Yamaha V8 425 XTO Offshore celebrates global reveal, quad-style

Yamaha’s monster V8 425 XTO Offshore outboard engine range will launch globally at this week’s Perth International Boat Show – with a jaw-dropping 1700hp tour de force.

As revealed previously on boatsales.com.au, Yamaha will launch the 425hp (317kW) 5.6-litre bent eight outboard at the Perth show, which starts on Friday. However, we can now also reveal that the show-stopping engine will feature on a quad-rigged catamaran that is a clear demonstration of its potential on-water prowess.

Yamaha will have two of the engines on show inside the Perth Exhibition Centre; one will fill the role as the first V8 425 XTO Offshore on public display globally, while the other will feature cutaways detailing the new engine’s technology, such as the built-in electric power steering system.

The 1700hp quad-rig set-up will feature on the dry-docked, Perth-based Horizontal Falls-owned charter catamaran Fawesome, which will also have its signature helicopter sitting above the cabin. The quad-XTO fit-out replaces the cat’s previous quad-F350 rigs.

Also on show at nearby Elizabeth Quay will be a twin-rigged, New Zealand designed custom 10-metre Niaid RIB, built by WA-based Kirby Marine and featuring a pair of the Yamaha V8 425 XTO Offshores.

Yamaha already has hinted at pricing for the engine; $62,000 for a basic XTO before you add the prop, controls, gauges and the direction of spin. That makes the Fawesome’s fit-out worth at least $248,000 while the Niaid accounts for $124,000.

Yamaha Australia product planning and application manager Glenn Gibson said the V8 425 XTO Offshore had already attracted strong interest ahead of its launch, including from the quad-rigged boat’s owner.

“The new engine is the F425, so that’s been publicly known since about April. But this is the first time the public will be able to walk up and touch the XTO,” Gibson said.

“The other boat that has grabbed a lot of attention is Horizontal Waterfalls, which is an Outlaw boat, about a 14-metre cat, and it will be a quad-rig 425 XTO.

The V8 425 XTO is the most powerful outboard engine Yamaha has ever produced, delivering its officially-rated 425hp/312.6kW at 5500rpm. It’s also the most powerful outboard from a mainstream brand.

There is, however, more power out there.

Seven Marine, which had engines on display at this month’s Sydney International Boat Show, uses a heavily modified, supercharged 6.2-litre V8 to produce outputs up to 627hp, delivered to the water via twin-prop systems.

Yamaha’s V8 was developed with North America firmly in mind; it’s a key market for outboard motors worldwide, and the marine engine maker said sales of large outboard motors there remain “healthy”.

The company says the growing popularity of outboard systems is particularly noticeable for boats measuring more than 30 feet, which are starting to move away from traditional inboard and sterndrive systems.

Greenline, a European brand previously known for its environmentally friendly inboard hybrid drive systems, announced this week it would add outboard versions to a new line of boats called Neo.