Honda BF350 V8 Outboard Motor Review

FishTalk Magazine angler in chief Lenny Rudow takes the all new Honda BF350 V8 outboard motor for a test drive at the 2023 Annapolis Powerboat Show. This 350 horsepower engine from ‪@Honda‬ boasts a 20% increase in fuel economy over comparable motors and can be run on standard 87 octane gasoline. It also features a self balancing crankshaft which is technology borrowed from the Acura NSX sports car. This new generation 4-stroke motor offers plenty of power and is incredibly quiet while underway.
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FishTalk Magazine and www.FishTalkMa... are dedicated to bringing Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic anglers the straight scoop on fishing techniques, reports, tactics, hotspots, and gear. We cover all kinds of fishing, from freshwater lakes to bluewater ocean canyons, in the Mid-Atlantic region.
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[@kayliejasinski1054]

Very cool to see it in person at the Annapolis Powerboat Show!

[@dewaynegarrett8382]

Shocked that I am not seeing many of these yet seems to be all Mercury 400 and 500 around here, I really like the possibility of this one.

[@aaronstestlab]

Love it, though kinda weird that a brand-new motor would still only support mechanical steering.

[@FishTalkMagazine]

Hey Aaron - it plugs and plays with Dometic's Optimus 360 joystick steering. Same with Suzuki, rather than develop their own system they opted to make it compatible with Dometic's.

[@grubalaboocreosote4774]

Can I put one in my civic?

[@FishTalkMagazine]

LOL - sure, if you weld a couple of 20' pontoons onto the chassis, why not?!?

[@louv4437]

No Mile per gallon data?

[@FishTalkMagazine]

Hey Lou - Sorry about that - It would have been great to grab it, but this was a surprise opportunity for us . We didn't expect to find the motor at this show and torched our schedule to get the ride, plus they were trying to give demos to a lot of people (there were dealers waiting to get aboard while we were out). So, we had very limited time aboard and couldn't really run through the entire RPM range, test in different directions to account for wind/current, etc. As far as we can find Honda hasn't even released any figures/full tests as of yet. Stay tuned though, we're sure it's coming!!

[@louv4437]

@@FishTalkMagazine understood, thanks

[@jes1375]

Is it 100 percent honda ? Or part Chinese like the 425 yamaha ?

[@FishTalkMagazine]

Hey Jes - we didn't ask that in specific, but we'd note that just about every engine built by every manufacturer is going to have some level of Chinese parts in it in this day and age and that goes for outboards, inboards, and automotive as well.

[@aaronstestlab]

@@FishTalkMagazine Such a great point...people like to talk about "made in America" or Mexico/china/etc. But the reality is that manufacturing is so global than anything more complex than a coffee mug is going to have parts from all over the world.

[@deahelkcunklaer2180]

The Mercury 300R is about 250 lbs lighter while only giving up about 20 hp

[@spinfish1434]

The Hondas have always been very heavy and a reason they’re not a good repower option on a older boat.

[@grubalaboocreosote4774]

Can I get a 300R for my pickup?

[@NRYT2360]

300hp compared to 350hp is only 20hp difference? Am I missing math somewhere?

[@dirtybootsfishing2923]

Bout time honda made it to the 350 😂😂😂❤❤❤

[@FishTalkMagazine]

One of the reps there mentioned it was in development for four years. But, better they take their time and get it right rather than rush things!!

[@tristannyberg2616]

Yea and mercury allredy has a 600😂😂

[@spinfish1434]

While it appears to be a nice motor Honda is waaaay behind in Marine Power. I didn't see anything remarkable about this motor and it should be noted you can run 87 Octane in the Mercury's who lead the industry. First with digital shift, true power steering, lightest v6, v10, v12 etc etc...The fact you don't see hardly any Honda's tells me they just aren't serious. Save your money and buy a proven outboard, Mercury.

[@FishTalkMagazine]

Thanks for chiming in Spinfish - we think we can tell what outboard brand you like!!

[@aaronstestlab]

You don't see many Honda's on recreational boats...but they're all over commercial ones.

[@spinfish1434]

@@aaronstestlab Nah, I see Suzuki’s on commercial boats because they’re less expensive..

[@FishTalkMagazine]

@@spinfish1434 In our experience they're also uber-reliable. We'll see how this new Honda platform does over time, and have high hopes - they have had some real winners through the years.

[@gunsandrotors8704]

I will keep my Tohatsu and Yamaha.

[@PropTalkMagazine]

Great review!