When horsepower is never enough: here are the world’s most powerful outboard motors

The “horse race” never stops. If until a few years ago seeing 300 horsepower on a transom seemed like an exaggeration, today it is the norm. Shipyards are building bigger and bigger, heavier and higher-performance boats, and engine builders are responding in kind to keep up.

When horsepower is never enough: here are the world’s most powerful outboard motors

From the monstrous cubes of American V12s to the silent electric revolution, here are the most powerful outboard motors on the market today.

Mercury Verado 600 V12

Let’s start with the king of the category: currently, no one beats Mercury Marine in terms of pure production power. The 600-horsepower Verado V12 is an engine that has rewritten the rules: 12 cylinders, a whopping 7.6 liters of displacement, so large and mammoth that the engine block remains motionless, and only the foot moves to steer. To handle that kind of torque and power, it even has a two-speed automatic transmission. It is designed to push large yachts where inboards were previously needed, such as the new De Antonio D60, which has as many as four.

Read the full article where we explain in detail the features of this engine.

Yamaha XTO 450 V8 Outboard

For years it has been the benchmark, and today it has evolved. Yamaha ‘s giant is theXTO Offshore, now up to the 450-horsepower mark. Under the grille is a 5.6-liter V8 with direct injection, just as on the previous XTO 425 from which it is derived, the first four-stroke engine to be introduced in 2018. It is an engine designed not only to race, but to generate lots of thrust and torque, ideal for moving heavy boats. Above all, a lot of development has gone into noise reduction, resulting in a much quieter engine both at speed and in gear engagement.

Read the full article where we explain in detail the features of this engine.

Honda BF350 V8

With the BF350, Honda Marine has launched its first V8 engine. The 5000cc displacement, for the category, is record-breaking, in true Honda style. The philosophy is to offer an engine that does not seek extreme aggressiveness, but a mix of power and smoothness, and plenty of torque, for cruising speed that is as wide as possible. Equipped of course with VTEC technology (the variable valve timing), it offers fuel consumption that, thanks to the BLAST and ECOmo system, promises to be among the lowest in its class, another strong point of the Japanese manufacturer.

Read the full article where we explain in detail the features of this engine.

Suzuki DF350 AMD

Power is not everything: it also matters to transfer it to the water. The Suzuki DF350, in its latest AMD version, has become a benchmark in its class, thanks to the Suzuki Dual Prop System technology , i.e., a counter-rotating twin propeller foot as standard . The result is un immediate “grip” on the water and no evolutionary effect when used in single-engine mode, a quality that is really noticeable when pulled over. It is also the only V6 in the review, with a displacement of 4.4 liters, a feature that makes it the lightest.

Read the full article where we explain in detail the features of this engine.

Evoy Storm 300+ Outboard

Let’s close with the future-perhaps. If you think electric is 5-knot pond stuff, you have never seen an Evoy. The Storm model is the most powerful electric outboard in the world. The manufacturer claims a continuous horsepower rating of 300, but with peaks that go far beyond that. The torque is instantaneous; as soon as you touch the throttle, the thrust crushes you to the seat. But so much power requires just as much battery power. And when you give it a throttle, the charge percentage literally drops by the minute.

Read the full article where we explain in detail the features of this engine.