New Outboards from Yamaha: F25 and F90

If you’re looking at new outboards, be sure to check out the Yamaha F25 and F90 HP models. These engines represent a nice step up from Yamaha’s previous offerings, in several different ways. First, let’s take a look at the F25.

The new 2017 F25 is 66 pounds lighter than the 25 horsepower outboard it replaces, it comes with Yamaha’s “Variable Trolling Speed” (which lets you adjust RPM in increments of 50, so you can fine-tune trolling speeds), and it has a larger alternator which boosts output from 14 to 16 amps. That’s all cool stuff, but it’s not even the best part. The new F25 has battery-less EFI. As one would expect this improves efficiency, but eliminating that old carburetor has an even bigger advantage: it virtually eliminates ethanol issues. Since the fuel system is closed the gas isn’t exposed to the air, and it doesn’t turn into that gummy mess that gunks up carburetors on a regular basis. I own a battery-less EFI outboard myself (a 15-horse Suzuki – Yamaha isn’t the first one to arrive at this party), and I can tell you that it’s made a world of difference. One- or maybe two-pull starts are the norm, and the carburetor never gets yucked up because, well, there’s no carburetor.

Also new is the 2017 Yamaha F90. This engine dropped from 366 pounds to 353 pounds, which isn’t exactly a huge difference, but in doing so it also gained in displacement from 1.6 liters to 1.8. That means a boost in bottom-end torque, for faster planing. Yamaha also up-sized the alternator, going from 25 to 35 amps. More importantly, this alternator can put out around 28 amps even at no-wake speeds. Like the F25, this model also includes variable trolling speed adjustments.

Both of these new outboards can be purchased with either remote controls or Yamaha’s “Multi-Function” tiller handle, and both can also be rigged with Yamaha’s SDS propellers. These give anglers a serious advantage in that they eliminate the fish-spooking “clunk” you usually get when shifting into gear.