Question? The latest model of the Yamaha 350 is supposed to be very reliable . The engine cover has a different logo pinstripes on it . Any feed would be appreciated. Life long dream to own this boat. Can finally afford it but not someone’s headache
Yamaha 350 year 2015
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I can't speak for a 2015 350. I CAN speak for my 2018 350. It has been the finest outboard I have ever owned. I would buy another tomorrow if I needed one.
When you say "The Latest Model" is supposed to be very reliable, I assume you mean the 2020's? I think mine, as well as the newer ones are called "350C's."
Remember you have to add flywheel replacement to your maintenance regimen. I can go into detail, or you can research the topic.
You will find several negative reviews and comments on this motor if you haven't already. They are probably justified, as the engine has a questionable past and is therefore tainted in many peoples eyes.
I called Yamaha and they said they have fixed the problems and you just swap flywheels for free. I decided it was worth the gamble for me as it is the ideal power for my 30 ft Marlin 300. (I didn't want 300's.)
Also, consider that Yamaha is discontinuing the 350's at some point. (They were still offered in their lineup last time I looked.) Yamaha and my selling dealer both said they will stand by my 2018 350 and continue to offer parts, flywheels & service. Make certain your 2015 engine will be covered as well.
Check with techs, other owners and gather all the info you can to make an informed decision. I wish I could help with the 2015, but I can't speak knowledgeably about it.
When you say "The Latest Model" is supposed to be very reliable, I assume you mean the 2020's? I think mine, as well as the newer ones are called "350C's."
Remember you have to add flywheel replacement to your maintenance regimen. I can go into detail, or you can research the topic.
You will find several negative reviews and comments on this motor if you haven't already. They are probably justified, as the engine has a questionable past and is therefore tainted in many peoples eyes.
I called Yamaha and they said they have fixed the problems and you just swap flywheels for free. I decided it was worth the gamble for me as it is the ideal power for my 30 ft Marlin 300. (I didn't want 300's.)
Also, consider that Yamaha is discontinuing the 350's at some point. (They were still offered in their lineup last time I looked.) Yamaha and my selling dealer both said they will stand by my 2018 350 and continue to offer parts, flywheels & service. Make certain your 2015 engine will be covered as well.
Check with techs, other owners and gather all the info you can to make an informed decision. I wish I could help with the 2015, but I can't speak knowledgeably about it.
I bought a 2011 F350UCA (2nd generation) with about 750 hours earlier this year. I haven't had any problems with it - and it has no notable warranty claims on file. Yamaha told me by phone that they will cover replacement flywheels for the life of the engine.
I think the key to happiness with F350s is:
I think the key to happiness with F350s is:
- Be sure to winterize them with antifreeze before the first frost if you have a 1st or 2nd generation. The exhaust manifold design on the early engines may not drain fully and water trapped in the manifold can crack the block when it freezes. I believe they fixed this on the "B" and "C" models.
- Get the flywheels changed when the engine tells you to. It's free so it should not be a big deal unless you get caught in a 4 week mechanic's backlog in the middle of the boating season.
- If you're buying one used that did not come from the factory with the updated ECU be sure you calculate total hours based on what's on the gauges PLUS what's written on the ECU or flywheel or in Yamaha's warranty system. (When Yamaha replaced the ECUs in 2015 to add logic that tracked flywheel life remaining, they didn't port over hourmeter data from the original ECUs.)
- Run them below 4500 rpms - the fuel consumption really goes up above that as you can see in the factory test report below.
If I were buying a car and the dealer said that the motor on this car is great just make sure you change the flywheel regularly, I would walk away. Perhaps the 350C is a reliable solution, time will tell
Interesting fact is that the 5 year warranty of the 350C applies only to motors manufactured March 2016 and later
Personally I wouldn't consider a 350.
Consider the exhaust corrosion issues on 2252 and 250s. Many folks didn't have issues but many did and I again would not consider 250s earlier than 2008 model year.
Interesting fact is that the 5 year warranty of the 350C applies only to motors manufactured March 2016 and later
Personally I wouldn't consider a 350.
Consider the exhaust corrosion issues on 2252 and 250s. Many folks didn't have issues but many did and I again would not consider 250s earlier than 2008 model year.
thank you for your input . I meant later year models ,after 2015 . A little disappointed with fly wheel issues but if you stay on top of it , it becomes part of yearly maintenance. 370 express is the boat I’m looking at . 300 yamahas are nice . But the 350s are the way to go .that extra power makes big difference . Thanks again Tuck66
I expect the larger hulls to be getting the XTOs more often once the hulls are certified for the extra power . Time will tell how the 350C sells and holds up.
We are all entitled to our opinions and that is also what makes this website great. I was more turned off by the 350s gas guzzling. They are big, heavy, gas chuggers! Toss in the flywheel issues and that's why we looked to repower with F300's on the used Marlin we just bought. I was also a long owner of the F225s. Had the mid section issue but caught it long before it was a major repair (thanks to this website) and ended up putting almost 2,000 hours on the engines in 14 years.
eppem, What model year were your 225s? Did you experience any symptoms that might have made you think you had the problem? How did you prove that there was an issue?
Did you have the oil pan and pump replaced? Thanks , just being inquisitive ( aka nosy!)
Did you have the oil pan and pump replaced? Thanks , just being inquisitive ( aka nosy!)
I have a sinle F350c on GW 232, it's been absolutely perfect thru 800 hours. The fly wheel takes about 30 min for a tech to change and is covered under warranty for the lifetime of the motor. The ECU gives you a prompt when it needs to be changed (every 80 hours in certain RPM range) Mine gets done once every 2 years or so
Epp:
My 350's will be within a millimeter of a Marlin with 300's as far as fuel burn. They work less.
Stats:
3500-3900RPM 32-35MPH 1.3-1.4MPG
4000-4200RPM 36-38MPH 1.3MPG
The above numbers are my normal-to-hi end cruise.
Once I've burned off several hundred lbs. of fuel, I'll get 1.5 at 3500-3600 RPM. During the infrequent times I run short bursts above 4300, I stop looking at the numbers as it gives me a rash....
It's all perspective, but I don't think the 350's are guzzlers. Before Grady discontinued the 350's as an option, the performance stats on their site had the 350's equal to or slightly ahead of the 300's in the mid-range RPM spectrum.
A side note..My contact at our Grady Club never got back to me regarding the history & past ownership of your Marlin. I didn't want you to think I just forgot about your question.
I am not knocking the 300 engines. Truth be told, they are probably a safer bet than the 350's in the "Big Picture" of ownership. To me, they are the perfect match for a Marlin and I'm thrilled with them.
My selling dealer tells me Yam is considering wrangling 350 HP out of the current 300 V6 block. Ok, fine, but you will lose the unmistakable torque and incredible power that only a V8 can provide. Without the extra two cylinders, it won't be much different than the current 300 except for 2-3 MPH on the hi end. V8's rock like Eric Clapton... My Marlin planes like a RIB inflatable by just feathering the throttles. I smile every time I do it.
A final note:
1.)TUKK66:
Good luck going forward.
2.) Happy Holidays to everyone here.
Dhirsh
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So far I've been happy with my F350's. They are F350B's and have the majority of the changes the F350C's have. From what I've gathered from my research those include the obvious ECM updates, an improved Crank shaft, and the exhaust manifold updates. I have just over 700 Hours and they run flawlessly on my 336 Canyon. I ran my first fuel tank thru and it averaged 1.16 MPG, about what I expected because I ran it a little heavy on an offshore trip fishing. Now that I'm more familiar with running the boat, I expect that I can improve that on the next tank. I'm also considering a Nizpro reflash of the motors. They claim it takes the 350 to 425 and improves torque, speed and fuel economy. Still researching that and it would require a prop change to reap the benefits which isn't free either. All that being said, I doubt there is a better engine available to push this big boat. It jumps on plane and always has plenty of push when you bump the throttles. So until there is a real reason to change, I'll stay with the F350s.
Dhirsh:
My thoughts exactly. There is no substitute I know of to match the 350's for shoving heavy hulls thru the water unless you spring for the XTO 425's, and you could probably buy a house for what you'd pay for them. Besides, they likely wouldn't work on older transoms anyway.
I'll wager you'll see 1.2 on a regular basis in calm sea conditions and maybe 1.3 when you burn off most of your tankage.
My thoughts exactly. There is no substitute I know of to match the 350's for shoving heavy hulls thru the water unless you spring for the XTO 425's, and you could probably buy a house for what you'd pay for them. Besides, they likely wouldn't work on older transoms anyway.
I'll wager you'll see 1.2 on a regular basis in calm sea conditions and maybe 1.3 when you burn off most of your tankage.
Dhirsh
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Magicalbill,
I agree. I found the sweet spot after I had about a half tank burned off and was showing 1.2 to 1.3 at cruise after that point. I'll probably do my normal boating on half tank or less from now on and only fill it when I need the extra range. I filled it to the top and burned it down so I could verify the accuracy of the Yamaha fuel management gauge. It was a good exercise because I found it to be off by about 10 Gallons after 3/4 of a tank burn. Yamaha gauge said I burned 10 more gallons than I actually did, so I may have a very small cushion.
I agree. I found the sweet spot after I had about a half tank burned off and was showing 1.2 to 1.3 at cruise after that point. I'll probably do my normal boating on half tank or less from now on and only fill it when I need the extra range. I filled it to the top and burned it down so I could verify the accuracy of the Yamaha fuel management gauge. It was a good exercise because I found it to be off by about 10 Gallons after 3/4 of a tank burn. Yamaha gauge said I burned 10 more gallons than I actually did, so I may have a very small cushion.
Can you explain how your test was done? I assume you filled the tank to the top but how did you know you burned 3/4 of a tank?
I don't know how the latest fuel management gauges work. The older ones did measure flow using a kind of paddle wheel sensor. On my boat with Mercs, fuel consumption is measured a totally different way. The ECU knows the flow rate of the injectors, the number of injectors, and how long each injector was commanded to fire. It multiples all that info and calculates usage. It's pretty cool how it works and it is quite accurate as long as the injectors work as designed.
Dhirsh
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I filled the tank , reset my Trip and fuel on the yamaha gauge and ran it till I had about 2 bars on the Yamaha fuel gauge. It read 284.6 gallons of fuel had been burned and my trip was at 317.5 miles. I filled the tank completely again and it took 273.6 gallons ( not the 284.6 it showed I had burned). So my Yamaha gauge was off by approximately 4.5% or 11 gallons to what I had actually put back in the tank. Fortunately it Err's on the caution side. 317.5 / 273.6 = 1.16MPG on that tank.
Thanks, that's good data to digest but I have to admit, the Total Sale amount made my heart and wallet skip a beat!
2003s that I bought used in 2006 on a 265. No symptoms, just read about it and spoke to a Yammy mechanic. We dropped the lowers and you can see the corrosion looking up into the powerhead. Yes, we replaced the pan and pump at the same time. Might as well, engine was pretty much torn apart. Its always worth asking, "anything else we should look at while you are working on x,y,z?" Did the same when the t-stats were being rehoused and had All Seasons clean the VST tank because it was so accessible. It didn't add much to the labor bill and turned out with was pretty clean, so they touched it up and I was good to go without a worry. Not being nosy at all, sorry for my delayed reply.