Vmax or Verado

[JDB]

Thanks RB!

Easier to read on the original Web sites:

http://www.yamahaoutboards.com/sites/de ... 14_PNT.pdf

http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/en ... in/?ID=676&

[tms0425]

I read both of those tests before I made my decision, so I suppose YMMV on the water. I also did a ton of prop testing, thanks to my dealer, under varied loads and conditions, and took my own very detailed data. My 2275RCW does ~51 GPS with the same prop they used, with nearly full fuel load 45+ gallons. 0-30 is ~6.5 seconds. WOT fuel burn is 26.2gph (1.9mpg), and it's also very good throughout the midrange (3.5mpg @20). Obviously Merc and Yamaha make great top dog engines these days, and like anything, setup matters when you're trying to get the most performance from them. I have no idea why the factory testing varies so much but I'm very happy with the way mine performs so far. My dealer provides great service, so I expect him to keep it working that way.

Bennington performance testing 1.jpg (34.91 KiB) Viewed 2643 times

[JDB]

One more interesting fact we recently discovered on these engines - Yamaha actually closes the throttle partially @ the upper RPM range to REDUCE the HP on the 225 and the 250 so they all effectively start out as 300HP engines and are electronically governed down to their respective (225 and 250) HP output. The beauty to that is that they are able to deliver the "hole shot" of a 300 with a "hull matching" peak HP number.

They may also be able to provide altitude compensation for the peak HP# but we have not yet determined that for certain.

[JDB]

tms0425, Thanks for your valuable input. You have an awesome performing boat!

Do you have any pics of the underside rear portion of the center tube?
I'm wondering if Bennington my have cleaned up that area in terms of Hydro drag and that might be contributing to your exceptional performance vs the older boat in the test?

Also- have you run ~51ish with the Bimini up and what are your thoughts on up or down for speed and fuel economy?

[tms0425]

tms0425, Thanks for your valuable input. You have an awesome performing boat!

Do you have any pics of the underside rear portion of the center tube?
I'm wondering if Bennington my have cleaned up that area in terms of Hydro drag and that might be contributing to your exceptional performance vs the older boat in the test?

Also- have you run ~51ish with the Bimini up and what are your thoughts on up or down for speed and fuel economy?

It's rainy today but I'd be glad to take a few pics of the business end when the weather clears up. I don't really know that they've changed them other than maybe to beef up the transom with a heavy gusset in the well, just in case someone drops a set back jack plate on there
It is very clean though. I remember looking at the newer version Manitou transom after Bryan worked with them on it, and this one is similar in terms of flow.

All of the baseline testing I do is with me aboard, maybe 1 extra adult passenger, never less than 25 gallons of fuel. Top is always in the radar position with the bimini boot on, front gate closed, all normal gear onboard including the bow gate seat, coffee table, etc. My bimini is an OEM Schwintek power top and while it's solid, I get a little nervous when it's windy and 50mph+. Top down is certainly going to yield a little on the top end, so I leave it down. I also like to be in a little chop as it frees up the running surface of the ESP a bit. Glass smooth water seems to slow it down 1-2mph.

I'm hoping to try a couple more props at some point, but I'm probably at the limit of what's possible without giving up a lot of punch on the low end and midrange.

Hope that helps!

Tom

[wallacer]

Thank you all for all the valuable input and sharing your experiences!! I guess the ball is in my court at this point. Since my son is co-captain of this adventure, I will talk it over with him and try to make a decision. This is my retirement gift to myself and our family and when it comes to spending this amount, I want to be as sure as I can that I've got all my ducks in a row. It's really great to have access to this forum and be able to tap into all the knowledge and experience out there. Thanks again to all, very much appreciated.

Randy

[JDB]

Randy, to add to the confusion, consider the 25" Transom.
Until a couple of years ago, Bennington would not build this type of boat with anything but a 25".
After the SHO was introduced they saw a potential loss of sales - so IN MY OPINION, they lowered their standards a bit and decided that running the motor in a bit more spray, was all of the sudden - Now OK.

Take a look at the video linked in this thread.
viewtopic.php?t=6525

The motor does not belong anywhere near this volume and pressure of water spray and this phenomenon only occurs on pontoons.
Bennington will tell you its fine but you are in a position now to make your own decision.

[Bryden24shp]

Hoping I'm not too late to chime in. But don't let this be a factor, either,
If I was to buy the Premier with the power I wanted, between the two, I would go Yamaha SHO. Even though I have never owned one, personally, but I have ran and tested several.
The Verado....Pencil coils....Pencil coils....Pencil coils.............JUNK!
Even though the Fuel Float has been re-designed and is not SUPPOSED to be an issue... Mine went out after being replaced with the updated version, this summer.
Weight....625 pounds W/O the power steering assembly. Plus the inline Six is not as smooth running as a V-6
The lower unit on the SHO is so steamlined and the Verado's is so big and bulky. It creates alot of drag, plus Merc has replaced alot of lower units for free because of grenading V-shafts. Free is good. Hassle of being towed in...Bad!
The Supercharger is prone to failure either internally or electronically. I'm afraid of them. $2800 just for the part!
I love the SmartCraft Gauges, Digital shifting and power steering. But the P/S is very power hungry! Keep the batteries charged.
I'm not saying I don't like my Verado, even though it sounds like I don't. I actually do like it. But if I was to repower... A SHO would be thrown on the back before another Verado.
And the Yammie ECM can be burnt , too. So you can get your 300 hp.
I might take some crap from some Verado owners, but hey... This is what this forum is all about, guys!
Honest opinions!

Bryan

[Bamaman]

Thanks, Bryan. I knew you had more experience with larger engine motors than most of us.

I would think you can put the fly by wire controls and Yamaha's electronic gauges comparable to SmartCraft on the Yamaha if you're into such technology.

[BoatCop]

We run the 250 Verado on our Patrol boats. The Generation 1 engines were a little problematic, but the new ones are top notch. But even with the Gen 1, we've got one boat with over 850 hours on it, and still going strong. But that was after a couple of power heads and a few sensor failures (all covered by warranty)

The Gen 2 on the other boat has around 250 HRS and not a single hiccup. The secret to the Verados is to make sure you have good batteries. They are voltage sensitive, and start throwing faults if the battery is bad.

You can run regular unleaded fuel with the 250. It's only the 275 and up that need the higher octane stuff. But even if you run 89 or 87 in a higher HP (275+) engines, the computer will sense it and retard timing and boost down. The engine will still run good, but just not at max HP.

The 200, 225, 250, 275 and 300 engines are identical in weight, displacement, bore, stroke, etc. It's all in the computer, injection, boost and timing that gives you more or less HP.

Theoretically you could just put a different computer in the engine and boost your HP for a lower price. I asked my tech about it, just for curiosity's sake. He told me that Federal regulations impose a $25,000 fine for doing it, and any Mercury tech or shop that did it would permanently lose their certification.

The engines are super quiet, run strong with instantaneous power and acceleration.

[ToonGuy]

[quote="BoatCop"]We run the 250 Verado on our Patrol boats. The Generation 1 engines were a little problematic, but the new ones are top notch. But even with the Gen 1, we've got one boat with over 850 hours on it, and still going strong. But that was after a couple of power heads and a few sensor failures (all covered by warranty)
quote]


I'm not sure that's a good endorsement