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Yamaha V8's perform well on fuel economy18 July 2008
The extra torque and horsepower of the revolutionary 350hp design mean the outboard doesn’t have to work as hard as smaller more highly strung engines. According to Shane Kearns, who operates the H2O water taxi on Sydney Harbour, his fuel bill has been significantly reduced after repowering his flagship 10.8m WaterBus, changing his twin Yamaha F225 outboards to twin 5.3 litre F350s. He says that over the 35 engine hours clocked so far he has nearly halved his fuel bill with the twin F350s returning a combined 31 litres per hour across a range of harbour conditions and boat loads. “I originally thought my fuel gauges were wrong until I started closely monitoring my fuel intake,” he says. "When first built, the boat featured twin two-stroke engines, which were later replaced with Yamaha four-stroke outboards.” The latest F350s not only reduce fuel consumption but also provide additional speed and power, things which don't normally go together. The boat weighs five tonnes and carries as much as three tonnes of passengers and luggage. H2O taxis provide a water taxi service across 200 local pick-up and drop-off locations around Sydney Harbour from the Parramatta River to Manly and all the way through to Homebush Stadium. “On a full load my twin F225 outboards were really working hard. Having the two Yamaha V8 outboards on the back has transformed the performance of this large vessel. It was originally built to survey in 1995 for Doyles Restaurant and licensed to carry 26 passengers. After some customising and an engine swap to the F225 4-strokes, the vessel was re-surveyed to carry 49 passengers and the roof rated to 1 tonne for equipment transport. “With the F350s on the back, I travel at an average speed of 18-22 knots with the engines sitting comfortably on 3000 rpm,” says Shane. “Changing the prop from 15” to 19” has produced incredible thrust with the boat wanting to push forwards at idle revs. I opened her up to 5000 rpm recently which produced 38 knots.” Yamaha’s world-first V8 F350 outboard has been warmly embraced by boating markets around the globe, offering for unmatched power to weight performance. Redefining the power options for larger planning vessels, the V8 F350 produces the torque expected from an inboard, with the weight, access and space saving advantages of an outboard.
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It's not often consumers choose a V8 engine for low fuel consumption, but the new Yamaha F350 outboard is proving to be a fuel saver in the right application.
