Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 23, 1992 TAG: 9202220070
SECTION: BOAT SHOW PAGE: BS-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
'92 ENGINES CUTTING NEW WAKES
The people who manufacture marine engines have spent most of their time fine-tuning existing motors during this period of soft sales, but there are a handful of significant exceptions.The breakthrough engines may not be something you'll rush out to buy this year, but they could influence what you own in the future.
As for purchasing an established engine, interest rates are down, dealers are anxious to sell and, in some cases, warranties have been extended to two years and more. That can add up to a good time to buy, especially since prices aren't expected to come down in the future. In fact, government imposed engine emissions standards could make them considerbly more expensive down the road.
In the trailblazing category, Outboard Marine Corp. has an outboard motor that is mounted inside the craft. The quiet, concealed, low-profile engine gives the boat the sleek lines of a stern-driven runabout while retaining the space, performance and handling advantages associated with an outboard.
Unlike other outboards, which consume space when they are tilted or trimmed, this one has a pivoting bracket that enables it to trim and tilt within its own profile.
The buzz phrase is "vertical integration," and the engine has earned the 1992 Popular Mechanics Design & Engineering Award. It comes in a 90-h.p. rating and is dubbed the OMC Quiet Rider. It is available in the Sunbird Eurosport 190, a runabout that is part of the OMC family.
Also ballyhooed as a breakthrough - it has won two major awards - is the Yamaha Hydra-Drive, a stern-drive engine that features what is being tagged as the industry's first successful hydraulic clutch.
This clutch system enjoys a smooth, shock-free shift operation, and is reported to offer greater midrange economy, better acceleration and improved durability.
OMC also has given its Cobra stern drive more strike with the introduction of the King Cobra 351. Built on a Ford V8 block, the 285 h.p. engine is reported to produce a 20 percent power increase over the standard version.
The 1992 MerCruiser 350 Magnum stern drive has a new camshaft design to boost bottom and midrange torque. That should make it a hit with serious water skiers; in fact, it has been given the name 350 Magnum Tournament Ski.
While jet boats may not develop into a serious craze at lakes like Smith Mountain and Claytor - where sand bars and Manatees are rare - Johnson and Evinrude believe they fill an important role. For 1992, they have a family of four, rated at 35, 65, 80 and 105 jet power.
Designed to operate in water less than a foot deep, they can take fishermen through white-water rapids and over shallow bars and shoals with no need to tilt or stop the engine.
Evinrude and Johnson continue to enjoy success with the Spitfire and SilverStar series of V6s introduced last year. Smaller, lighter and quieter, they include a 150 and 175 rating. Sporty Intruder and FastStrike models are designed especially for competitive bass fishermen.
Mercury and Mariner have a new 150 and three new 175 outboards, all based on the 2.5 liter engine introduced last year in a 200-h.p. rating. Displacement has been increased, for better acceleration and load carrying capabilities, as well as improved durability and reliability.
A new sound attenuator and under-cowl improvements has resulted in a quieter operation of these V-6 models. The 150 is reported to be 25 percent quieter, which could mean that Mercury and Mariner now have the lowest noise level of large motors in the business.
Force, part of the Brunswick family, is concentrating on less expensive, fewer frills models, rated 5 to 150 horsepower.