Yamaha’s new V8 XTO Offshore outboard engine is designed for extreme power and thrust, specifically aimed at today’s larger, heavier offshore boats. By applying new technology and rethinking the outboard engine and its related systems, the Georgia-based company feels it has a winner.
“This is an integrated outboard system, designed to push the heaviest offshore boats on the water today,” says Ben Speciale, Yamaha marine group president. “The new Yamaha V8 XTO Offshore has a displacement of 5.6 liters, tremendous thrust and 425 horsepower. The engine provides extreme performance for the biggest boats. Combine it with the latest generation of Helm Master and Yamaha’s CL7 display, and you have benefits offered nowhere else.”
To accomplish this goal, Yamaha understood that the engine would be driving extremely large propellers and would need a massive, rugged gearcase and a high-displacement powerhead. As the first four-stroke powerhead in the outboard industry to use direct injection, the V8 XTO Offshore sprays fuel at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber, rather than the intake track just before the intake valve. This greatly improves atomization and increases the effectiveness of the fuel burn for maximum power and efficiency.
The new engine also boasts the highest compression ratio in an outboard at 12.2 to 1. This means more bang from every spark, as well as better fuel efficiency and power. The new XTO OS propellers are made to complement the torque potential, producing more thrust in both forward and reverse, using diameters from 16 to 17⅛ inches with increased blade surface area.
The V8 XTO Offshore also has integrated electric steering, the first of its kind in any outboard engine. The integrated steering system has no hydraulic lines or linkages, and responds more quickly than conventional systems to steering inputs. In addition, integrated electric steering means reduced power consumption and very clean rigging.
