Honda BF60 EFI

Nagambie, 110km north of Melbourne, is a popular Victorian summer haunt for watersports enthusiasts of all persuasions. Its postcard landmark is Lake Nagambie, formed with the construction of the Goulburn Weir 8km downstream in the late 1800s. It is also a favourite destination for Honda Marine.

The Australian head office of the Japanese giant is in Melbourne, so naturally its marine R&D department has a pick of locales to refine new equipment, in particular its big range of super-clean four-stroke outboards. Nearby Port Phillip Bay obviously springs to mind, but the giant bay is a fickle place more often than not and trying to plan a day out has a lot of hit and miss about it. So Honda's Melbourne office zoomed in on the sheltered inland venue of Nagambie for product testing and corporate days.

Honda Australia's marine manager, Chris Schultz, said the new BF60 fills an important gap in the company's range, sitting between BF50 and BF75. The BF60 he said targets the 3.6m to 6m tinnie range (which according to Marine Queensland statistics for 2007, made up roughly 84 per cent of all recreational boat registrations in the State) and the houseboat market.

Honda brought along two models of its new outboard. The first was a standard BF60 with tiller steering fitted to a flashy red 4.4m Mako Craft 440 Estuary Tracker Tournament bass boat and the second, a remotely operated BFP60 (High Thrust model) on the back of a 4.93m Stacer 479 Sunmaster SVS runabout.

WHAT'S NEW
Before going for a run, Honda Marine's marine technical specialist Darren Millgate reeled of some of the new attributes of the 97 per cent recyclable BF60, notably: a water-trap exhaust pipe to help stop corrosion; large sacrificial anode; resin inlet manifold for low noise; long-span rubber mounting for reduced vibration; large splash plate; forward mounted water pickup for improved cooling; and, a new model gear case for reduced water resistance; but in particular, the BLAST and ECOmo technologies. These two acronyms are the latest computer and sensor-controlled performance programs that give the four-stroke Honda either the equivalent of two-stroke acceleration or extra fuel efficiency.

Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST) activates at full throttle, advancing the timing and running a rich fuel mixture to increase horsepower and torque at low revs, for strong holeshot in particular. Once a speed is attained, ECOmo (Economy Controlled Motor) comes into play, operating the engine on a leaner air/fuel ration than it would normally.

Millgate brought along a black box data recorder to show BLAST and ECOmo in action and catch the link for the full results of the Honda BF60 Sneak Peak day visit.

Ducks scattered in all directions as the red Mako Craft spinning a stainless steel 11.75 x 15in Solas prop, jumped out of the hole and raced to WOT (where normal conversation was not impeded by the engine noise) on the first run. Millgate and his black box noted an average top speed on the day of 60.2kmh (32.51kts).

The BF60 on the Mako featured Honda's multi-function tiller handle, a beast of a thing that likes like an arm of a Transformers alien robot. Incorporated into this muscular handle is a power trim-tilt switch in the throttle grip, which allows the skipper to trim underway by feel and remain completely focused on the vision ahead. Other functions include handle-height adjustment, throttle-friction adjustment, combination switch, indicator display, emergency switch, and reversible shift lever. Also standard is a trolling control switch which allows the skipper to make fine speed adjustments, in 50rpm increments between 750 and 1000rpm. On top of that, the BF60 can also inform a change of trolling mode and rotation adjustments via a buzzer alarm.

Back to the Mako Craft test and according to Millgate's figures, best average acceleration between 0-30kmh was 4.9 seconds, and best kilometres to litre was 5.3 at 3500rpm (cruising) and 8.3km/lt at idle (850rpm) or trolling.

THRUST PLUS
The remotely operated BFP60 on the bigger Stacer 479 Sunmaster SVS spun a larger stainless steel 12.25 x 14in Solas prop. Maximum speed was 56kmh (30.24kts) and a best average acceleration between 0-30kmh of 5.5 seconds. Consumption was 4.5km/lt at cruising (3500rpm) and 5.8km/lt trolling (1000 rpm).

The incorporation off the bigger prop on the Stacer's outboard was made possible by it being a Power Thrust model (BFP60) which at this stage is only available in remote control applications. Honda said the Power Thrust gear case and larger diameter prop results in greater thrust, which, it claimed, is particularly useful in commercial and houseboat setups.

Honda claim the BF60 is the lightest in its class at 109kg (116kg BFP60) in part due to the use of lightweight materials such as aluminium and resin.
The BF60 is NMEA2000 compatible, exceeds 2008 CARB emission standards and achieves OEDA three-star rating for ultra-low emissions.

The new BF60, which is covered by Honda's five-year warranty, will be available through the company's national marine dealer network in the second half of this year.

For more info, visit HondaMPE.com.au.

HONDA BF60 EFI