Starlo Upgrades with Yamaha High profile fishing writer and TV presenter, Steve “Starlo” Starling, has recently upgraded his personal fishing boat to a fully-imported 17 foot flats skiff powered by Yamaha.
Starlo insisted on Yamaha and planted a new F115 four-stroke outboard on the back of his boat, rather than switch engine brands with his new skiff. Steve Starling has long been a part of the Australian fishing and boating scene. From pioneering soft plastic lures and the bream fishing tournament scene to his role as a TV presenter and respected journalist, Starlo is never far away from the fishing front line.
With such high expectations of his fishing and boating equipment, Starlo has again put his confidence in Yamaha to power his latest boat. “I ran a Yamaha F115 four-stroke outboard on my previous rig, and it never missed a beat,” Starlo explains.
”This Yamaha model provides exactly the mix of performance, economy, smooth running and quiet operation that I demand — all backed by Yamaha’s legendary reliability. My F115 starts first turn of the key every single time; regardless of weather conditions or how long it has been sitting idle. Then it gets me where I’m going quickly, quietly and without any fuss... that’s incredibly reassuring!”
The standard gauges that Yamaha include with every four-stroke engine deliver class leading features and help make boating a breeze. Furthermore, the fuel management meter supplied with the F115 has a ‘distance to empty’ function — invaluable when out on the water and a long way from home. Starlo’s new boat is a low profile 17 foot centre console and is geared for barra and bream style fishing where manoeuvrability and casting space on deck is paramount.
Extra wide coamings, endless storage, ultra shallow draft and simplicity of layout make Starlo’s boat a formidable performer in lakes, estuaries and other flat water environments. The stepped hull is design-matched to the refined power of the Yamaha F115 to ensure maximum speed and optimum handling performance.
The US fly-fishing inspired rear casting/poling platform is a unique feature of this boat. Neatly positioned over the outboard, the tower provides an ideal vantage point for spotting fish. It also allows the angler to cast a line unimpeded by other anglers on board the boat. The Yamaha-powered fishing machine has a big job ahead in keeping up with Starlo’s fishing and television commitments across Australia. One thing is guaranteed, Starlo will be enjoying the benefits of owning Australia’s best selling outboard brand.
Haines Hunter Sports First Yamaha F300 Outboard The first 300hp Yamaha V8 outboard has been rigged to a new Haines Hunter 680 Patriot in an Australian debut.
The new Yamaha F300-powered Haines Hunter is an excellent platform to showcase the versatility of the latest V8 outboard from Yamaha, and is destined for family fishing and cruising duties in and around the waters of Cairns in North Queensland.
The new Yamaha F300 outboard arrived in Australia following the local release of the world-first F350, which made big waves throughout the Australian boating market. Proudly offering new power options for large trailerboat owners, the V8 F350 and F300 are now replacing sterndrive engines for greater fuel economy, power to weight performance plus ease of operation and servicing.
A close inspection of the new Yamaha F300 outboard will reveal few overall differences when compared to it’s bigger 350hp brother, the F350. The key change is the power output with the F300 delivering 300hp, providing a high-torque power choice for trailerboat owners limited by horsepower ratings. Engineering a 5.3 litre V8 engine into a sophisticated marine outboard is a credit to Yamaha’s research and development team. By providing two horsepower variants on this V8 package, Yamaha has opened up new markets for offshore boat owners looking to propel large boats without sacrificing on weight, deck space, fuel use and environmental emissions associated with sterndrive power.
Yamaha’s F300 proved to be an exceptional match for the Haines Hunter Patriot which has a maximum horse power rating and transom weight of 320hp and 500kg respectively. While twin rigs can offer the advantage of a safety backup, they also come at a cost in weight with twin 150hp 4-stroke engines weighing up to 460 kgs. The Haines Hunter Patriot customer opted for the same 300hp from a single Yamaha V8 weighing only 364 kgs.
“When you compare our new F300 to inboard power alternatives, the power to weight savings are hard to overlook,” said Brett Hampson, National Sales and Marketing Manager for Marine Products at Yamaha Motor Australia. “And of course the simplicity of a single engine fit up contributes further to the overall appeal.”“We are finding that owners of large offshore boats are demanding greater performance and power than conventional sterndrives can offer. Our new F300 and F350 provide more sophisticated power with loads of torque, without the bulkiness and weight of sterndrive power. It is hard to compete with our new V8 outboards.”
The savings in weight with the new F300 are amplified further when installed as a twin or triple rig. Offshore vessels can install up to four Yamaha F300/F350 outboards and take advantage of huge weight savings, while Yamaha’s sophisticated Local Area Network (LAN) engine management system synchronise the operation of each outboard in a multiple rig application. With Cairns being a fishing and offshore hotspot, all eyes will be on the performance of the new Yamaha F300 powered Haines Patriot as it cruises the northern offshore waterways.