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It appears the F250 is a hopped up F225 to me?* Same displacement and basic specs*with 9lbs difference in weight.* Can someone provide the differences between the two outboards?** I've also heard the F225*actually underpowered something like 215HP*and the F250 is overpowered somehting like 260HP.* Is this data correct?
I own a GW 282 Sailfish, and the performance bulletins on GWs website appear to show that the F225 outperforms the F250 (speed throughout the range, MPG and GPH). * I know conditions vary, but this seems odd.* Any ideas??
__________________ 06 Grady White Marlin
"Once you own a boat, everything else in life is reasonable..."
I highly doubt that the F250 is anywhere near 260 HP. I can tell you for a fact, that the F225 is an extremely weak motor, I can't see how there would be so much more power out of the F250. While I don't doubt that it is superior (performance wise), I can't see you getting a huge gain from it. I'd give the F250 a few more months to prove itself before we make a conclusion that it is as reliable as the F225. I can say that although the F225's are sluggish, they always ran. There were some minor problems in the beginning, but they were all eventually fixed. Overall, I'm sure they're great reliable motors, but they have nowhere near the power of the E-Tec or the Verado.
somebody around here or on FL sportsman repowered with F250's from F225's - got 3 -4 mph...lotta $$$ for the increase - unless your 225's are worn out it'd be awfully expensive for a modest gain...
hi getaway39,just to be clear, the performance stats on the GW website seem to indicate a pair of F225s perform better than the F250s. this just doesn't seem right?
__________________ 06 Grady White Marlin
"Once you own a boat, everything else in life is reasonable..."
I have had the direct experience of running an identical hull, one with 250 HPDIs (supposedly "strong" 2 strokes) and the new F250s. The F250 equipped boat felt almost exactly the same and managed to run about 0.5 kts faster. Interestingly enough, at WOT the F250 were burning about 2 gph more than the 250 HPDIs, suggesting that it is not impossible that the F250 puts out a tiny bit more horsepower than the 250 HPDI. The F250 was slightly more efficient at cruise speeds, perhaps 5% less fuel burn.
If you go to the Yamaha website, there is a good description of the differences between the F225 and the F250. It is built on the same block, but there are some significant changes. Its not a simple remapping of the fuel system like going from a 175 HPDI to a 200 HPDI or an F200 to an F225.
INTERESTING- I SWITCHED FROM 250 TWO STROKES TO 225 FOUR STROKES AND I CAN DEFINETLY FEEL A DIFFERENCE. IT TAKES A LITTLE LONGER TO GET ON PLANE, AND THE FEEL OF SUDDEN BURST OF ENERGY ARE MISSING, BUT SO IS THE 36GAL AN HOUR FUEL BILL, I DOUBLED MY MILES PER GALLON AND AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE QUIET RIDE... GRADY 30 MARLIN
INTERESTING- I SWITCHED FROM 250 TWO STROKES TO 225 FOUR STROKES AND I CAN DEFINETLY FEEL A DIFFERENCE. IT TAKES A LITTLE LONGER TO GET ON PLANE, AND THE FEEL OF SUDDEN BURST OF ENERGY ARE MISSING, BUT SO IS THE 36GAL AN HOUR FUEL BILL, I DOUBLED MY MILES PER GALLON AND AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE QUIET RIDE... GRADY 30 MARLIN
I think this sums up the 2 stroke/4 stroke arguement very well...everything moves a bit slower on a 4 stroke but does so in a much more quiet, docile, refined way....I'm old and love it!
(and it ain't that much slower..... I can wait 1/2 sec longer....)
I just reviewed the performance statistics mentioned above for the 282 Sailfish.. The F225's DO NOT outperform the F250's "throughout the range" as mentioned above. At very low end RPM and very high end RPM the F225's are slightly more efficient. At cruising RPM (3000-4500) the F250's get better speed, and MPG. Here are the breakdown on the 282 Sailfish (F225 stats first):
I have a 2005 31 Contender w/f250 yamahas. I had a 31 w/250 hpdi's, and have run many of them with f225's, 300's, Merc's etc. I have around 100 hours on my f250's with zero problems. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance and fuel consumption. The boat is just as fast if not alittle faster than it was with the two strokes with all the advantages that you get with the four strokes. The differance in performance between the f250 and the f225 is night and day. I went with 250hpdi's on my last 31 because I was unimpressed with the performance of the boat with that engine package. I was very happy with the performance of the 250hpdi's and once I had the upgrades done, I never had a problem. With the f250's your getting everything the 225's were lacking. I'm sure many of the "experts" on this site with disagree with me, but for me these are great motors and I will be buying another pair when I sell this boat.
I think anyone who would choose to go with 2-strokes over 4-strokes is a complete idiot, period, unless upfront cost is the only issue considered!!
I looked at performance bulletins on my 23' bay boat for a Yamaha F-225 and a Yamaha F-250. There's only a 3-4 mph gain. I couldn't see the justification for the higher up front or operating costs.
DABAXTER,
One thing that you have to consider when making the statement about poeple being idiots is the weight of 4-strokes. I understand your theory but would not go as far as saying that in all situations that they are all idiots. There are some smaller boats where you are faced with the decision of twin 2 strokes or a single 4 stroke. In this situation, a father of two elementry school childern who wants to take them to the Gulfstream in a 23 foot whatever and also wants the security of having twins for the added saftey factor can hardly be called an idiot for his decision. Also, some boats, such as the 25 Contender does not carry the weight of twin 4 strokes bigger than 150's very well and performs much better with 200 HPDI's and if you are looking to get the optimum performance out of this boat the 200 HPDI's are by leaps and bounds the best choice.
As far as what D. Costley said, he is 100% correct. The 31 with 225 4-strokes is underpowered for persons wanting to utilize the hull for its intended purpose. I have personally run a 31 with 250 ox66's, 250 HPDI's, 300 HPDI's, 225 4-strokes, and 250 4-strokes, and hands down the 250 4-strokes are the best match. They feel like they are 100 hp stronger than the 225's. The are also noticebly stronger than the 250 HPDI's I have run. I have heard others say they are "about the same" but personally I feel that the difference is not NEAR what it is between the F225 and the F250 but is noticeable. The F225 is slightly quieter than the F250.
Will one of you 31 Contender guys please give us some MPG numbers F250 vs the 250 hpdi's. According to Yamahas own test they are almost identical on mileage. I am looking at a 31'Contender and can not justify the cost difference if the F250 gets the same mileage as the 250 hpdi.
theboatguy2 - 5/13/2005 2:58 PMWill one of you 31 Contender guys please give us some MPG numbers F250 vs the 250 hpdi's. According to Yamahas own test they are almost identical on mileage. I am looking at a 31'Contender and can not justify the cost difference if the F250 gets the same mileage as the 250 hpdi.
I don't know for the 31 Contender, but I do know from direct on the water experience that with a 32 Regulator, the F250 uses about 5% less fuel at a 30 knot cruise speed (4400 rpms for the four stroke, 4000 for the HPDI). And of course the pair of F250s are not burning a gallon of Yamalube every two hours at $18-20/gallon, so the operating cost difference is more like 15% lower.
At WOT, the burn is almost identical, so the difference would just be the oil.
It appears the F250 is a hopped up F225 to me?* Same displacement and basic specs*with 9lbs difference in weight.* Can someone provide the differences between the two outboards?** I've also heard the F225*actually underpowered something like 215HP*and the F250 is overpowered somehting like 260HP.* Is this data correct?
I own a GW 282 Sailfish, and the performance bulletins on GWs website appear to show that the F225 outperforms the F250 (speed throughout the range, MPG and GPH). * I know conditions vary, but this seems odd.* Any ideas??
Danny: Seems like you have only a few replies from people with an F250, so I'll add my two cents worth. I have 85 hours on my single F250 and I love it. Very smooth engine. I would not expect a world of difference in top end between the F225 and the F250 since they are the same block. I would expect a much stronger 'push' when getting up on plane. The primary difference between the engines is the variable camshaft timing on the F250 to give it that extra push.
I ran my boat with an F225 before ordering the F250. I can feel the difference.
The timing is pulled back in the 1500-4000 rpm range, allowing a bit more air and fuel into the combustion chamber. Delaying the spark gets a more complete burn in the cylinder, but it is alo the reason for the 89 octane requirement.
I had to wait five months for my new boat because of the F250. If I had it to do again, I would wait the five months again.
I am still struggling with the earlier statement where someone makes the claim that the F225 is a weak engine. I would love to see the data to support that statement.
Yamaha F250 vs F225 
