Honda Marine has introduced it’s introducing a brand new 350 hp outboard motor, together with others Mercury Marine, Yamaha outboard motorsAnd Suzuki Navy as a result of he had damaged the 300 hp barrier. The primary engine to be proven shall be on the Worldwide Boatbuilders Exhibition and Convention (IBEX), which takes place in Tampa, FL, the primary week of October.
This isn’t a repeat of an current engine, however is a very new platform from the bottom up. In truth, it’s Honda’s very first manufacturing V-8 outboard. And in contrast to a few of the 350hp choices in the marketplace at the moment, the BF350 is appropriate to be used on common gasoline. Some require an octane ranking of 91, however on this case 86 is enough: homeowners lower your expenses on the pumps each time they refill.
Some specs: The ability unit is a 60-degree single overhead cam V-8 with 32 valves and a displacement of 302 cubic inches. It has an influence of 350 hp at a pace of 5500 rpm and has a most pace vary of 5000 to 6000 rpm. The bore is 3.5″, the stroke is 3.9″, the compression ratio is 10:1 and the gear discount is 1.79:1. Dry weight is 765 kilos for the 25” axle and 776 kilos for 30”. The alternator delivers a complete of 93 amps with a present era of 70 amps and has a slick new trick up its sleeve, which Honda calls ‘AMP+’. When the engine is idling and senses the necessity for extra amperage, it routinely will increase RPM by 100 to extend energy by 9 amps. This prevents the batteries from being by accident discharged when all equipment are turned on throughout prolonged intervals of use at low pace.
The BF350 is supplied with high-tech options, together with cruise management (in 50 rpm increments from 650 to 6000 rpm) and trolling mode (from 650 to 1000 rpm). Controls are drive-by-wire with Honda’s Clever Shift and Throttle, and provide plug-and-play integration with Dometic’s Optimus 360 joystick controls of the boat system appropriate with as much as 4 engines. The engine additionally works nice with any MFD system at your helm, because of NMEA2000 engine knowledge compatibility. The BF350 additionally options Lean Burn Management and multi-port programmed gasoline injection; Honda claims a 17 % benefit over the competitors in gasoline economic system. Auto trim help with presets and auto tilt with a double press of a button (all the way in which up or down) additionally full the record.
As we have seen earlier than from this producer, they’ve utilized their automotive data to achieve an edge within the outboard world. The BF350 makes use of a completely balanced crankshaft with a 30-degree offset, eliminating the necessity for counterbalancing and integrating with the 60-degree engine design. This neat trick is lifted from the Accura playbook and makes use of the identical alloys and specs developed for the crankshaft of their NSX sports activities automotive. One other attention-grabbing side that comes into play is their ‘Friction Discount Expertise’, which incorporates plateau honing on the engine’s cylinder bores and ion plating on the piston rings.
The BF350 is available in a comparatively slim bundle (25.6 inches extensive) with a modern new hood design that appears totally fashionable. Colour decisions embrace aquamarine silver and Grand Prix white, with chrome badging and black trim. The hood itself has an impression information for simpler set up and handles on each side plus the highest for simple elimination.
Honda additionally claims much less noise and vibration in comparison with different outboards on this class. We have not had the chance to check that declare on the water but, however we’ll notice that we do not doubt the declare contemplating that Honda has made some exceptionally quiet, low-vibration outboard fashions over time. One factor we will say for certain, although, is that Honda is backing this bike in spades: the BF350 comes with a five-year non-diminishing producer’s guarantee.
Pricing and timing of availability for the brand new BF350 are usually not but recognized, particulars are anticipated in early 2024. Till then, you’ll find out extra by visiting Honda outboard motors.
For extra data on the most recent and biggest outboard motors, see Greatest Outboard Motors 2023: The Final Information.