5 things we like about the new Honda BF350

The 5.0-litre narrow-bank V8 engine has become the new range-topper for the Honda outboard engine line-up, sitting above the Honda BF250.

The engine features a stunning new design that makes it stand out on the water.

But what features does the Honda BF350 have that really up the game?

Here are our top five picks of what we think make the Honda BF350 stand out from the crowd.

This is a bit of a strange claim that Honda made at the launch of its all-new 350hp BF350, but it makes sense once you look at the context.

According to Honda, its new BF350 outboard engine’s strength is its mid-range fuel economy that it says can produce up to a 17.0 per cent fuel saving compared with rivals that include the Mercury V10 Verado and the twin-prop Suzuki DF350.

If you’re running a large boat offshore, the fuel savings that the Honda engine can generate can add up to a fair amount of money – leading to Honda’s claim that if you buy this engine, the drinks, food and ice you need for the day are thrown in for free.

Adding to the low cost of fuel is the fact that this engine is tuned to produce its 350hp on regular unleaded fuel.

The Honda BF350 has 24 button anodes built into the engine’s cooling channels as well as more bonding wires to help cut down on saltwater corrosion.

Anodes have been placed throughout the engine to ensure that they are easy to replace.

Where possible, engine parts use aluminium to increase corrosion resistance, and bolts and nuts are treated with a ceramic coating to protect them.

Honda also uses what it calls its 4-Front paint protection system that encases engine parts in four layers including a special double-seal process, epoxy primer, acrylic primer and a clear acrylic resin to fight saltwater ingress. 

The Honda BF350 is also fitted with an easy-to-use freshwater flushing system.

An important design brief for Honda was making this engine as smooth and quiet as possible. This is important as it’s an engine designed for extended offshore running, where fatigue can become an issue.

It’s why when you start this engine up, it sounds more like one of Honda’s V6 engines at idle rather than a V8. Some owners expecting a decent v8 burble may find that a bit disappointing, but the benefits arise as soon as you rise through the rev range.

Even at full throttle it is possible to have a conversation behind the helm without raising your voice very much – if anything, you’re speaking over wind noise rather than engine.

The engine’s sharp 60-degree block angle means the crankshaft at the heart of this engine needs a journal per cylinder rather than a 90-degree engine’s one per pair of cylinders, providing a natural balance. The crankshaft is forged from the same mix of metals as the one used for the V6-engined Honda NSX sportscar.

You don’t feel the engine, either.

One of the key developments that Honda wanted for this engine was for it to output its data in NMEA200 format.

But what does this mean?

NMEA2000 is the standard data format that allows all the electronics of the boat to swap information with each other. 

Honda’s rivals create engines that talk their own language, which means sending information such as engine temperature, fuel burn rate, water getting into the fuel, low battery level or oil pressure, or even just how many revs are turning over to display on a multifunction chartplotter at the helm needs to be translated into an NMEA2000-compatible format. 

That’s often by buying an expensive box, or gateway, that sits in between the boat’s engine and the electronics.

Because Honda’s BF350 outputs its engine data in NMEA2000 format, the data is sent straight to the chartplotter.

Thanks to a request from the US Coast Guard, the new Honda BF350 has a special function that increases the engine’s revs at idle to produce more battery-charging grunt.

Dubbed AMP+, the system increases the engine’s revs by 100rpm. This boosts the engine’s 70-amp recharging capacity at idle with another 11 amps of recharging performance.

If you’re running lots of electronics and spend a lot of time idling, this is a really handy feature.

The new Honda BF350 is due on sale in Australia in the second quarter of 2024.