Yamaha Reliability Inspires Video Series
KENNESAW, Ga. — (BUSINESS WIRE)– In 2013, Charleston Water Taxi repowered its 40-foot, 16,000-pound Corinthian Catamaran with a third set of twin Yamaha F150s, which now log over 7,000* hours and counting. (Running an outboard motor for 7,000 hours is equivalent to driving a vehicle for 225,000 miles in urban commuting, according to national averages, based on US Department of Transportation.) To showcase these reliability case studies, Yamaha Marine Group has launched a new video series, which portray real-world testimonials from boat captains about the power, endurance and reliability of various Yamaha outboard models.
The first video in the series features Scott Connelly and Chip Deaton, co-owners of the Charleston Water Taxi. Connelly and Deaton have a long history with Yamaha outboard power. In 2005, they chose to power their first water taxi with twin Yamaha F150 outboards that ultimately clocked more than 6,800* hours. When it was time to repower, Connelly and Deaton again chose twin Yamaha F150s, that ended up with more than 8,700* hours.
In 2013, Yamaha tested one of the two 8,700-hour F150s acquired from the Charleston Water Taxi against a newer F150. A single test boat was used, and the same performance tests conducted on the boat with each motor, using the same propeller and test load. Amazingly, both outboards recorded nearly the same performance. The chart below gives a side-by-side comparison of the performance data for the newer F150 outboard and the 8,700-hour F150.
Performance Data Newer Yamaha F150 Outboard 8,700-Hour Yamaha F150 Outboard
Time to Plane 4.53 seconds 4.60 seconds
Top Speed 43.7 (6,000 RPM) 43.1 (6,000 RPM)
Fuel Economy
4.56 MPG (3,500 RPM)
4.32 MPG (3,500 RPM)
Nearly new test motor had 240 hours of use.
“Other than small part changes, oil changes, thermostats and just basic maintenance, we haven’t had to do anything to our F150 outboards,” said Connelly. “Less maintenance when you are running outboards for 12 hours a day is huge for us.”
“People depend on us to be on a schedule seven days a week, and we really can’t afford to be down for maintenance problems,” said Deaton. “The reliability of Yamaha proved itself to us within that first year.”
The video can be found at http://yamahaoutboards.com/yamaha-advantage/reliability and on YouTube.com at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WesdHD5Bs3U. Yamaha plans to add several new videos to the High-Hour Outboard series this spring at the same locations.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Group, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.
*Yamaha products and services provided for free. Results are based on commercial use and may vary for traditional retail consumer use.
This document contains many of Yamaha’s valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only, and are not intended to be an endorsement.
