Most of the guys I know with Opti's like them. I'd consider one on a new boat, PROVIDED THERE WAS A DEALERSHIP I COULD TRUST. It's your dealer that really determines your warranty service, the factory warranty, is really worth almost nothing if your dealer won't play ball with you.
But Profisher is right, naturally aspirated outboards have reached a pinnacle in power to weight ratio, the 300HP Suzuki is the best power to weigh ratio out there.
The Yam F225 is currently the benchmark in V-6 Outboards in terms of reliability (Corrosion issues in the exhuast are about all I have heard), and I know guys with mucho hours on them.
The Yam 300/350 V8 is, in my opinion, an overweight turd. I know two guys with them, one of them has gone "boom" in the first 30 hours. You also loose the lightweight zippy revvy power that makes outboards so ***y. But most of the guys who went from triples to twin F350/300's noticed a DROP in power and economy, from what I can read on several offshore fishing forums. I just don't think they have those ones (v8 outboards) dialed in yet.
Now if someone put E-Tec on the old Evinrude V-8 Two Stroke, updated the manufacturing process to make it a bit more robust, THAT would be a power plant to contend with. Provided it didn't go "boom".
To get back on topic, ASSUMING they can get these things to be somewhat problem free for 1500 hours at no more then 600 pounds, which is the magic number in my books on an outboard, they may have something here. Considering that Yamaha USUALLY puts out good equipment, I'm still interested in seeing them..
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