New Outboards

This will be the year that the old, smoky two-stroke outboards fade into history. About the only manufacturers still making them were Mercury (through Bass Pro Shops on TRACKER boats) and Yamaha (selling them on Alumacraft boats). The only way Mercury and Yamaha were allowed to build and sell these “dirty” carbureted and EFI two-strokes is because they had banked something called “emissions credits” from cleaner products in the line that would offset them. In 2010 not even the credits will help to meet EPA emissions requirements.

With this in mind, you are going to see a bunch of new four-stroke outboards for smaller boats this year. They are lighter and more powerful – the old rap on 4-strokes. They are also more expensive – still the rap on four-strokes.

For those of you that have wondered about four-stroke technology for full-sized bass boats, you should have a better answer in 2010. New technology has now allowed for significantly lower motor weights and better torque and that means a four-stroke might be on your next bass boat, depending on the brand.

Lastly, a longtime player in the outboard market will produce no engines this year. Can you guess which one?

Here’s what will be on the back of the boats you see at the shows and in the showrooms of area dealers this year.

Evinrude

Some new graphics will grace the exterior of the Evinrude E Tec HO models. The E250 DHL (blue) and E250 HSL (white) are the motors most bass anglers would want on their transoms. These V-6 outboards weigh 507 pounds, displace 210 cubic inches, rev up to 6,000 rpm and offer a three-star C.A.R.B. emissions rating. While other new releases for 2010 might be planning there were none made official by the mid-December W2 deadline.

Honda

The all-new Honda BF60 features much of the same technology that Honda first deployed on its BF90 when it was launched in 2007, including the Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST) system for better hole-shot power, Lean Burn Control for enhanced economy, and electronic fuel injection. However, the 2010 BF60 uses a new three-cylinder, 998cc powerhead with a single overhead cam.

Honda claims the lightest version of the BF60 has a dry weight (no oil, lube or prop) of just 239 pounds, or about the same as the two-stroke Evinrude E-TEC 60.

The BLAST system is engaged when you “drop the hammer” on the throttle to get out of the hole, advancing the timing just to the point of detonation and delivering a short burst of extra fuel through the injectors. The result is a little added torque. If you advance the throttle gradually, BLAST does not engage. Lean Burn Control helps maximize efficiency at cruising speed by adjusting the air/fuel mixture (using data from the oxygen sensor in the exhaust) to an extra-lean rate, which will not harm the engine at this speed. The engine computer also enables a new trolling speed control, which lets the operator micro-adjust the throttle in 50-rpm increments between 750 and 1000 rpm. This feature is controlled with a dash-mounted switch on remote-control models, or with a switch on the tiller on those models. The tiller holds a new four-lamp warning message screen, and a reversible shift control that can be swapped from the port to starboard side of the tiller. Another clever gizmo on this new Honda is a dash-mounted rudder angle indicator, which will be handy on pontoon boats where the engine is usually out of sight.

The BF60 will be offered in 20-inch and 25-inch shaft lengths, in remote or tiller configurations, all with power trim and tilt. A separate BF60 Power Thrust configuration has a bigger gearcase holding a 2.33:1 gearset designed to handle larger-diameter props than the standard, 2.07:1 ratio. The Power Thrust version also has more charging power, thanks to a 27-amp alternator that delivers 22 amps to the battery, better than the already great 22/17-amp alternator on the standard BF60.

Johnson

Go to www.johnson.com and you’ll find a message posted that says the following: “Although we do not currently manufacture any Johnson branded engine product, we maintain the valuable Johnson name while we continue to research further use of the brand.”

How about them apples?

Mercury

The guys in black will expand its popular ProXS line with the addition of a 200 hp and 115 hp outboards. The main difference in the ProXS models is higher performance. This is attained by the use of carbon fiber reeds, (which better control airflow to the crankcase), exclusive dome-shaped pistons, a specially programmed ECM and a relative light weight. Other Pro XS features include a solid billet aluminum motor mount and higher RPM operating ranges so you can use a far wider variety of props.

The Mercury 200 Pro XS is sure to be a favorite with bass anglers that want a hot motor, but don’t want the hot price of the 225 and 250 versions. This motor is built on a 60-degree, V-6 block that displaces 185.9 cc with a two-star C.A.R.B rating and an industry-leading 60-amp alternator. The shaft length is 20” and the whole thing dry weighs 505 pounds – the mark to beat for many years in a V-6 outboard.

The Mercury 115 Pro XS is built on a three-cylinder, in-line block that revs up to 5,750 rpm (same as the 200 hp), displaces 92.96 cc, has a 20” shaft and weighs 375 pounds.

Suzuki

Suzuki has a new 60-hp motor, the DF60, coming to dealers. This all-new motor will replace the current, four-cylinder, single overhead-cam, 1298cc DF60 with a more category-appropriate, three-cylinder, double overhead-cam, 941cc model. It’s more compact than the new Honda BF60, and with a claimed dry weight of just 229 pounds, the new DF60 is even lighter than that motor and the Evinrude E-TEC 60.

When Suzuki debuted the previous, four-cylinder powerhead in 1998 as a DF60/70, it was a groundbreaking engine that showed the potential of four-stroke outboard power. This new DF60 shows how far the design has come in a decade. Suzuki worked hard on improving its fuel efficiency, with a more sophisticated engine control system and multi-point EFI. Like the Honda, the Suzuki is designed to run very lean when it is not under a heavy load. This motor also has less internal drag – in part because it has one less cylinder – and the oiling system was designed to reduce parasitic loss. Suzuki says it all adds up to enhanced fuel efficiency, and claims that, compared to the previous DF60, the new DF60 burns 40 percent less fuel at trolling speed, 45 percent less at cruising speed, and 20 percent less at full throttle.

Other details include a maintenance-free, oil-bath timing chain located below the powerhead, and the Easy Start System that starts the motor with a quick, single turn of the key. The starter stays engaged until the motor is operating. This also prevents the owner from turning the key to engage the starter when the motor is already running, an issue on other Suzuki motors because they are so quiet. Alternator output is 19 amps, actually less than the 25 amps made by the previous DF60.

Smaller and lighter is also the theme for a new DF9.9A/8A, rated at 9.9 and 8 hp respectively, which has a new 208cc powerhead and at 87 pounds (for the 15-inch, rope-start model) is 10 pounds – a significant 10 percent – lighter than the previous DF9.9. The 8-hp rating is new for Suzuki. Both models are available with a new tiller handle that incorporates shifting on the end of the twist grip, the throttle in the center, and a throttle-friction adjustment in a collar at the base. It’s a design that keeps your hand on the tiller at all times. Electric-start models have a 10-amp alternator.  Suzuki will continue to offer the high-thrust DT9.9T with its 302cc displacement, 2.08:1 gear ratio, four-blade prop and standard power trim, a package intended for pushing heavy sailboats, pontoons and skiffs.

Yamaha

Perhaps the most dramatic introduction for 2010 is the Yamaha VMAX SHO in 250, 225 and 200 hp versions. This new powerplant is built on a 60-degree, V-6 that displaces 4.2 liters and weighs 505 pounds (all VMAX SHO 4-strokes). It will rev to 6,000 rpm, features a 50-amp alternator and a three-star C.A.R.B. emissions rating.

So will this lightweight, four-stroke push your bass boat is the big question? According to extensive testing done by Yamaha the new VMAX is said to offer comparable or better hole shot and top end speed than the current Yamaha VMAX Series 2, two-stroke outboards. It also gave 12% better fuel economy. If this is true and the price is reasonable (this might be the issue), you will start seeing more four-stroke outboards very soon on a lake near you in Yamaha blue.

Intended to fill the gap between its F20 and F40 models, the new Yamaha F25 will be a nice fit on smaller aluminum fishing boats and compact pontoons. Its twin-cylinder, 498cc powerhead is essentially half of the four-cylinder, F60 powerhead. The F20 uses the same pistons, connecting rods and valves as that motor, but has a fresh single overhead-cam cylinder head design. The F25 weighs as little as 170 pounds. For comparison, the Mercury 25 FourStroke weighs as little as 157 pounds, and that motor is a 526cc triple-cylinder design that also features electronic fuel injection. The Yamaha F25 has a carburetor, though it’s fitted with Yamaha PrimeStart, an auto-enrichment system that has delivered easy starts on other Yamaha motors. Models so equipped have a new, stronger tiller with a top-mount shifting lever. There’s also a T25 version that comes with a Dual Thrust propeller (designed to provide better thrust in reverse), a larger gearcase, and a 2.42:1 gear ratio that’s lower than the standard 2.08:1 ratio, all designed to help this motor perform better behind a heavy pontoon boat.