GIANT Outboards - The Beasts Of Boating

Published: Friday, January 31, 2020
By: John Tiger

Nothing gets folks going like reading about the biggest and baddest – the largest outboards available. Even if most will never own one of these giants, it’s fun and exciting to read about them. Analogy-wise, it’s like drooling over Porsches and BMWs in the car enthusiast magazines while you drive a Kia. You can dream, can’t you?

Most boat buyers drool over these big beasts, but the truth is, they’re really “halo” engines – they bring big attention to the brand, but, in reality, most folks don’t buy them. The big driver for huge outboard sales is offshore fishing where you see multiple engine, deep-vee offshore anglers sporting twin, triple, and even quad engines totaling 600, 900, 1200 horses or more. But, make no mistake, there are also everyday runabouts and pontoons built specifically for these monsters of outboarding, and if you have the funds and the dream, a boat outfitted with a big outboard can thrill you every time you fire it up. Let’s look at what’s available.

EVINRUDE (evinrude.com)

Evinrude offers a max of 300 horses in their E-Tec G2 V6 model that’s the flagship of their line. What gives E-Rude their uniqueness is the type of engine they offer: the E-Tec is one of only two 2-strokes in the big outboard game; besides the Mercury Racing 300xs, all others are four strokes.

Like it’s smaller 250, 225, and 200-horse brothers, the 300 E-Tec G2 is a direct-fuel-injected two-stroke powerplant with loads of electronic and consumer features that make it an acceleration beast, yet with refined manners and all sorts of the latest digital technology. Introduced in 2014, the G2 has had a few years now to prove itself. The reviews are very good; most Evinrude G2 owners give glowing reports, and even the radical angular looks are slowly beginning to convert even those who hated it when it was released.

The 300 is available in three shaft lengths to accommodate platforms from lightweight bass boats to offshore cruisers, and anything in between. Weight is published at 539 lbs. making the big ‘Rude one of the lighter 300-horse contenders. The 1.85:1 gear ratio is pretty tall and shows the confidence Evinrude has in its low-end grunt. With a 6000-rpm redline, the G2 can rev out with the best of them.

Evinrude has come a long way since BRP took over the reins in 2000, and the G2 is real-deal clean-sheet two-stroke tech that rivals the four-strokers for quietness, top speed, and emissions while providing what most say is better torque for heavy loads and water sports.

HONDA (marine.honda.com)

While we thought about limiting this story to engines with 300 horses and more, that would leave out Honda and Tohatsu, two competitive players in the large-outboard arena. Both make stout 250hp V-6 entries. Honda brings its 3.6-liter EFI four-stroke V6 to the high-horsepower party, a proven engine with many years of reliable service. Available in 20”, 25”, and XXL 30” shaft lengths for taller transoms, the 250 makes a stout flagship engine for Honda. The 250 weighs in at a published 613 pounds, placing it pretty much mid-pack in terms of engine weight. Rated to turn a maximum of 6300 rpm, the Honda has a 90 amp alternator to charge the boat’s batteries. A newer feature is AMP+, which senses electrical loads and automatically increases idle speed minutely (about 100 rpm) to increase charging output by another 9 amps – often just enough to keep the boat tunes blasting and the nav lights glowing when the party’s hoppin’. The Honda “BLAST” system, which stands for “Boosted Low Speed Torque” (Honda loves their acronyms!) rapidly advances ignition timing while enriching the fuel mixture electronically for quicker holeshots and more low end torque. iST (“Intelligent Shift & Throttle”) provides electronic shift and throttle controls and comes standard. Color choices include silver and white. Honda backs up the 250 with a five-year, non-declining transferable warranty as standard – one of the best warranties available.

MERCURY (mercurymarine.com)

This is where the big news has been since the introduction of the latest Mercury and Mercury Racing four-stroke outboards back in 2018. These 4-strokes are available in V6 versions ranging from 175 to 300 horses, and in V-8 (!!) versions in 250 and 300 horsepower models. But the offering is a little more complex than that. Let’s break it down by series:

1. FourStroke: These are the “bread and butter” V-6 offerings from Mercury. Available in 175, 200, and 225-hp versions from a 3.4-liter four-stroke EFI powerhead as well as 250 and 300-hp versions from a 4.6-liter V-8 EFI. These are clean-sheet designs ten years in the making, and they offer lightweight (V-8s at 527 pounds, V-6s at an industry-leading 475 pounds) coupled with consumer-driven simplicity and reliability. A myriad of color choices ensure matching to your boat. The 300 and 200 are available in 20” and 25” versions, while all the others are also available with a XXL 30” shaft. 
2. Pro XS: These are slightly warmed-up performance versions of the FourStroke lineup, with enhanced acceleration and performance exhaust notes as well as multiple performance gearcase and gear ratio choices (plus cool graphics!). In the Pro XS line, the only V-6 is the 175; all others are V-8s that weigh just 505 pounds, which is lighter than most competitors’ V-6s.
3. Sea Pro: Akin to commercial offerings, the Sea Pro engines are workhorses, designed for heavy loads and tough conditions. All fitted with heavy-duty lower units validated at 3x the lifespan of recreational gearcases, and all are based on the 4.6-liter V-8 except the 200, which is the 3.4L V-6. 
4. Verado: Replacing the existing inline-6 four stroke Verado line is the new FourStroke Verado, available in 250 and 300-horse 4.6 liter V-8 versions. The AMS (Advanced Midsection) makes the Verado unique in that it isolates all sound and vibration from the transom.

The bad news, for two-stroke lovers, is that the venerable Merc OptiMax series has gone away with the introduction of all these new four-strokes. Ditto for the I6 supercharged Verado series, except the 350, 400R, and brand-new horsepower king 450R models from Mercury Racing. There’s a lot new at Merc – and that’s exciting for the outboard industry. The styling is very much a love-it-or-hate-it experience, as was the Evinrude E-Tec G2 when it was first introduced. But like everything, it grows on you, and so will the new Merc styling, especially when they perform as advertised.

SEVEN MARINE (seven-marine.com)

While this may be overkill for most, these guys easily take the crown for “Biggest Outboards on the Planet” by a long stretch. Designed to produce huge torque and horsepower, the primary customers for these outboards are well-heeled offshore-boat aficionados who can afford not one, but usually two or three of these beasts to power their center console. With starting prices over $80k for the “little one”, it’s easy to see why these are the premier power brokers of outboarding.

All three Seven Marine outboards are based on the same 6.2-liter, all-aluminum supercharged V-8 four-stroke high performance powerhead. The smallest makes 527 horses,
the middle child 577, and the big brother – the largest – 627 horsepower. All that power comes with some heft; weight is 1094 pounds for each version, easily the heaviest of all the giants.

But as is the case with all larger outboards today, big power comes with refinement and panache. These engines are like the Bugatti Veyrons of the outboard world. Multiple gear ratios and gearcase styles are available to make the Seven outboards flexible to perform on large cruisers and utility hulls running “regular” speeds (under 60 mph) as well as the largest, fastest high performance offshore hulls capable of 100+ mph. While these are production engines, annual production output at Seven is low enough, and the price high enough, that a level of personalized service reserved for only the finest products is offered by the Seven Marine factory. These outboards feature a three-year warranty. To add icing to an already delicious cake, Seven Marine was purchased a couple years back by Volvo Penta – which gives this innovative outboard upstart even greater engineering power and resources.

SUZUKI (suzukimarine.com)

Suzuki comes to the Giant Outboard party with their 350-horse V-6 dual propeller outboard. The big brother to their already-stout DF300A, the 350 is a 4.4-liter V6 four-stroke with a special gearcase featuring dual contra-rotating propellers. Weighing in at 727 pounds, the 350 features every electronic convenience Suzuki has to offer in an outboard to make this an easy giant to tame. It’s for big boats only though; a 20” shaft version is not even available (only 25” and 30”). With a narrow 55-degree vee cylinder arrangement, the 350 is slim enough to look like an inline 6. A low 2.29:1 gear ratio ensures big planing power for heavy boats (compare to others’ 2:1 and 1.75:1 ratios). The top RPM on the 350 is 6300, where its alternator produces 54 amps.

The “little brother” 300 is a tried-and-true giant, producing 300 ponies at 6300 rpm from a 4.0-liter powerhead. Weight is 578 pounds, and the 300 is available in 20”, 25”, and 30” versions to accommodate all transom heights.

A three-year warranty is standard on both engines, and both the 350 and 300 achieve the best possible three-star CARB/EPA emissions rating. Suzuki customers and dealers rate the company’s customer service record highly, especially in the past few years; it’s clear Suzuki is after market share and they are getting it. Their offering has improved dramatically since the early 2000s, and they were no slouch then. These are outboards to watch.

TOHATSU (tohatsu.com)

While Tohatsu doesn’t have an outboard in the 300-horse range, their 250 V-6 four stroke is a great competitor from a company whose approach is no-nonsense, straightforward, and dependable engines. Tohatsu’s TLDI direct-injected two strokes (available up to 115hp) don’t get enough credit in the marketplace for their reliability and clean-sheet approach. Their larger four-strokes, made by Honda and private-labeled for Tohatsu, are excellent, quiet, feature-packed, and dependable. The largest 250-hp model is essentially Honda’s 250, so it’s a proven performer and a solid competitor to the other manufacturers’ 250s. For specs, check the charts; this is a 613 pound, 3.6-liter V6 four stroke that’s well noted for its smooth and quiet demeanor and low-end torque for larger hulls. 

YAMAHA (yamahaoutboards.com)

Yamaha needs no real introduction to outboard enthusiasts; their position at the top of the outboard market is due in large part to their nearly flawless outboard engine performance and wide range of horsepower. As Yamaha has upped the ante at the big end of their product line, their commitment to large engines is clear.

Yamaha’s top of the line is their XTO Offshore, a giant of an outboard V-8 at 5.6 liters and 425 horsepower. Introduced in 2018, the XTO is really aimed at the offshore multi-engine market, as it weighs in at nearly 1000 pounds and is available only in 25”, 30”, and 35” shafts. The older F350, a 5.3-liter, 350-horse EFI V-8 four stroke torque monster that checks in at 763 pounds and is available in 25” and 30” shaft versions, is also still in the lineup as is the F300, a 4.2-liter V6 EFI four stroke that has been a proven performer since its introduction at least a decade ago. With a dry weight of 562 pounds, this engine is available in 25” and 30” shaft lengths for larger boats with taller transoms. Like all Yamaha outboards, the 350 and 300 are CARB 3-Star Ultra Low emissions certified. The 350 carries a five-year warranty, and the 300 has a three-year warranty.   

Whatever your brand and power preference, if you’re in a position to buy one of these monsters, you’re in for some serious performance and superlative reliability. Buying the largest outboard is not the same as it was, for example, back in the 1980s when 300-horse two-strokes were introduced by Evinrude/Johnson and Mercury. Those engines, while exciting due to their sheer size, power, and outrageousness (300 horses in 1980—Unreal!), were not even close to reliable or easy to operate (by today’s standards) and they gulped fuel quicker than a 454 Chevelle. Today’s 300+ outboards offer brute power along with refined operation and uncanny reliability. To say it another way: comparing those 80s two-strokes to today’s DFI two-strokes and EFI four-strokes is like comparing 60s and 70s muscle cars to the Camaros, Mustangs, and Corvettes of today. It’s wistful and nostalgic to operate the older models, but you wouldn’t want to run one every day. The downside is initial cost, of course, and the fact that dealer service is now a necessity. As complex as they are, no shade-tree mechanics will be able to repair one of these babies like they could “back in the day.”

Giant Diesels?

One new entry into the big outboard wars is notable for its uniqueness; that’s Cox Marine’s (www.coxmarine.com) new 300 horsepower diesel outboard. This one fills a unique bill; it provides huge torque (480 lb/ft!) and competitive horsepower, all with fuel-sipping diesel economy, and long life expectancy. With a 60-degree V8 sporting 4.4 liters (266 ci) of displacement and high pressure fuel injection, the Cox diesel will fit the needs of offshore and big-lakes boaters looking for big power and diesel economy and torque. We’ll see how this one develops, but the premise is solid.

This article first appeared in the Winter Issue (Jan/Feb) 2020 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine. 

tags: Engines

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