Yamaha’s F25 and F90: Australian launch

The recent Australian launch of Yamaha’s impressive new F25 and F90 four-stroke outboard engines on the Gold Coast was all about laying the foundations and staking a claim to the mainstream trailerboat market today and as it evolves tomorrow.

The transom of mainstream 3.8-4.2m open tinnies is the target of the new 25hp outboard engine, while the 90hp is the preferred rating on our very best-selling runabouts and bowriders.

Yamaha has had an 80hp and 100hp in its range for some time, but this new 90hp replaces those 1.6lt four-stroke outboards with a more advanced 1.8lt model that's better in every way.

The new Yamaha F25 (news release) and the F90 (news release) are promoted as being lighter and faster, with snappier acceleration and improved efficiency over the previous generation four-stroke outboards that are now being run out.

VERSUS A TWO STROKE?
But what isn’t quite so obvious is the performance comparisons with the old lightweight carburetted two-stroke outboards. This is important to us, since these four strokes will soon obsolete the old technology and, like a lot of boating enthusiasts, we don’t want to see a loss of performance and throttle response going forward.

As Yamaha has a strong presence in that traditional two-stroke outboard market today, the management was quick to set the record straight at the Gold Coast launch, which was also the stage for the dealer release and sales strategy behind these engines.

EMISSIONS UPDATE
Yamaha’s not giving the two-stroke market away until impending laws decide their fate. The launch opened with a slide titled Emissions Update that had two timelines:
>> July 1, 2018: All new outboards brought into Australia from this date must be compliant with the new emissions rules.
>> July 1, 2019: All new outboards supplied to the Australian market from this date must be compliant with the new emissions rules.

Yamaha’s last two-stroke sales event will be July 2018. So in less than 18 months, retailers take their last orders for carby two strokes. In a bit over two years, it’s four-stroke or direct-injection two-stroke outboards for sale only. You can still use your old engines, however, just not buy a new one.

As most new-boat buyers would be looking at more than two-years of ownership, the new F25 and F90 have immediate relevance to the tinnie and trailerboat market as it now stands.

Their performance gains over the previous generation Yamaha four-strokes these motors is significant. In short, these F25 and F90 four-strokes aren't lagging behind the two-stroke carby motors either.

THE TEST FLEET
For the Australian launch of these new Yamaha engines, we had three 4.00-4.20m tinnies with F25s. These included the SeaJay Creekmasta 398 as a basic rig with the factory standard tiller; the Stessco Catcher 429 with the upgraded tiller with battery, electric start, trim and tilt and the Y-COP immobiliser key; and the Horizon 390 Stalker Side Consoles with forward steer and remote start, trim and shift.

The F90 was fitted to four tinnies including the Quintrex 490 Cruiseabout, the SeaJay Velocity Sports 490 side console, the Bar Crusher 530 C and the Stabicraft 1600 Fisher.

We are going to be reporting on these rigs in depth with separate at-length reviews. We’ll also be publishing our subjective thoughts from our hands-on experiences with the F25 and F90 engines at the launch. This article was just an overview.

MARKET SHARE
The two new key 25hp and 90hp engines can be seen as a pre-emptive strike by Yamaha to assert its authority in the grassroots and mainstream boating markets. I would expect to see some counter-action from the competitors in the 25-90hp class soon.

All this has to be good for consumers wanted a better mousetrap or motor on their tinnies. For those thinking about buying a pre-loved engine, a second-hand two-stroke has probably never be cheaper. We can't see the trade-in values being strong. It's a buyer's market.

The F25 will be retailing from $4829 in store from April 2017 and the F90 from $14,199. More on our sites and at www.yamaha-motor.com.au.