V300 vs F350...

[bluffman2]

i think about 1100 maybe 1200

[CAP1]

I would think 1000 - 1200 RPM in neutral/idle range would a little high, and will definitely cause the 'clunk' as the linkage moves and prop goes from zero RPM to 1000 in less that a second.
I would think closer to 600 RPM in neutral would be closer to what you want. Every 'Rude and Merc (including Mariner) I ever beed around was closer to the 600 RPM range in neutral unless it was outta tune and the owner had to keep it rev'd to keep it from stalling.
Just my .02.

[bluffman2]

Cap your probally right...i need to make for certain what the rpm is at idle...it may be lower than im posting....cause when im on the boat rpms is last thing on my mind.....i normally have a couple younguns running around the boat im having to watch!!

[welder]

I idle at about 700/750 Rpm's with the BF225

Lester

[Kern O]

My Merc Drag 300's had to idle at 750 or they'd die. There's no reason a normal motor should idle any higher than 800. Drag 300's are not normal. But oh, are they sweet at full song........

[Gulf Cart]

Originally Posted by welder

Well ther ya go , They all are with in a few sec. of each other and the noise levels are all close and the MPG is even very close.

So you could say ............Run what ya brung, Let's go Fishing.

Lester

MC

Exactly.. It's all about what YOU Want"![IMG][/IMG]

Twin 350's - 2008 GW..

[glen e]

Gulf - that is a damn fine looking boat.....the 350's really look like they fit well....as a former verado owner and now the 350's, what are the things you notice that you like/dislike about either?

[Inspector62]

I currently own twin F150's and overall I'm very happy with them, but you are correct they give a very loud "KLUNK" going into gear. It's pretty annoying when trying to finess into position over some fish in a shallow river.

My other dislike is they tend to stall when first started at the boat ramp when put into gear. Once warmed up they don't do it any more.

[Gulf Cart]

Originally Posted by glen e

Gulf - that is a damn fine looking boat.....the 350's really look like they fit well....as a former verado owner and now the 350's, what are the things you notice that you like/dislike about either?

Honestly Glenn, I was happy with the Verados but as you know the 225's on my 32' ProLine didn't make it. Couldn't get mileage nor speed. Way under powered. I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. I didn't want triples. Grady didn't offer Mercs. of course. Would I have taken them?, probably, as long as they could push the 16k lbs as well.

I also think when you start getting into engines this big including 300's, comparing mileages and horsepower gets a little rediculous. If your going WOT all day maybe but cruise? If 2 or 3 10ths makes a difference then you shouldn't even be looking at that boat. It's like Chevy, Ford, Dodge...we all have our preferences for different reasons. Heck - I got a Zuke on my 18' bay boat!! I love it!

One thing which is a little hard to get used to (not anymore) is the turn ratio. Verado (on mine) was 4 turns stop to stop. On these its 8! A lot of cranking the wheel when I first ran it. The TR 1 works great with the 350's as it did with the Mercs. (there is no whine in the steering!?)
The clunk in and out of gear is normal. It's not as bad as the old grinding gear boxes! But yes Verados go in and out smoother.

Smart gauges give more info then the Yammies.

One stupid thing that bothers me..no neutral light on the throttles.

I think low end torque is important with a heavy boat. These engines get me on plane quick for the size boat it is.

Are they the best?..hell , I don't know. I read all these forums and just shake my head. My dealer is great. So was my Merc. dealer. He just went for a week to Yamaha to learn more about the 350's. I asked him of any problems, he said none so far. A couple fuel sensor issues (sound familiar). I haven't had to deal with warrantee issues yet so i'm not sure how Yamaha is on that end. But I do know my dealer will go the distances to make it right. I think your dealer is the most important. I think you'll agree. Doesn't matter what brand. If they don't know what they are doing your cooked.

So I guess those are my best guesses at comparisons. The performance info on the Grady site for Yamahas is pretty close. Cruise 3900 RPM, 1.3 mpg. WOT 50mph, .67gph.
Mind you that's a 15,500 lb boat.

Keep up the good work..I wish there was a Yamaha owners site like yours!

[glen e]

Gulf - I could not agree more....there is no diff in these big motors...any body who compares slight diff in specs when spending this amt of money is very anal...I was more interested in the comparison of user interface on the two motors (controls)....