Honda BF130

POWER OF DREAMS

Honda's BF130 is a beautiful piece of engineering, reports Andrew Norton...

The motor performs well in standard longshaft form when the exhaust relief hole is just on the waterline. Every motor I've tried starts instantly hot or cold and never emits any oil smoke.

The first BF130 I tested was an extralong model mounted on a 6m Seafarer Victory and spinning a 15-inch stainless steel prop which seemed mismatched to this hull.

But when I tried another extralong BF130 on a Markham 622 Calais, it was a very different story. Spinning a 16-inch stainless steel Quicksilver Vengeance prop, it pushed our 1400kg total (including two adults) at an almost vibration-free 6kmh on 650 revs and planed us cleanly at 29.0kmh on 3300 revs. At 4000 revs with the motor trimmed right out we averaged 39.0kmh consuming 25.0lt/hr and at these revs the Calais could be put through tight figures of eight with no prop ventilation and only a slight drop in revs.

At Wide Open Throttle (WOT) over a 20-30cm chop we averaged 69.0kmh on 5800 revs with reasonably low noise levels at the helm. The fuel consumption was 49.0lt/hr.

After that test there was a gap until August-November last year, where I tested five of them!

First up was an extralong BF130 on a Markham 522 Bowrider - the smallest hull I've tried this motor on. Spinning a 17-inch alloy prop and pushing a total of 1000kg (including two adults) at 650 revs, the Honda averaged 4.6kmh and still averaged a low-wash 6.9kmh on 1000 revs. At 2000 revs the average was 11.3kmh.

But when the motor was trimmed out and the throttle 'floored', the engine had enough torque to tail stand the 522 - the first time I've been able to do this manoeuvre with a four-stroke outboard!

Using about half throttle, a clean plane was achieved at 22.4kmh on only 2800 revs and by 4000 revs we were averaging 47.0kmh. Another 1000 revs returned 58.6kmh and at WOT we averaged 70.9kmh on 6000 revs, where we could still hold a normal conversation.

A 19-inch prop would have returned faster cruising speeds, but the fact remains that I've never before seen a hull accelerate so quickly with a four-stroke outboard.

A 17-incher is also perfect for deep waterski starts, as I found out when I tried a longshaft BF130 on a Salem 590e skiboat. Spinning a Vengeance prop and pushing a total of 850kg (including two adults), it pulled out a 75kg adult on a single ski without hesitation. Through tight figures of eight, with the boat turning in just over its own length at WOT, there was hardly any prop ventilation and little drop-off in revs.

Fitted with a 19-inch stainless steel prop and pushing the two-adult load, the same engine wound out to 85.3kmh!

That day I also tried twin extralong BF130s on Stabi-Craft's 753 Hardtop. Spinning 16-inch Vengeance props and pushing a four-adult load, the Hondas achieved a clean plane at 33.4kmh on 3000 revs and cruised effortlessly at 58.4kmh on 4000 revs. The WOT average was 85.3kmh on 5900 revs with the legs trimmed just past perpendicular to prevent prop blow-out. Trimmed right out the revs reached 6000 and speed dropped 2-3kmh. No prop ventilation occurred through tight figures of eight at 4000 revs.

Finally, I tried a longshaft BF130 on a 20-year-old 5.54m Pride Montego - a boat never designed to take the weight of this motor. Spinning a 17-inch alloy prop and pushing a total of 1200kg (including two adults), the BF130 averaged 3.9kmh on 650 revs; 6.8kmh on 1000 revs; 8.1kmh on 1500 revs; and 13.6kmh on 2000 revs.

Despite the absence of a transom wedge or an antiventilation plate hydrofoil, the Honda achieved a clean plane at 26.7kmh on 3000 revs and an effortless cruise of 37.2kmh on 3500 revs. Increasing the revs another 500 returned 47.6kmh, while 4500 revs (Honda's recommended continuous operation rev-limit) returned 54.6kmh. By 5000 revs we were averaging 60.7kmh; 5500 revs 66.6kmh; and 5800 revs 69.3kmh with the leg trimmed right out. No prop ventilation occurred through tight figures of eight at 4000 revs.

Honda's BF130 is undoubtedly the most flexible four-stroke outboard I've tested.