Yamaha F115XB Outboard

REVIEW: YAMAHA F115XB OUTBOARD

On the power and performance side, the latest Yamaha F115XB is the maximum horsepower rating for the 575 and it’s the ideal marriage of power to weight and hull design. Four cylinders of 1.8L fuel injected four stroke grunt is what you get out of this motor.

The Yamaha 115 was fitted with a standard 13 ¼ x 17” Yamaha ally prop and being a relatively lightweight hull at approximately 1500kg, the combination produces a nippy hole-shot, comfortable midrange speed of 20 knots at 4000rpm, and decent top end of around 35 knots at 6000rpm.

One aspect of this motor and hull combination that’s really impressive is the economy throughout the rev ranges. At low troll speeds around 5 knots the 115 sits at 1500rpm and sips away at 3.5LPH–and that’s many hours of trolling off the 100L fuel tank.

In the mid-range the optimum and comfortable cruise speed is around the 20-knot mark, with revs sitting at 4000rpm and again a very impressive fuel burn of 15.3LPH.

Knock the hammer down to WOT the fuel burn then jumps to 40.7LPH at 6000rpm. Considering the speed, it’s actually a decent economy considering the hull size. Let’s face it, wringing a motors neck at max revs is not ideal on any motor, and who really travels at full speed all the time? Conditions generally don’t allow for it.

When it comes to the noise factor, the 115hp makes its presence known at full taps and that’s as to be expected. Regardless, it’s far from an unpleasant sound and I quite like the tone. In the mid-range the motor settles down to a silky-smooth tone and at idle it’s smooth and nice and quiet.

Having tested the new generation Yamaha F115’s on numerous brands and styles of boat they are no doubt one of the most popular brands and common horsepower outboards on the market, and its no wonder as they provide ample power, they are lightweight, super economical, and fairly easy to maintain when it comes to servicing. As an out of warranty motor they are the kind of motor that I would be comfortable doing the services on myself, due to easy access to the filters, oil drain, pumps, plugs and even timing belt settings.

As a motor that’s commonly used on commercial vessels and carrying a warranty of 4 years recreationally you can’t go wrong with the Yamaha F115 on the Surtees 575 Pro Fisher. More torque, more power and good economy out of the 115hp as tested is no doubt my preference and is the ideal horsepower on the 575 Pro Fisher, rather than dropping to a lower horsepower to save a few bucks. However, the new Yamaha F90 is also a bloody good motor and might also be a good match for the 575 Pro Fisher.

YAMAHA F115XB SPECS

TYPE 4-Stroke, 16 Valve DOHC Direct Action In-line 4

WEIGHT 176kg dry

DISPLACEMENT 1832cc 1.8L

GEAR RATIO 2.15:1 (Counter Rotating Prop Available)

PROPELLER 13 1/4 x 17

SEA TRIALS

RPM

KM/H

KNOTS

LT/H

700

3

1.62

1.2

1000

7

3.77

2.1

1500

9

4.85

3.5

2000

12

6.47

5.3

2500

15

8.09

8.1

3000

19 

10.25 

10.1 

3500

27 

14.57 

13 

4000

38 

20.51 

15.3 

4500

45 

24.29 

20.5 

5000

51 

27.53 

24.2 

5500

57 

30.77 

33.6 

6000

64 

34.55 

40.7 

*Sea-trial data supplied by the author.

Check out the full review in issue #498 of Trade-a-Boat magazine. Subscribe today for all the latest boat news, reviews and travel inspiration.