The Latest On Yam 350's:

[magicalbill]

For Those Interested In The Evolution Of The Yamaha 350's....

A few months ago, I read that the Yamaha 350's were being discontinued. I called Yamaha and they said, no, they were still being featured in the lineup.

The other day, I was idly looking at the Grady Website; I noticed there were no 350's as options in the Performance Section.

Curious, I called my selling dealer and he confirmed that Grady, Pathfinder and other lines he carries are no longer offering the 350's.

So...I called Yamaha back as the 350C, (the latest incarnation) is listed on their Site. The guy I spoke with was careful in his responses, as per Corporate Rules, (never give straight answers,) but a good guy and as informative as his Bosses would let him be.

In a nutshell, there are some 350C's left "floating around;" some in dealerships, others already rigged on existing boats for sale. However, if I wanted one he led me to believe that it would be a long and possibly unsuccessful search. They are phasing out the 350's and heading in the direction of expanding the 425's and possibly building even bigger, which I would believe, given the crazy direction offshore OB power is headed. Heck, if people will pay, why not provide?

I love my 2018 350's on my Marlin, as I have said on here many times. I am sincerely glad I purchased the boat in 2018 while the 350's were still an option. I could care less about the flywheels needing changed..it isn't a problem, at least for me.

The Upsides & Downsides for a 350 owner. (Me.)

Upsides:

Yamaha and my dealer have assured me they will continue to support the existing 350's regarding parts availability, service, flywheels and anything needed to keep them going.

Downsides:

If they get stolen, or have a catastrophic failure, (pistons flying thru the cowling, submersion, etc,) I may not be able to replace them and that's a bit disquieting...

It may make it more difficult to sell the boat when it's time, due to the tainted reputation the 350's have. This doesn't bother me much; we love the boat and plan to keep it, and when the time to sell approaches, we'll get what we get and move on. I have never bought a boat to please the next potential buyer; When you write a check with as many zeros in it as it takes to buy a Grady, I want it the way I want it.

I wish the engines were not going away, but I understand profit & loss and providing what customers demand. I love my Walkaround Marlin, but understand why Grady turns out Freedoms in double handfuls.

Anyway, that's The Latest.

 

[ElyseM]

hey, how's it going.

yeah, slight bummer on the engines. hopefully no flywheel issues after they put the maintenance program in effect. tech mentioned that the real problem is with the go fast cc's (but the heat build up is real).

there's a new 330 next to me with 425's. 350's are more than enough, but choice is gone. hopefully Yamaha back fills with another option.

congratulations on the Marlin. ron

 

[magicalbill]

Thanks Ron:

All is going fine given the weird world we live in at the moment. Hope your doing well, also.

RE: Flywheels:

No problems at all with mine. 240 hrs and flawless operation. (Knocking on wood..) I've had a couple flywheels replaced and it's not a big job. Once, I was able to coincide the swap with my 100 hr service.

RE: Backfilling:

My dealer told me Yam is thinking in the direction of expanding the 425's and building even bigger ones later. He also said that Yamaha may build a 350 off the six cylinder block of the 300's. Guess it wouldn't take much and the weight would be less.

However, I wouldn't want to lose the extra 2 cylinders. That is a big deal when it comes to planing and overall power. "No replacement for displacement." HP is HP but torque is a big part of the equation.

 

[mr_mbuna]

I have owned a 2011 F350 for a couple months. No problems in that short time, of course. Something that gave me confidence buying a boat with this engine is that they are relatively affordable on the used market - so while you may not be able to get a new one you could get a used replacement for $5K-$10K. You could go through 3 of those before hitting the cost of a new engine.

 

[magicalbill]

I have owned a 2011 F350 for a couple months. No problems in that short time, of course. Something that gave me confidence buying a boat with this engine is that they are relatively affordable on the used market - so while you may not be able to get a new one you could get a used replacement for $5K-$10K. You could go through 3 of those before hitting the cost of a new engine.

True enough:

That is an option, although I'm banking on 10-11 years of trouble-free operation, which is what most new Yamahas will provide, given reasonable care and proper maintenance. This isn't a given, but it's not unreasonable to expect it.

By then, I'm in my mid-to-late 70's and a re-evaluation will likely take place at that point.

 

[Twin 300’s]

Wonder why Suzuki has a 350 dual prop that is way better then the Yamaha I would discontinue the motor after years of probs like Yamaha did. Who puts out a motor you have to change flywheels on every 80-100 hours just don’t make sense to me. I would never buy a motor that starts with a flaw out of the factory.

 

[magicalbill]

Twin 300's:

That's why there are choices and why we have these forums to broaden knowledge.

To me, Suzuki & Yamaha are Honda & Toyota in the automotive field. Both good products. I happen to be Yamaha-loyal. They have never let me down, (with the exception of my '94 250 on my '92 Seafarer.)

If my 350's start biting me and giving me grief, then I may go another route, but so far they have been the finest outboards I've ever owned.

If mine were stolen, I would search the Country to buy another pair just like them, but, as my post above stated, it would be a difficult search.

 

[mr_mbuna]

I'm banking on 10-11 years of trouble-free operation, which is what most new Yamahas will provide, given reasonable care and proper maintenance. This isn't a given, but it's not unreasonable to expect it.

My F225 was running flawlessly at 15 years old - and continues to do so for its new owner. My assumption is that Yamaha engines will last 20 years or 2,000 hours, whichever comes first.

 

[magicalbill]

mr _mbuna:

I think that's entirely possible. I capped my optimism at 10 years trying to be realistic in salt water operation, but, like yourself, I have seen many specimens outlast that time frame.

Here's To Longevity....

Touching on fuel burn for a moment:

Pushing my Marlin, I get 1.3-1.4 MPG all day long between 3600-3900 RPM running between 32-35 MPH. As you mentioned, pop it over 4K and you start getting depressed....

Your stats on your boat are more impressive than that, although your pushing less gelcoat thru the water.

I think these 350's are pretty efficient for V8 Mils.