Boats

Yamaha F200

Does Yamaha’s new F200 prove smaller is better?

By Dean Travis Clarke

Updated: April 19, 2013

For a list of hot new 2013 marine engines, click here.

Yamaha’s new F200 is the lightest four-stroke outboard in its class. At 487 pounds (20-inch shaft length), the four-cylinder engine weighs just 14 pounds more than Yamaha’s 200-horsepower HPDI two-stroke engine.

There’s more to like than just an impressive power-to-weight ratio. The F200 boasts more displacement than any other four-cylinder 200 and all but one six-cylinder 200. Combined with natural aspiration and Yamaha’s variable camshaft timing, this 2.8-liter (163 cubic inch displacement), 16-valve DOHC engine promises excellent top-end speed, as well as the ability to make maximum midrange torque and deliver blazing acceleration. The F200 comes with your choice of mechanical or digital controls, and Yamaha says the new F200 runs just fine on 89-octane fuel. The F200’s alternator puts out 50 amps, which is par for this class of engine.

Since the F200 offers slightly greater displacement than the previous Yamaha 2.7-liter four-cylinder F150 offers, you might think the F200 is simply a bored-out version of the same powerhead. You’d be wrong. Despite the similarity in displacement, the F200 is a totally new design, according to Yamaha engineers.

The F200 meets all current Environmental Protection Agency emission standards and has earned a California Air Resources Board (CARB) ultralow emissions three-star rating.

Quantum Mechanics
The F200 not only removes weight from a boat’s transom, but it also is compact in size. At 21.6 inches wide, the F200 can utilize 26-inch mounting centers in multiple engine applications compared with the 28.5-inch centers of Yamaha’s 200 hp V-6 models. Repowering? The F200 shares the mounting bolt pattern of Yamaha’s HPDI 200, and its light weight makes it a candidate to replace any make of two-stroke engine. This is particularly true for older boats that weren’t designed with the buoyancy aft to properly carry heavier engines. Its ability to run off mechanical as well as digital controls also makes the F200 an excellent repower choice. But know that the existing V-6 F200 remains a current model, and may be better-suited to larger, heavier boats due to its increased torque and ability to swing larger props.

Design Features
Yamaha’s variable camshaft timing system changes the angle of the intake camshaft to dramatically increase power and throttle response. This is especially noticeable in the critical 2,000 rpm to 3,500 rpm ranges. The result is great hole shot, plus loads of control running at speed.

Yamaha equipped the F200 with shift damper system (SDS) hardware. An SDS propeller, together with counterbalancing shafts, helps minimize shifting vibration and reduce the “clunk” associated with shifting.

There is no supercharger or turbocharger under the F200’s cowl. Air entering the block is routed through a single electronically controlled throttle valve. Combined with multipoint fuel injection, the air-fuel delivery system, according to Yamaha, optimizes power and efficiency. Those following the automotive sector know that smaller engines are now making more power and better efficiency than before. For boaters, engines like Yamaha’s new F200 bode well for propelling new boats and for repowering older boats.

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