Mercury
Mercury announced their new high horsepower outboard engine line-up. The in-line 6-cylinder Verados will be going away, except for the 350 and 400R.
The new line is developed from a newly designed, naturally aspirated V-8 engine. The new models are all based on the same 4.6-liter V-8 platform. Mercury launched a total of 12 new V-8 outboards and another new V-6 model. They include new models in the Verado, Four-Stroke, Pro XS, Racing and Sea Pro lines of engines.
The two new V-8 Verado’s replace the previous in-line 6-cylinder 250 and 300 Verado models. Mercury says they offer up to a 20 percent increase in quickness and are 2 mph faster with 8 percent better fuel economy than their competitors same size engines. The engines are compatible with Joystick Piloting and feature adaptive speed control that deliver increased throttle response. The new 300 hp V-8 Verado weighs about 600 lbs.
Some of these new models are the 3.4L V-6 and the 4.6-liter V-8 Pro XS outboards ranging in power from 175 hp to 300 hp. These Pro XS engines are targeted toward the bass boat market where rapid acceleration and top speed are required for getting to the bass fishing area ahead of the competition. Locally, these engines are often found powering fast bay boats.
As for the tried-and-true direct-injection, 2-stroke Optima engine series, it has finally been discontinued. With the exception of one commercial-use model, Mercury Marine now is completely out of the two-stroke outboard engine market.
If you are looking for a commercial duty outboard, Mercury now has V-8 models in their SeaPro lineup, in 225 hp, 250 hp and 300 hp. Mercury reports that the new V-8 SeaPro outboards are manufactured with heavy-duty components to cope with the demands of global commercial operation, including a gearcase that is validated at three times the lifespan of a recreational gearcase. Similar to the new Mercury V-6 outboard engines, these new V-8 engines are available in many colors, such as Warm Fusion, Cold Fusion and Pearl Fusion, plus the popular Phantom Black. By combining with five factory accent color panels and “paint-ready” panels, owners can mix and match or paint their own panels to further personalize their engine.
If you are into racing engines, Mercury has you covered too. They announced an all-new 250R and 300R V-8 outboards for the racing market. These are designed, developed and manufactured in-house at Mercury racing. The naturally aspirated, 4.6-liter V-8 4-stroke engines share Mercury Racing’s Quad Cam Four Valve (QC4) sterndrive DNA, complete with aluminum 4-valve cylinder heads and a dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) valve train.
Yamaha
While many have written off Yamaha this year due to production delays, this will give you a wakeup call. How about 425 reasons to wake up? Yes, Yamaha has introduced a new V-8 outboard with 425 horsepower.
The new Yamaha V-8 XTO Offshore is a 425 horsepower, naturally aspirated 5.6-liter outboard engine. When fitted with a propeller and filled with motor and gear case oil, the 35-inch XTO weighs more than 1,000 pounds. For comparison purposes, a Yamaha F350 V-8 weighs about 800 lbs and the F300 comes in around 560 lbs. This engine is available in three shaft lengths, 25-inch, 30-inch and 35-inch to accommodate most any boats set-up.
Another nice feature is that the V8 XTO Offshore steering system has no hydraulic lines or linkages. The steering control unit receives electrical signals from a cylinder position sensor to carry out joystick and steering operations. This system would use a special steer-by-wire autopilot, already available from the major manufacturers.
The new engine carries a five-year limited warranty for pleasure use.
The XTO is the first 4-stroke powerhead with direct fuel injection; it sprays fuel at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber, rather than the intake track, just before the intake valve.
An innovative new feature is the ability to change the gear case oil while the boat is in the water, using it’s own gear case lubricant exchange system.
If you are hooked on the idea of one of these new high horsepower engines, you will not need to wait long. Yamaha indicates that the XTO 425 will be available this summer and Mercury already has the new V-8 models in production for delivery soon.
Captain Steve Katz is the owner of Steve’s Marine Service and holds NMEA, AMEI and NMEA2000 certificates along with ABYC Master Technician certification and factory training from many manufacturers.
