Yamaha Marine has demonstrated its new 350hp V6 engine to a gathering of marine journalists and influencers in La Spezia, Italy.

During the ‘Marine Experience’ press event held last week, various large RIBS and day cruisers from global brands showcased the 4.3L engine in action against the backdrop of Italy’s Cinque Terre National Park.

The event started with a gala dinner and presentation hosted by Yamaha Motor Europe brand marketing manager Masha Milenkovic, who touched upon Yamaha’s brand values and heritage, with additional talks from various product experts. Discussions included the rise in demand for bigger and better engines and how the recently launched 350hp V6 engine has been designed to meet this ever-increasing demand for horsepower diversity.

“We are thrilled to be demonstrating our exciting and powerful new 350hp V6 engine to a wide range of marine professionals, enabling them to witness what this engine can really achieve,” says Fabrice Lacoume, marine director at Yamaha Motor Europe, hailing the event a triumph.

“With the European market trend for increased boat sizes with single and multiple engine configurations, the 350hp V6 is the ideal engine to meet the diversity demanded by today’s boat owner, with the technical enhancements made to our industry-leading Helm Master EX and integrated bow thruster enriching the engine’s advanced technological features.”

350hp V6

Designed to bridge the power gap between the V6 and V8, the 350hp V6 takes the technology of Yamaha’s flagship XTO 450hp engine with the design of its original 350hp outboard. Yamaha says this enables greater air flow and more torque at lower speeds to create a more responsive performance and exhilarating experience when piloting the boat.

In addition to Yamaha’s built-in Digital Electric Steering (DES) and Thrust Enhancing Reverse Exhaust (TERE), enhancements have been made to the Helm Master EX control rigging system, which includes a joystick-integrated variable speed bow thruster, with technology supported by Sleipner and Vetus. Yamaha has also expanded the bow thruster integration to single and quad applications.

The firm’s 704 Mechanical Control Box is now available with a neutral locking feature, which allows the outboard to maintain a neutral position while the engine is running.

Press test

Taking place aboard various boats fitted with single, twin, or triple 350hp V6 engines and equipped with Yamaha’s Helm Master EX control rigging system, marine journalists and influencers witnessed the engine’s big block power in action across a variety of outboard motor applications.

The event boats included a Capelli Tempest 900, fitted with a single outboard, a Jeanneau 10.5 equipped with twin engines and an Invictus TT 420, displaying a triple 350hp V6 engine set-up.

Yamarin’s 80DC fitted with a single engine, as well as a smaller Capelli Tempest 42 RIB and a Sterk 31 RC, both equipped with twin 350hp V6 outboards, made up the rest of the boat brands being showcased at the event.

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Despite the less favourable weather, the press test enabled the groups, who all travelled to Italy from across Europe, to put the 350hp V6 engine through its paces around La Spezia’s scenic harbour and out into the open water. This was where groups could really test the true performance capability of the engine, taking turns at the helm to drive each boat at full throttle, as well as trying out Yamaha’s Helm Master EX joystick features, including the integrated bow thruster, in the harbour.

The star of the show was undoubtedly the Invictus TT 420, rigged with triple 350hp V6 engines with Yamaha’s Helm Master EX and integrated bow thruster. The 12.8-metre day cruiser topped out at an impressive 45 knots.

The UK group unanimously hailed the Yamarin 80DC with the single 350hp V6 as their favourite of all the boats tested. The group was impressed by the layout and effective use of space, as well as the wraparound windshield that provided protection from the wind as the boat cruised at 35 knots.

Yamaha’s 350hp V6 will be available to purchase from August 2024. It offers a fresh and elegant cowling design and two different colour options: metallic grey or pearl white.

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