YAMAHA F150A OUTBOARD ENGINE REVIEW

The Yamaha F150A outboard motor might just be what you need for stress-free power on your maxi trailerboat.

It’s hard to believe I first tested a Yamaha F150A outboard motor more than 10 years ago. Back then I didn’t have to colour my hair or eyebrows to cover all the grey and life was way simpler than it is now. But when I think of what’s happened in the past decade, life hasn’t been all that bad.

The F150A outboard was the first of Yamaha’s big fours, designed on the basis that there’s no substitute for cubes and eliminating the need to run variable intake valve timing. Sure, with its bucket and shim valve clearance adjustment, servicing can be a bit complex but at least removing the camshafts is relatively straightforward. The twin counter-rotating balance shafts allow for smooth, quiet power delivery across the entire rpm range.

YAMAHA F150A

When released the Yamaha F150A outboard was a pure standalone engine, way more powerful than the Yamaha F115A but nowhere near as heavy or bulky as the old Yamaha F200A which, for a while, was rebadged in black.

Developing 147.9 brake horsepower (at 1bhp equals 746 Watts) at the prop at 5500rpm, the OEDA 3 Star F150A has a Wide Open Throttle range of between 5000 to 6000rpm, so it can handle a wide range of loads. The 2670cc powerhead has twin camshafts and 16 valves operated by a single camshaft belt and is an interference engine, so the belt must be checked at least annually for any fraying or damage.

The 35amp voltage regulated alternator is a bit light for onboard electronics, especially as a fair amount of this output is needed to run the sequential multipoint EFI. Although there’s no oxygen sensor in the exhaust to advance the ignition timing if premium unleaded is used, I still recommend using this fuel as it has a longer shelf life in underfloor fuel tanks.

Powerhead access is good, with the engine oil dipstick and canister oil filter easily reached. Yamaha recommends using its FCW (Four Cycle Watercooled) SAE10W30 under all operating conditions and servicing the F150A every 100 running hours or annually after the first 20 hours. The 5.2lt sump provides adequate capacity to reduce oil dilution from extended trolling. Valve clearance adjustment isn’t needed for the first 400 hours and the camshaft belt should be replaced every 800 to 1000 hours.

The 2:1 gear ratio is sufficiently deep to convert engine torque to thrust at the prop and the dry extra-longshaft weight is 226kg. The warranty for recreational anglers is four years.

PERFORMANCE

How nice to test an engine and boat in a variety of sea-surface conditions, instead of a brief run on a lake. Apart from logs washed down the Hunter River after heavy rains, Newcastle Harbour is a great test location because it’s so compact. Offshore conditions can be quickly accessed from the harbour, with rolling ocean waves coming in through the breakwaters in a nor’easter.

Terrace Boating did a good job of matching the demo F150A to a 6.63m Haines Hunter Patriot 650 Walkaround and fitting just the right prop for our 1900kg total, including four adults. The engine started instantly, hot or cold, with no oil smoke or smell when backing upwind. Coasting up to a jetty, simply engaging reverse, stopped the boat. Sweet!

Swinging a 19in pitch Yamaha stainless steel prop, holeshot performance was as good as comparable output DFI two-strokes I’ve tested on similarly-sized hulls. At 3200rpm the hull stayed fully planing into a stiff nor’easter and one-metre waves, ideal for long runs offshore. There was no prop ventilation through tight turns at 4000rpm and the engine maintained its rpm without touching the throttle. Best of all was the quiet running – this engine didn’t start off my tinnitus.

THE VERDICT

Since its Oz release there have been few major servicing issues with the Yamaha F150A, though it does have a lot more direct naturally-aspirated competition than when first released.

All of these have very similar running qualities and definitely won’t reduce flab. But like all Yammies, the F150A has proven saltwater corrosion resistance.

As of March 2014 the extra-longshaft F150A was retailing in NZ for around $25,600 with a spare stainless steel prop for around an extra $1000.

Thanks Terrace Boating, Heatherbrae, NSW –phone (02) 4987 2282 – for supplying a well setup demo rig.

Visit yamaha-motor.co.nz for more information.

YAMAHA F150 OUTBOARD ENGINE SPECS

TYPE Four-cylinder petrol four-stroke outboard motor

RATED HP 147.9

REC. RPM RANGE 5000 to 6000

DISPLACEMENT 2670cc

BORE X STROKE 94 x 96.2mm

WEIGHT 226kg

GEAR RATIO 2:1

RRP $21,000

WARRANTY 4 years

OEDA STARS 3 years

YAMAHA F150 SEA TRIALS

Haines Hunter Patriot 650 Walkaround with single Yamaha F150 outboard. Average of two-way runs using Yamaha fuel flow gear and onboard GPS

RPM	SPEED (KTS)	FUEL BURN (LT/H)
600 (trolling)	2.6	2
2000	6.7	7.7
2500	8.4	11.8
2800 (min. plane)	12.1	15.8
3000 (min. cruise)	12.7	14.1*
3200 (offshore cruise)	12.4	17
4000 (best cruising)	24	24.6
5750 (WOT)	38.3	61.7

*Fuel flow lower as less load on engine. Sea-trial data supplied by the author.

THE NATURALLY ASPIRATED COMPETITION

	Honda BF150	Mercury F150	Suzuki DF150
Weight	221kg	213kg	220kg
Cyl/HP/RPM	4/147.9/5500	4/147.5/5500	4/147.5/5500
Displacement	2354cc	3000cc	2867cc
RRP	$22K	$20K	$20K
Warranty	5 years	5 years	5 years
OEDA stars	3	3	3