New Yamaha Four Strokes Coming in January

[craigdritchie]

Just returned from a few days test-driving some brand-new outboards at Yamaha's top-secret engine test facility in Alabama, and I still can't wipe the smile from my face. The biggest news is three new high performance four-strokes made specifically for bass boats and walleye rigs .... new V MAX SHO 200, 225 and 250. These are built on an all-new 4.2L block, and all three come in 20-inch shafts with mechanical controls so you can use a foot throttle. Hole shot is awesome, and mid-range acceleration is just mind-boggling - you're cruising along at 60 mhp, then you hit the gas and it just about blows you out the back of the boat. It's absolutely unreal.

 

Best of all, these engines are four-strokes, so they're great on gas, you don't need to keep buying oil, and you don't have an oil tank chewing up space in the back of the boat. They're also lighter in weight than many two-strokes, and not just the old clunkers. The new Yammy 250 SHO is actually lighter in weight than a 250 E-TEC.

 

Yamaha also has a new 70 hp that is absolutely stellar. I got it to troll down to 600 rpm without any trouble, and it's so quiet all you hear is the water coming out the side. It's fast and compact and more than 100 pounds lighter than the current Yamaha F75 (yes, that's 100 pounds lighter - not a typo). It has the electronic push-button control, so you can adjust trolling speed by pushing a button to go up or down between 600 and 1,000 rpm in 50 rpm increments, plus CDI ignition and a new anti-theft feature. You guys who were holding off buying a four-stroke because they're too heavy need to take a serious look at this one.

 

There's also new 4 hp and 6 hp portables, new props, new digital gauges, new anti-theft features .... all kinds of stuff. It will all be at the Toronto Boat Show in January.

 

Also had a chance to drive the brand-new Skeeter FX20 and FX21 bass boats, which were developed with the new SHO high performance four-strokes in mind. These are awesome boats in every sense of the word, and just scary fast. I had the 20 out at one point, with an SHO 250 on it, and just blew by a Ranger with a 300. The whole time the boat felt as steady as a car on the 401. I want one bad!

 

The highlight was getting to spend some time with Alton Jones, the 2008 Bassmaster Classic winner. But that's for another day.

[lew]

My new Skeeter / Yamaha rig that I just bought this year is hardly even dusty yet, but praps it's time for an upgrade already

 

Thanks for the info Craig

[Guest gbfisher]

"blew by a Ranger with a 300. "

 

Must have been a Merc....

 

Love them Yamaha's

[DRIFTER_016]

Sweet!!!!!

I'm in the market for a new motor, but it hasn't been the weight that has had me holding off it's trying to come up with $11,000 for a new 90!!!!!

[BUSTER]

My new Skeeter / Yamaha rig that I just bought this year is hardly even dusty yet, but praps it's time for an upgrade already

 

Thanks for the info Craig

 

 

your boat is soo hot tho ....

[Raf]

i find it funny (ironic?) that yamaha went with the american model of "no replacement for displacement" while merc, with the foreign model of power-adders (superchargers) in order to make more power.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Raf

[tonyb]

Definately interesting to see how these motors turn out, from Yamaha though you'd have to think they'll be pretty nice.

 

I am loyal to my trusty Verado...not even a tingling of upgrade thought going through my head

[craigdritchie]

I was thinking the same thing about the irony in that.

 

You have to hear these things when you fire them up. They're not loud, but they definitely sound angry. Real beefy, low-pitch rumble that only comes from a big block.

[kemper]

I dont know much about marine engines....but has anyone tried to squeeze a bunch of power out of a 2.0 with the addition of a turbo? I would assume that a marine engine could be boosted just as a car engine is?

[Raf]

kemper the verado is supercharged. same idea; just belt driven instead of exhaust driven like a turbo.

[Raf]

here's a twin turbo'ed Merc for ya Kemper

 

Edited November 18, 2009 by Raf

[DRIFTER_016]

here's a twin turbo'ed Merc for ya Kemper

 

 

 

How's it troll? ?? ?

[kemper]

here's a twin turbo'ed Merc for ya Kemper

 

 

That is AWESOME.

 

Gives me an idea... turbo VTEC K series....attach a prop and VOILA!

[Raf]

lol you'd be better off starting with a block that can handle FI better than a honda though

[hotrod]

I had the 20 out at one point, with an SHO 250 on it, and just blew by a Ranger with a 300.

 

How fast were you going in mph at top speed?

[ecmilley]

sounds great but where was the invite richie?

[craigdritchie]

Hotrod: Not really sure on the top speed, since I didn't have a GPS with me and wouldn't have been comfortable looking down to check it in any case. Dash gauge read in the mid-70s, and that's probably accurate. With the right prop and a jackplate, I would expect the Skeeter / 250 SHO is perhaps an 80 mph rig. That's absolutely smokin' - especially for a four-stroke.

 

There are faster boats out there, of course, and I have no doubt a Pantera or a Bullet with a hand-made racing outboard drinking high-octane fuel would beat it in a straight-up drag race. But the Skeeter /SHO combo doesn't sacrifice fishability for speed, and that's the trick. It's still a nice stable casting platform that will run all day on regular pump gas, while giving you some major thrills along the way. Gotta love it.

 

ecmilley: I know I have a tough job, but someone has to do it!

[Roy]

An excellent thread with really good, firsthand info, Craig. Thanks for letting us in on it. The Yammy sounds angry does it?

[Gman]

Here's a link to the HOT SHEET of the new Yamaha VMAX SHO motors along with a link to the HOT SHEET of Yamaha Offshore motors which have shed considerable weight - I believe the 300hp has shed approx 246 pounds

 

http://www.simyamaha.com/category_s/1880.htm

 

Here's a Youtube vid with one of the new Yamaha VMAX SHO motors on the back of a Ranger Comanche -

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9LA03i3nWc

 

Sounds like an awesome experience Craig not to mention loads of fun, which Ranger was it with the 300hp the Ranger Z22 or a the new 2010 621?

 

 

Cheers,

G

Edited November 19, 2009 by Gman

[aniceguy]

I would expect the Skeeter / 250 SHO is perhaps an 80 mph rig. That's absolutely smokin' - especially for a four-stroke.

 

 

Wow Craig I have been following this one all over the place and if thats the case it sure might be a bit of a game changer!!!!

[craigdritchie]

Gman: They had a couple of Rangers there, in addition to the Skeeters and a 20-foot Bass Cat that I (regrettably) did not have time to take out. The 300 was mounted on a 612 Fisherman, while they also had a Commanche with a V MAX on it. Think it may have been a 520 but I would have to check my notes at the office.

 

I know a few people might say that wasn't a fair comparison because the 300 hp Ranger has a windshield, but 300 hp is still 300 hp. And believe me, that boat was still flying fast enough to pull back the skin on your face if you peeked above the windshield.

 

Louis: Funny you should say that, because Yamaha used the exact same "game changer" line in their press briefing. I believe the official advertising slogan will be This Changes Everything.

 

* * *

 

I don't want to sound like a shill for Yamaha (I'm not on the payroll - honest) but this truly does change the landscape. For the first time, we have four-strokes that will not only beat two-strokes in both hole shot and top-end speed, but weigh the same - or less! Add in the fuel savings and the fact you don't have to keep buying oil all the time, and it's basically game over for two-stroke outboards when this technology trickles down through the rest of the product line.

 

I know a lot of the filtered try again please-chat has been on the big V6s, but that new 70 hp is an absolute work of art. We will see a lot of these on the water.

 

FYI, here's a link to the local press coverage. Louis - note the "game changer" references: http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_163281.asp

[aniceguy]

its seemig like a good move for yamaha, but we all saw this "game changer" thing with the verado and E tec.

Im a fan of yamaha's heres hoping its comes in as a stand alone at a decent price and can get packaed with lots of boats also.

[limeyangler]

Wonder if they'll extend 'cash for clunkers' to outboards