350 Perf/Marlin:

[magicalbill]

These numbers are why I'm thrilled to have 350's on my Marlin.

Admittedly, this was taken while on the Gulf with a light East (offshore) breeze, so it was almost pancake flat. Therefore, I could trim it out to a fairly efficient attitude.

3/4 fuel load, full water & diesel,(generator) & 1 passenger with a bare touch of port tab to level her out.

Note the speed vs economy. I'll replace flywheels 'till Doomsday for these kind of numbers.

I know many are skeptical of the 350's, but Yamaha and my techs say the problems are resolved; Just get new flywheels every 80 hrs for free and go on.

It comes down to whether you believe them or not and I do. If I'm proven wrong and they cause grief, I'll take my 50 lashes, but I'm betting they're fixed.

We'll see.....

 

[seasick]

I don't know. If the problem is fixed, why get new flywheels every 80 hours?

 

[magicalbill]

I should've explained further.

Apparently, rather then spend the vast amount of money it would take to re-design the engine from scratch, Yamaha's "band-aid" was to give the customers free flywheels whenever the engine reaches 80 running hours between 3500-4300 RPM. Apparently within that RPM spectrum, the flywheel sets up a harmonic vibration that can be harmful to engine components beyond the 80 hr limit. Keep in mind, with idling & trolling the engine will likely have well over 100 hrs before the 80 hr flywheel RPM requirement is reached. The "maintenance reminder" pops up on the instrument cluster, and you go in to the dealership, or wherever you have yours serviced.

I've had it done once; it's no big deal..I just combined it with my 100 hr service.

To directly respond to your reply, yes it would be better if it was completely resolved, but my goal is carefree boating, and as long as the flywheels are complimentary, I would rather have the V8 350's as opposed to the 300's. Nothing in the world wrong with the 300's, I just like the extra power for long distance cruising, and the torque from a V8 outboard is unreal. I feather the throttles to plane it off, and I'm immediately backing off power when it climbs over the hump. It's really cool, and my mileage is likely at or close to the 300's on the Marlin hull.

 

[magicalbill]

teaklejr:

Thought I'd bring this back to the forefront to give you an idea of what the 350's will do on your possible 305 Express. The 305 is about 500 lbs heavier than our Marlin, so drop these numbers slightly.

Note I'm netting 1.3 MPG at 36-37MPH. I could notch them up to 4400, a high-end cruise to be sure, and the boat would crack 40 MPH at 1.2. MPG and run there all day given calm conditions.

With all of you that fish offshore, I would think these get-the-heck-home speeds would be enticing...