Yamaha V8

Kiwi boaties will be among first people in the world to experience the world’s most potent outboard motor, the Yamaha F350 V8.

After creating a sensation when the 350hp four stoke was unveiled at the Miami show, Yamaha is bringing the engine to star at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, Auckland Showgrounds, May 17 – 20.

The engine will be available to the public from September when the first shipment of F350s arrives in the country.

The F350 is the world’s first V8 four stroke outboard motor and is intended to challenge the diesel engine market for power and fuel efficiency. It is designed specifically to move the mass of a larger boat.

It utilises every bit of its 5.3 litre displacement to deliver massive power and up to 45 per cent more thrust than a 250hp outboard. It is designed for durability and reliability as well as user-friendly operation. The model also brings a totally new look to Yamaha’s range with a streamlined new design.

Environmentally, the Yamaha F350 gains a 3-star rating under the 2008 emissions standards of the California Air Resource Board (CARB), which are the world’s most stringent.

The F350 is a double overhead-cam 60-degree V8, displacing 5.3 litres and weighing 365kg.

The new model is expected to be a significant boost for the New Zealand boating market, offering a realistic alternative to sterndrive, inboard and multi outboard power units, while retaining the benefits of space, safety and reliability of a modern four stroke outboard motor.

The motor features variable valve timing, ionic combustion sensors, a new anti-corrosion system, massive forged motor mounts and transom bracket, heavy-duty gears and drive shaft made of hardened steel, a special series of 16 inch propellers, and a new air-intake labyrinth designed to keep water intrusion to a minimum.

It is also the first Yamaha outboard to feature a digital drive-by-wire throttle and shift control.

Yamaha says the motor's low weight is a result of its desire to make the F350 extremely durable and reliable enough to take well off-shore. Its engineers have focused on making every component robust enough to handle the motor's rated thrust.

In developing the F350, Yamaha worked closely with boat builders — including Grady-White, Edgewater, and Pursuit . The new engine was trialed on a Grady-White 360 Express – which has an LOA of more than 12m and weighing 6 tonnes - as an example of a big boat that would be perfect from this style of motor. In the past, a boat of this size would be powered by inboards, more recently with triple F250 motors and now with dual F350 motors.

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