Are you an angler who craves the thrill of fishing in serene waters, undisturbed by noisy engines? Look no further! The ePropulsion electric outboard motor is your ticket to a tranquil and eco-friendly fishing experience. All ePropulsion electric outboard motors require minimal maintenance and are dependable, ensuring hassle-free operation during your fishing trips. No more fumbling with pull cords or dealing with messy fuel!

Weighing in at just 6.7 kg (14.7 lbs), the ePropulsion 500 W eLite Electric Outboard Motor (1.5 HP comparable) is designed to be the most compact and lightweight electric outboard in its class. The eLite is easy-to-use, offering one-click removal/installation and balances perfectly on its folded tiller. Setting up has never been this effortless. It also comes with a carrying bag for easy storage and transport.  

The ePropulsion 1 kW Spirit 1.0 Plus and Spirit 1.0 Evo Series Electric Outboard Motors (3 HP comparable) combine convenience, sustainability, and reliability. Its lightweight construction (only 44 lbs, including the battery) makes it easy to transport and deploy. Equipped with a 1276 Wh integrated lithium battery, the Spirit Motor provides ample power for extended fishing trips. With one charge, you can cover up to 22 miles at 4.5 mph or enjoy all-day fishing at trolling speed. The ePropulsion Navy Evo Series (3 kW / 6 kW, comparable to 6 HP / 9.9 HP), offers impressive range. For example, with the Navy 6.0 Evo, you can cover up to 45 miles at 5mph on a single charge, making it suitable for extended fishing trips. Whether you’re trolling or cruising, the Navy series ensures you stay on the water longer.

The post ePropulsion: Your Sustainable Power for Stealthy Fishing Adventures appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The day had finally arrived when I could test the new CXO300 diesel outboard motor from Cox Powertrain Ltd., a sea trial I had anticipated for 32 months, since attending the public debut of this landmark engine at the 2018 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Developmental delays had led to postponements of this test until June 2021.

As I met Lance Henrichsen and Rayden King from Boatswain’s Locker in Alamitos Bay, California, the single CXO300 was already idling. I sniffed the air and detected no diesel exhaust odor, just the scent of briny ocean.

Noise Level Test

Engine noise proved very low—just 66 decibels on the A-scale at idle when measured at the helm. Absent was the typical diesel “knock.” As a point of comparison, the CXO300 emits about the same sound level at idle as I recorded when testing the Pursuit DC 326 with twin Yamaha F300 gas outboard motors. On the other hand, during my recent test of Mag Bay 42 with twin Volvo Penta D-13 turbo-diesel inboards, the sound level rumbled at 83 decibels on the A-scale at idle.

Boatswain’s Locker is the Southern California distributor for Cox Powertrain, and it rigged the CXO300 on a S25 Safe Boat, an aluminum boat with a foam collar which served as a patrol boat for the United States Coast Guard in a previous life. It weighs approximately 8,000 pounds with the engine, 55 gallons of fuel and the three-man crew. Though no longer available from Safe Boat and certainly not a typical fishing machine, this model served as an able platform for my test. Standard rigging for the CXO300 includes Dometic electronic throttle and shift controls and Optimus electric steering. The 30-inch-shaft test engine was also rigged on a SeaStar jackplate, but we left it in the full down position while gathering performance data and putting the boat and motor through its paces.

Cox Diesel Design

Cox Powertrain is a British diesel-engine company that has invested more than a decade of development in the CXO300. The twin-turbo-charged four-stroke V-8 powerhead displaces 4.4 liters and is served by a common-rail fuel injection system. Featuring a vertical orientation similar to most gas outboards, the CXO300 is built for marine applications. Another major diesel outboard brand—Swedish-built OXE—uses horizontally mounted, automotive-based diesel powerheads. Its 300 hp model, for example, sports an inline-six-cylinder 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel powerplant from BMW, which drives the propeller via a series of heavy-duty belts and pulleys.

The Cox 300 employs a conventional outboard drivetrain with a vertical drive shaft connecting the motor to the lower unit, which houses the forward and reverse gear system similar to most gas outboards. That said, drivetrain components are specially designed for commercial applications and oversized to handle the CXO300′s maximum torque of 480 foot-pounds. For perspective, peak torque for a 300 hp gas outboard is around 380 foot-pounds, which is reached at 2,500 to 3,000 rpm, according to test data from Cox.

Cox says that its engine is designed to last up to three times longer than comparable gas outboards, but only time will tell if that claim holds water.

By way of background, diesels operate at a lower engine speed (rpm). The CXO300 diesel outboard, for instance, tops out at about 4,000 rpm versus about 6,000 rpm or higher for many of today’s gas outboards. Despite the lower engine speed, diesels have greater torque so they can turn a higher gear ratio and/or larger diameter propeller to convert their torque into boat speed. There’s also the safety factor in diesel fuel, which has a much higher flash point than gasoline, and so is less prone to ignite, if there is a fuel system leak.

By the Numbers

We ran the CXO300 in the protected waters inside the breakwater of Long Beach Harbor to gather speed and sound levels, but S25′s PV780 Murphy engine display (part of the CXO300 rigging package) had not yet been set up to read gallons per hour, so I used data supplied by Boatswain’s Locker for the fuel consumption data and extrapolate miles per gallon.

The engine turned a 16-inch-diameter by 19-inch-pitch stainless-steel four-blade propeller from PowerTech. The Safe Boat accelerated from zero to 30 mph in an average time of 11.7 seconds, and bolted like a wahoo on the attack once the twin turbos spooled up. Time to plane was 4.5 seconds. We achieved a top speed of 40.9 mph at 4,000 rpm, where the diesel outboard burned 18.8 gallons per hour for 2.2 mpg, according to supplied fuel data.

Cox says the CXO300 offers at least a 25 percent better range than a comparable gasoline outboard. That claim is hard to confirm without a direct comparison on the same boat under the same conditions. However, CXO300 achieved its best fuel economy at 3,000 rpm and 29.7 mph with a burn rate of 8.9 gph, resulting in 3.3 mpg. That equates to a cruising range of 297 miles, based on 90 percent of the S25′s 100-gallon fuel capacity.

For boating anglers, slow-trolling with the CXO300 will be an issue, as the slowest speed I could achieve was 5 mph with the 1.46-to-1 gear ratio. The outboard is also available with a 1.23-to-1 gear ratio, but this ratio will only exacerbate the issue by increasing the speed at idle in gear. The Cox diesel outboard cannot be fitted with trolling valves, as can inboard diesel transmission.

Sound levels at the helm of the S25 remain comparatively low, registering 83 and 87 decibels on the A-scale at optimum cruising speed and wide-open throttle, respectively.

Read Next: Mercury Racing Unveils Optimax Diesel Outboard

The CXO300 will be offered in three shaft lengths—25, 30 and 35 inches—in both black and white exterior paint schemes. It weighs 866 pounds and carries a suggested retail price of $55,000. It is available now. Approximately 150 motors have been delivered around the world.

Pricing and Specs

Performance*

• Load: 55 gal. fuel, three crew members aboard Safe Boat S25
• Time to 30 mph: 11.7 sec.
• Top Speed: 40.9 mph @ 4,000 rpm
• Best MPG: 3.3 mpg @ 29.7 mph (3,000 rpm)

Notable Features

• Carbon fiber engine hood reduces weight
• Dometic Optimus electric steering system
• Electronic throttle and shift
• Keyless fob offers remote starting and serves as an engine cut-off switch
• Thermostatically controlled raw-water cooling
• NMEA 2000 compatible

Cox Powertrain Ltd.

coxpowertrain.com

Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom

+44(0)1273 454 424

The post Cox Powertrain 300 hp Diesel Outboard Motor Test appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When everything runs correctly, an outboard engine is like a light switch: It’s one of those engineering marvels we take for granted. But just how does it work? How does it take fuel and turn it into power?

To answer that question and shed light on the latest innovations, I spoke with product managers for today’s most popular engine brands: Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, Evinrude, Honda and Seven Marine.

Two-Stroke Start

Until 1964, all outboard engines used two‑stroke, internal-combustion technology. A two-stroke engine completes its cycle with two piston movements—one up and one down—during one crankshaft revolution. A four-stroke requires four piston movements over two crankshaft revolutions.

“Said another way: A two-stroke delivers two times as many power strokes as a four-stroke,” says Larry Koschak, senior outboard product coordinator for Evinrude, which builds only two-stroke outboards.

But in the mid-1960s, Honda introduced the first four-stroke outboard. “Our founder, Soichiro Honda, felt strongly that four-stroke engines are a cleaner technology for the environment,” says Davis Adams with Honda public relations.

Early four-strokes did prove cleaner and quieter, but they were heavier and slower than two-strokes of comparable horsepower.

Five decades later, both technologies have advanced on all fronts, like a powerful, mechanized army. The two-versus-four debate continues, with each side making a new case for superiority, based on maintenance, reliability, power, fuel efficiency and emissions.

For instance, Koschak says the rate at which engines achieve and build horsepower is called the power curve.

Two-strokes build power more quickly to jump on plane faster. They also employ fewer working parts, use fresh oil for lubrication, and don’t need oil changes. Two-stroke outboards built for the US market also employ direct injection, which fires fuel directly into the combustion chamber after the intake and exhaust valves’ ports have fully closed.

Most four-strokes, with the exception of Yamaha’s new 425 XTO (the first four-stroke to use DI), employ electronic fuel injection, which introduces fuel to the intake runner just above the valve and times each injection to coincide with the valve opening.

“It’s only a slightly less efficient—though much less costly—way of doing things” compared with direct injection, says David Meeler, Yamaha’s marine-product-introduction manager.

Beyond the debate, the fact remains: The majority of outboards—some say as much as 90 percent—use four-stroke technology. For the purpose of explaining how outboards work, I’ll focus on four-strokes.

Outboard Anatomy

Most anglers have probably heard the terms used to describe outboard sections: cowling, powerhead, midsection, lower unit and propeller. Here are some basic definitions:

Cowling: The top outer covering of the outboard, often made from sheet-molding compound. “It’s basically sheeting of varying lengths, thicknesses and polymers that is heated, and then compressed by a gargantuan press that molds it into the shape you see,” Meeler says. The cowling protects the engine, quiets engine noise, and is designed with ports where air can enter the system. More air equals more power.

Powerhead: The upper portion of the outboard, where power is made via the combustion process, and where the engine-control unit, or ECU, calculates such things as air and fuel mixtures and precise timing. In a four-stroke, the cylinder configuration can be inline, which simply means multiple cylinders in a straight line, or V-type, meaning the cylinders are grouped into pairs and arranged in a V angle.

Midsection: The middle portion of the outboard containing the oil pan, exhaust housing, water tube (which brings cooling water up from the lower unit), upper driveshaft (which allows the energy from the pistons to transfer circular motion to the lower unit) and bracket.

Lower Unit: Contains the lower driveshaft and prop shaft, the gears of which mesh to spin the propeller. Atop this is the water pump. The lower unit is terminated by a skeg, which acts like a rudder.

Propeller: Pushes against the water to move the boat. Today’s props for saltwater outboards, generally made from stainless steel, come in many sizes and designs, and are specifically matched to the outboard’s power and weight and the boat’s performance needs.

Basic Process

Complicated subjects can often be broken down into manageable thoughts. And while outboard-engine tech is a next-level skill beyond the reach of many, most of us can grasp the logical progression when it’s visualized as a drop of fuel entering the combustion process.

Yamaha’s Meeler walked me through the steps that a fuel drop takes in an F300 four-stroke outboard. Those steps are represented in the outboard-cutaway graphic below.

When you realize that this process happens 100 times per second (at 6,000 rpm), he says, you can begin to see the modern miracle behind our boating and angling enjoyment.

Moving Forward

What does the future hold and how have these processes improved during the past 30 years? Outboard-makers point to a wide assortment of technological changes.

Four-stroke outboards continue to evolve toward becoming lighter and more fuel-efficient, says Gus Blakely, Suzuki’s marine vice president of sales. “Suzuki pioneered having two fuel injectors per cylinder, which keeps the fuel cooler and delivers it at the precise time it’s needed into the cylinder,” he says. “Cooler fuel and cooler, denser air results in more efficient combustion and produces more horsepower.”

Suzuki also has recently introduced contra-rotating twin props on its 350 and 300 four-strokes for 2020. “You can increase the horsepower as much as you want; the prop will always be a limiting factor in performance,” Blakely says. Among its advantages, “contra-rotating props provide superior grip on the water when you hit the throttle for excellent hole shot and acceleration.”

ECUs also have improved with more-powerful processors, he adds, juggling the critical timing of fuel delivery, air delivery and ignition.

Honda cites its intelligent throttle and shift command-and-control system for V-6 outboards. The system offers “fine-tuning of throttle settings at any speed, enhanced docking and slow-speed control, return-to-port capability, and effortless shift-and-throttle control,” Adams says.

Read Next: New Outboard Engines Spur the Rise of Single-System Boats

Future outboards should mimic the capabilities of land-based computer and communication technologies, creating complete systems that provide seamless control from the helm. We’ve already seen developments such as Yamaha’s Helm Master and Mercury’s Joystick Piloting, as well as Mercury’s partnership with Raymarine for DockSense.

And with Yamaha’s introduction of true electric steering in the 425 XTO, four-strokes have met another challenge.

“When you turn the wheel, it’s sending commands directly to a steering actuator, not to a pump that then has to move hydraulic oil,” Meeler says. “That was a wow.”

1. A drop of fuel is drawn out of the boat tank and through a 10-micron water-separating fuel filter in the boat by the cam-driven, lower-pressure fuel pump. It then passes through a smaller, on-engine 10-micron water-separating fuel filter before being deposited into the Vapor Separator Tank.

2. The job of the VST is to separate any air from our pure drop of fuel, then send the fuel through an electric, medium-pressure pump to the fuel rails.

3. Meanwhile, the intake stroke of each piston creates a constant vacuum that draws air into the engine.

4. Air enters through the openings in the cowling and is passed through a labyrinth of passages. This causes any water, which is heavier than the air, to fall to the bottom, where it is drained from the cowling back to the sea.

5. Air enters the intake, and is measured for temperature, pressure (altitude) and volume (via the throttle-position sensor). This vital information is passed to the outboard’s engine-control unit while the air enters specially engineered long-tube intake tracks that accelerate it on its way toward the combustion chamber.

6. The ECU uses the information about the air and data from other vital sensors such as the throttle-position sensor (how much power the operator is demanding) and the crank-position sensor (how fast the engine is running) to determine how much fuel to spray into each cylinder for optimal power and best fuel economy given the current conditions and operator request.

7. Our drop of fuel is turned into a fine mist by the pressurized fuel injector and sprayed into the intake, just above a cylinder’s intake valve, in the exact amount needed to mix properly with the air charge coming down the intake track. The amount and timing is exactly determined by the outboard’s ECU.

8. If the operator is asking for a lot of power fast (such as sudden acceleration), the ECU sends engine oil through a special valve that accelerates the opening of the intake valve, allowing the fuel and air to charge in sooner, creating a strong burst of power. This is Yamaha’s Variable Camshaft Timing system and accounts for that kick‑in-the-pants feeling when you hammer the throttle.

9. The intake valve closes, and the piston compresses the fuel/air mixture. At the exactly correct moment, the ECU commands the spark plug to light the fuel/air mix, and a controlled and contained explosion pushes the piston back down.

10. At this point, our drop of fuel, along with its partner charge of air, has done its job by releasing the energy needed to move the crankshaft, and is summarily dismissed from the combustion chamber by the rising piston through the now-open exhaust valve.

11. The engine’s exhaust from all the cylinders becomes a flow that exits the engine through a water-cooled exhaust housing in the outboard’s midsection, then out through the hollow passage inside the propeller’s hub area.

12. Meanwhile, the energy created by our drop of fuel and its partner air charge, once burned and rapidly expanded in volume, rotates the crankshaft…

13. …which rotates the driveshaft…

14. …which rotates the gears in the lower unit…

15. …which rotates the propeller, which pushes the water, which pushes the boat.

High-Powered Horses

Seven Marine jumped into the four-stroke-outboard market on the super-high end of the horsepower spectrum, first with its 557 hp engine in 2011, and later with its 627. First deliveries began in 2013.

“What we saw was that the limit of the outboard-powered boat was the horsepower available from four-stroke outboards. If boats have four of the max-powered motors, then larger-horsepower motors would allow the market to expand in the boat offerings,” says Brian Davis, vice president of Seven Marine.

He says that the company, now owned by Volvo Penta, leverages automotive-based engines to deliver more torque and power than other outboards. New hydraulic transmissions create smoother shifting, and—to reduce service costs—Seven uses closed cooling technology, which keeps salt water out of the powerhead.

Seven offers both single-prop and duoprop (contra-rotating props) lower units to customize each outboard to a boater’s needs. Add to that spectacular aesthetics—including LED lighting and multiple colors—and these outboards easily pair with the current, and rapidly expanding, luxury center-console boat market.

Naturally Aspirated vs. Supercharged

Boating anglers often hear the terms “­naturally aspirated” and “supercharged” with regard to outboard power. But what do those terms mean, and how do those technologies affect the way engines work?

Mercury introduced the first supercharged four-stroke outboard in 2004 with its Verado lineup; Seven Marine also uses the technology. On the other hand, Mercury recently debuted a new line of naturally aspirated four-strokes, including the 4.6-liter V-8 300. The rest of the market primarily uses natural aspiration.

D.J. Belter, director of engine design and analysis for Mercury, uses this example: If you take a syringe and pull back the plunger, it will draw in air—that’s analogous to natural aspiration. Now, imagine pulling back the plunger while at the same time blowing air into the syringe—that correlates to supercharging.

“A supercharger is nothing more than a mechanically driven air pump that blows air into the combustion chamber when the intake valve opens and the piston is traveling down the bore,” he says.

“The oxygen in the air is needed for the combustion process, so the more air you can cram into the combustion chamber, the more power you can make.”

The post How Outboard Engines Work appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

At the end of a long fishing day, who wouldn’t want to complete boat cleanup chores faster and easier? That’s the idea behind the Fast Flushem (about $40). This simple, Y-shaped device lets you rinse the salt out of two outboard engines at once using a single garden hose. That cuts down on the time and hassle of flushing each motor ­individually. One end of the Fast Flushem attaches to a garden hose, and the other two ends connect to the flush-out fittings on each of the two outboards. All of the hose ends are gelcoat-friendly nylon, and the connectors are stainless steel. The industrial-grade hose material will not kink.

The post Easily Flush Two Outboards at Once appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

After a decade of development, British diesel-engine company Cox Powertrain has introduced the CXO300 300 hp diesel outboard. The 4.4L four-stroke V-8 offers at least a 25 percent better range than a gasoline outboard, Cox says, and the engine is designed to last up to three times longer with extended service intervals and reduced haul-out costs. The 300 will be offered in three shaft lengths: 25, 30 and 35 inches. It weighs 827 pounds and is expected to cost $50,000.

The post Cox CXO300 Diesel Outboard appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Yamaha’s 5.6L V-8 425 XTO brings to market several four-stroke firsts — from direct injection to electric power steering. Yamaha says its engineers rethought the outboard from the prop up to propel today’s large center-consoles and expresses. Highlights include the highest compression ratio in an outboard at 12.2-to-1, a new oversize prop, an oversize gear case, iridium spark plugs, quad thermostats, and a new exhaust-gas relief system that energizes the XTO in reverse, generating up to 300 percent more thrust than the company’s F350. Available in gray, white or unpainted (for color customization), and in 25-, 30- and 35-inch shafts (weighing 952 to 999 pounds), the XTO starts at $44,000.

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