The New Yamaha XTO 425 Opens New Operational Opportunities

How do you pair your boat with the new XTO 425 – what do you need to look at? The advent of new technology development on outboard motors has led boat owners to re-think their power options. The new Yamaha 425 XTO for example, has made boat owners consider their boat selection as it opens up new operational opportunities. Fundamentally, a boat capable of using a pair of F425 XTO outboards needs to be at least a 30-foot Cat or a 35-foot Mono hull with the further consideration of whether it will be beach launched or harbour launched. A beach launched boat needs to negotiate the surf successfully and that requires the ability to accelerate really quickly once the skipper has made the decision to get through the swell before it breaks. If he feels he can’t get through the wave or swell he then has to turn really quickly within the boat’s length and accelerate towards the shore to allow the swell to break behind him so he can turn sharply against it and get through the foaming wave. The decision gets repeated again once the next swell comes in until the skipper is satisfied he can get through safely. The acceleration and ability to turn the boat quickly is a key consideration for a surf launching craft. The maneuverability of big 30 to 40 foot sport fishing boats needs to match that of a smaller boat as being in the wrong place on a curling wave has life threating consequences. So matching the horsepower that is sufficient to generate this acceleration and to make tight turns with a boatload of passengers is a key consideration. The Yamaha V8, 425HP, 5.6l now creates the opportunity for big sports fishing boats to operate in an environment previously almost impossible in the past as the only power available was via big inboard petrol or diesel motors, which were too heavy or impractical to beach launch. The weight advantage of these new motors has led to a fashion statement in the USA whereby it is now really “in” to have between 3 and 6 outboard engines instead of big inboard motors. The new generation engines have electronic steering and control systems which takes away the drag normally experienced in bigger boats as a result of either very long cables or the problems associated with hydraulic steering. The other reason why in the big markets of Europe and USA the owners of boats of 10m and longer are choosing big outboard HP is the down time factor that is traditionally a problem with inboard diesel or V8 inboard petrol engine which require that the boat be slipped on the hard for repair. Exorbitant rentals paid for this dock time while the inboard engines are removed and worked on, has always been a challenge. In many cases, this could run up to weeks of dockside repair yard rental space. While the gearbox and or engines are being repaired, the advantage of an outboard rig on a marina-moored boat is that the engine can be removed in a couple of hours and the boat returned to its mooring with very little cost to its owner. Consequently re-mounting the engines on the boat after the repair can be done also in just a few hours. The total down time on an outboard motor is usually far less than on inboards. The new technology in modern computer control fuel injection motors means that the owner gets a massive horsepower delivery with very little weight sacrifice. Overall maintenance as well as running costs and performance are significantly improved, not to mention the down time cost factor as mentioned above. In matching the XTO to suitable boats the owner has to ensure that the transom and trunking for the cabling are suitable for motors of this size and complexity. Dual station operations with multiple engines are now an easy reality but the routing of wiring harnesses to ensure no water ingress or interferences must be carefully addressed. These new “drive by wire” outboard motors are set to change the face of 10m-plus boating decisions.