YAMAHA F6 6HP SMHA Overview & Test Run

Reliability and versatility at its best, today I show off my 2021 Yamaha F6SMHA Outboard Motor. I use this motor on a 16’ 6” Clipper Canoe.

[@simschmidt3330]

Nice video. A tip for you and everyone watching. As a outdoor guy myself, never cruise along in the middle of the lake or body of water. Go out if you need to cross only. If you dump the boat and have to swim ,or brake down you need to paddle.

[@MikeSmyth-mi6sj]

I have the 18 ft Kevlar MAcSport with a 5 HP 4 stroke Merc. Wonderful set up. You will want a tiller extension, an external tank for longer trips, and really should use the deadman switch at all times. top speed is 15 KMP fully loaded for a week long camping trip. Mileage is an unbelievable 8L per 100 KM or better if you keep it to the hull speed of 11-12 KM or so. took it on 3 different 200 Km trips this past summer to break it in. It is bigger than we really need, but great to be able to load it down and not worry about the weight or space. Loved the mountain scenery!!

[@everything.outdoors]

Thanks Mike, yeah my bad on the kill switch, its usually top of mind. I was and am still shocked at how much weight these things can take, the tiller extension would make life much easier. Unfortunately the kids have outgrown the canoe and we now have a Marlon 12' Jon, which plains great with the 6hp too.

[@jasoncyr7160]

I have the Macsport 16.5 kevlar with a Tohatsu 3.5hp and it’s great. I am wanting to upgrade to the 4hp. It’s about 15lbs heavier, but it would be a game changer to have the capability to use an external tank. As it is, I have to refuel every hour. I considered the 6hp, since it’s the same weight, but I think it would be too much power. The boat is rated up to 3hp. Thoughts? Do you wish you had the 6hp on your 18’?

[@MikeSmyth-mi6sj]

Jason, You will be able to handle the weight and the power of a bigger motor. I don't need any more than 5 HP, but I'm sure the boat can handle 6 If you want. My external tank will take us 150 KM. I added the cheapest Canadian tire hydrofoil fins to the motor this year and bumped up my top speed to 21 KPH fully loaded with 2 people! We covered 110 KM one day with flat water on upper Arrow lake, so the hydrofoil was a great add on. @@jasoncyr7160

[@mikecamrcplus3057]

Have the same boat with a suzuki 2.5. It's the lightest 4 stroke on the market and at 29 lbs makes it easier to portage thru the bush. 2 of us fully loaded for a week of back country camping and fishing it still goes 14 km/h. Runs for an hour on the one liter tank too. Please use the safety shut off lanyard. I have personally had to throw a rope into the path of a riderless boat under power. Not quite planing but still scary. I just make a loop with the end of mine on my wrist but you can use some velcro or attach to your shorts to make it more comfortable.

[@JRH2830]

Just what I wanted to see from a 6h motor. Thank you

[@eduffy4937]

I have two grummn sportboats and they both wear a yammi f6. Excellent choice

[@JaredSanders234]

So glad you posted this video. I just boat the same boat in fiber glass and I am looking at the Yamaha 6HP. Looks like its a perfect little setup.

[@everything.outdoors]

That's great! Yeah the combo together are great, it really moves and cuts through chop like its nothing. Kids have outgrown this boat unfortunately. Have fun with yours.

[@jimmycollins2206]

That background is amazing

[@everything.outdoors]

Thanks Jimmy, I do live in a beautiful place. BC, Canada

[@tandemcompound2]

name of lake pls@@everything.outdoors

[@fishonalbertaoutdoors9761]

Yamaha make the best little motors and big ones too😃👍 I have a 2021 115 sho vmax. Great choice

[@everything.outdoors]

Yes sir, I had an F25C which I loved

[@krusty36m]

I’ve had three clipper square stern boats. Excellent build. The only problem with an outboard on a canoe though is steering. Sitting too far back and you can only push the motor arm left. You have to sit backwards kid you want to push right.

[@nathanfinlay7131]

I made a tiller extension from a telescopic painters pole and flex tube ( think vacuum hose ). Fastened to the pole and clamped onto the tiller with a hose clamp, This allows the tiller extension to articulate, so I can reach out beyond the side of the canoe. It has increased my manoeuvrability and allows me to move back and forth in the boat.

[@mikecamrcplus3057]

I went to home depot and purchased the correct size of black ABS pipe and 3 hose clamps. 2 would do but 1 extra for safety margin. I cut it to length so the end would just miss my back swinging it from side to side. Makes for easy control.

[@albertaoutdoors9220]

I am looking at a Mac sport in either 16’6 or 18’ My intention would be drifting Rivers and powering back upstream

[@clipperprospecting8445]

This is the exact reason I’m looking at this Freighter , Rock hounding and river prospecting, Seems like a great choice 👍🇨🇦

[@emerymahylis944]

Question coming from north Burnaby {near the Barnett hwy} "when you mentioned that you guys have sorta outgrown the boat" does this mean you sold it.? Or is this a boat your holding onto.? I've been to western canoe & kayak {hour from my place} & there's nice stuff there.. but I'd consider buying used in good condition 🤔

[@MtndogCO67]

Hello...I just picked up my MacKenzie 15 Sport yesterday. So excited to put a Yamaha OB on it. I too am inclined to do the 6 hp as I’m also going upstream on big rivers here in WA. Having owned one now, do you think that the 6 hp is too much for the shorter boat? The 2.5 is almost half the weight. Thanks for any input!

[@everything.outdoors]

hey Steve, with my family in the boat and weight upfront, I loved the 6hp, plenty of power nothing could stop us. Once the family was removed, I had a very hardtime trimming the boat out, it is fairly heavy as you said and also has the extra power which didn't help with trimming. Maybe if you sat centrally in the boat and had an extension on the tiller handle? Or a fair amount of weight up front. The 6 horse of power on the river would be great though. good luck with whichever you choose.

[@JohnSmith-gm3qm]

What was the top speed you were getting?

[@ceciliobeitia4193]

Donde yo conseguiria una lancha como esa porfovor

[@dimitrimurraytrout8052]

Did you get an approximation on the top speed? Looks like an idea I’m thinking of applying on lakes here, Down Under. Ta

[@everything.outdoors]

Hi Dimitri, winter here right now so haven't had a chance. If its just you with your equipment, it moves quick.

[@scotthanback4530]

That cool

[@user-my5gj4me6q]

Are there 4 blades for that also in stainless steel? Been a few years how she running?

[@everything.outdoors]

@@user-my5gj4me6q I’m usure about that unfortunately. The motor runs great, haven’t had an issue yet with just regular maintenance.

[@user-my5gj4me6q]

@everything.outdoors how long does that internal last or how many miles does that 2 qt (?) go before it runs out?

[@imbranjamil4994]

The bset no comet ya bos

[@mattcgscott]

I’m in the process of purchasing a Mackenzie square stern. Really weighing the pros and cons on 16’6” vs 18” I’m running a 6hp f6 as well. Unfortunately mine is a long shaft so I’ll have to add a transom riser. If you had your time back would you have bought 18”? How is the 16’6 for space?

[@everything.outdoors]

Hi,good question. The thought of owning a bigger boat never crossed my mind, the 16'6" fit my family of 4 and our gear and still moved at a great pace. Also the 16'6" was just that much easier for us to store and transport.

[@mattcgscott]

@@everything.outdoors Awesome to hear! I wish the thought never crossed my mind either. Lol. Big price difference too for an extra 1.5 ft. I’m buying the boat unseen. So I’m really unsure on space/size. Where I live on the east coast of Canada we don’t have a dealer close by. So its purchase by online order. In your video the f6 doesn’t look like to much power or weight for the 16’6. Have you done any boating in it solo?

[@everything.outdoors]

@@mattcgscott no solo boating in it unfortunately. I did take just myself and my son and it was flying, never felt unsafe at any point though. Was just tricky trying to trim it out and keep the nose down. The thing that really impressed me was the weight that this thing could take onboard.

[@mikecamrcplus3057]

@@mattcgscott Are you portaging with it? I have the 16.5 for portaging but also taking 3 people and gear when needed. The 18 is 12 lbs more than the 16.5 while the 16.5 is only 5 lbs heavier than the 15. 12 extra lbs on a 1200 meter hike adds up. All ultralight weights.

[@DepthWave]

The 18ft is what I got for moose hunting. It's a pain in the butt to portage and get on the roof, but other than that I really like it. I use a cart with it for portaging and a hitch mount loader to help load it and then it's not so bad. I would probably only recommend the 18ft if you think you are likely to go on longer portage camping trips with 4 people, or if you think you may use it for moose hunting. The 18 can handle 2000lbs in calm water.

[@jonasf4065]

You mentioned this is in kevlar. This is a natural color of the canoe? No paint?

[@everything.outdoors]

You are correct, they call it honeycomb, you can clearly see the fabric only. I’m not sure if the Kevlar models come coloured.

[@jonasf4065]

@@everything.outdoors Thank you for the confirmation. I am about to pull the trigger on a MacSport 18 and the Clipper site only shows options for colored hulls and not natural fabric so i was a little surprised to see yours in natural. If that's the case, I may need to order in fiberglass as i definitely need the yellow color.

[@mikecamrcplus3057]

@@jonasf4065 You should be able to order it in ultralight which does not have a gel coat and gives it the honey see thru color. The weave is very pretty up close. They use what they call S-glass instead of a gel coat and paint and the 16.5 comes out 5 lbs lighter than the painted kevlar and 20 lbs lighter than fibreglass. We use ours for backcountry travel in Eastern Manitoba and Northwest Ontario and 1000 meter portages are not unheard of so the lighter the better. On the Clipper site under options click on canoe construction. Explains the different layups.

[@jonasf4065]

@@mikecamrcplus3057 Thank you. I did reach out to Clipper and ended up ordering one in kevlar w/gelcoat. I do like the idea of an ultralight but do need the gelcoat as I really wanted their bright yellow color that was offered. My boating will be 70/30 salt water/fresh water with the majority of the salt water outings on Long Island Sound being surrounded by powerboaters...with quite a few not being very attentive so need the highest visibility color possible.

[@TTTT-rc4fv]

Hi why did you choose this boat over an esquif rangeley ?

[@everything.outdoors]

Hi, thanks for watching. Basically these Clippers are made 20 minutes down the road from me and have a great name in the area. Everyone I spoke too kept talking very highly of Clippers so I didn't really consider anything else. .

[@TTTT-rc4fv]

@@everything.outdoors I have a 16 ft skiff for saltwater, but just found your vid searching Yamaha 6hp that I've got that gave me starting issues but your canoe caught my eye! It's like a freighter canoe? I'm just trying to understand the advantages of having this set up versus a regular skiff. Love your canoe

[@everything.outdoors]

@@TTTT-rc4fv yeah thanks man, its a great portage canoe. for the size at 16.5' this kevlar model only weighs 69lbs. 1 person can lift and carry it on shoulders. Unfortunately I don't have much other experience with other brands. Like I mentioned, Clippers are very popular here in the Vancouver Canada area.

[@everything.outdoors]

And yes, 1300lb capacity is insane. I'm sure there are competitors with a similar weight rating but I never even really came close to maxing it out.

[@stevestgermain6294]

How slow does it troll? Is that the Kevlar model?

[@everything.outdoors]

Hey Steve, I haven't trolled with it, basically bought it for day trips with the family. Great for the purpose cuts through chop really well. Yes this is the Kevlar model.