Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994                   TAG: 9403220103
SECTION: BOAT SHOW                    PAGE: BS-15   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

POWER UP, WEIGH DOWN IN 1994 ENGINE LINEUP

Outboards are stronger, lighter and less bulky. Stern drives are offering more electronic fuel injection options. Four-stroke engines are beginning to get some serious looks.

Here's a look at some of the trends:

\ LEAN AND MEAN: Manufacturers have put their outboards on a weight-reduction program, shaving pounds and profiles while maintaining power and strength.

OMC has 150- and 175-hp lop-charged V-6s built on a big, 158 cubic-inch block that weighs only 370 pounds, the lightest in their class. Evinrude calls its offerings the Spitfire Series; Johnson the SilverStar Series.

Force weighs in even less with its 150-hp, five-cylinder outboard that is 336 pounds. The motor displaces 128.6-cubic inches and is fed by three carburetors.

Mercury and Mariner have gone from their rectangular look to a more curved, streamlined cowling.

\ NEW PRO: Bass anglers like the word "Pro," and that's what Yamaha has put on its new 175 bass special called the ProV. This is Yamaha's 10th year in the U.S. market, and in that time has gained acceptance by pushing technology.

\ FOUR-STROKE: Honda remains the only manufacturer of four-cycle outboards - motors similar to the one under the hood of your automobile, only smaller - but there are a lot of rumors flying, and for good reason.

Federal officials are begining to take notice of marine engine pollution. The four-cycle design not only affords better fuel economy, but has less engine smoke, plug fouling and oil smell.

Last year we reported that Honda had a 120-hp in the works, but there's still no sign of it in dealer showrooms. The biggest Honda is a 45-hp job, which means the four-cycle offerings are still too modest for most bass boats and ski-towing runabouts.

That is expected to change soon. Look for a Honda somewhere between 90 and 120 hp next model year, said Leo Teass, who handles the line at his Paradise Boating on Smith Mountain Lake.

Mercury and Yamaha have signed an agreement to co-develop four-stroke power heads. The first outboard under the agreement is expected to be a 50-hp job to be introduced in the 1995 model year.

EPA regulations affecting marine propulsion could speed this trend. Honda says its 45-hp produces almost 95 percent lower hydrocarbon emissions than a comparable two-stroke engine.

Honda, by the way, has a new 25-hp in its '94 lineup.

\ OFFSHORE RACE: Johnson and Evinrude started an offshore trend last year, with the OceanRunner and the OceanPro in V-6 200 and 225-hp models.

The engines are designed to stand up under the rigors of offshore fishing, and are heavily protected against corrosion.

Joining the offshore race this season is a 3.0-liter, 225-hp outboard by Mercury and Mariner.

Suzuki has a new 200-hp outboard with electronic fuel-injection and an anti-corrosion system.

Yamaha has a saltwater series that includes a 3.1-liter, 225-outboard.

\ THE JET SET: Interest in jet boats is taking off, with Mercury's new variable-ratio, oil-injected Sport-Jet 90 sterndrive leading the race. The compact engine produces 650 pounds of thrust in forward and 110 in reverse. Weight of the engine and jet drive is 214 pounds.

OMC is playing catchup with three versions of a two-stroke jet package called TurboJet. With models available in 70-, 90- and 115-horsepower ratings, OMC is expected to sharply expand its position in the rapidly growing jet propulsion market.

Mercury and Mariner have outboard engines that can be fitted with factory-installed jet drive propulsion in horsepower models ranging from 25 to 200 hp.

\ MORE FEI: There is a greater choice of marine engines, both outboards and stern drives, that have electronic fuel injection. FEI makes for smoother operation and cleaner emissions.

Stern drives, which have been slow coming on line with FEI, have made a major leap in that direction this year.

OMC and Volvo have merged their engineering departments to come out with a new stern drive in the Cobra line for OMC products.

"We have one super unit now, said Ed Graves, of Valley Marine Center, who is an Evinrude-OMC dealer.

The engine is called the Volvo SX in non-OMC offerings.