Honda BLASTs ahead

By Mick Fletoridis and Scott Thomas

HONDA Marine launched its latest updated line-up of over-100hp four-strokes, including the brand new BF115hp. Honda's all-new BF115, an engine derived from the Accord 2.3 litre four-cylinder car, now features much of Honda’s state of the art engine technologies that bring it into line with much of the manufacturer's range.
The new 115 also offers boaties improved performance and fuel economy over its predecessor model - Honda claims a 20 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency. At 217kgs the new motor too has lost between 5-7kgs in weight, depending on whether buyers opt for a short or long shaft version.
The BF135 and BF150 models too have received an upgrade, and now, as well as sharing the Accord engine, they (like the 115) also feature Boosted Low Speed Torque (BLAST) and ECOmo (Economy Controlled Motor), and NMEA 2000 compatibility.
Honda makes quite a deal about its BLAST technology, for good reason. A feature first released with the BF75/90 models, BLAST in basic terms, advances ignition timing to have fuel firing in combustion chambers earlier, increase torque and reduce the time required to get a stationary boat planing. To activate BLAST requires full throttle operation, although in the real world this transition is most noticeable from around 70 per cent throttle and roughly in the 3000-4000 rpm range.
Also worth considering for buyers of the BF115/135/150 would be Honda's optional variable speed trolling switch, which can adjust engine revs in 50rpm increments starting from 650rpm. Those with plenty of electronics or power draining accessories on board are taken care of by 40amp alternators on the 115/135/150 models and 60amp alternators on the 175/200/225. Honda supplies standard rigging kits for all of its outboards free of charge.
Honda’s V6 175/200/225hp models too have received a substantial upgrade with the trio’s 3.4 litre Honda Odyssey based engine now also complemented by BLAST and ECOmo; the latter designed to deliver much improved mid range economy and performance. Honda says its new 175/200/225 models deliver a five per cent saving over previous models thanks to ECOmo.

Industry trends
Honda's 60hp four-stroke has been very popular for the company since its release in 2009, but as Honda marine and OEM manager Chris Shultz explains, the mid range market is still feeling the pinch of the bad economy.
"If you look at the mid range it's still very tough. If you spoke to dealers during the boat show season, it was that mid-range 40-90hp that dealers seemed to have trouble selling. In comparison to 12 months ago, I think we're probably selling more in the lower and upper end. That's indicative of the mums and dad where interest rates are starting to bite.
Marine Business asked Shultz for his thoughts on developments in outboard technology. He mentioned recent talk of hybrid outboards and said the use of automotive hybrid technology could be difficult for outboard manufacturers to implement. "It would be very difficult to have a hybrid because of the amount of torque needed to keep the boat on the plane," said Shultz. "I'm not sure how the development in automotive will help the marine industry. I guess they can make them more fuel efficient… I'm sure they're thinking 10 or 15 years ahead, but at the moment it's difficult to see when this technology will come about," he said. Shultz believes the focus will be on more fuel efficiency and cleaner motors.
"Even at the moment in the US, there's a big difference in EPA standards compared to a car. An outboard can get away with a lot more, so in the next few years they will continue to tighten the emission regulations up. for outboards," he said.
On the subject of emission standards, Shultz said the ongoing split between outboard manufacturers is denying valuable industry data between manufacturers and the industry.  
"No one really knows how the industry stands here compared to last year (2009), because we don't even give numbers to each other at the moment, so we can't tell if the industry is up or down. It's important for the dealers and everybody here to understand whether the boating industry is up or down and what the trends are," said Shultz.
"It's not just the outboard area, there are a lot of fractions in the industry [different fishing bodies, etc], and that's one of our biggest worries because emissions are not our biggest challenge, I think it's marine parks."
The media launch also included the announcement of Honda Marine's new range of inflatable tenders. These are to be sold as packages and will be launched at this year's Sanctuary Cove Boat Show. There was also news of the company's popular technician training program (HCT).
Honda's service manager Steve Harvey gave details of HCT. The program, which Honda said allows for faster diagnostics and repair and technician loyalty will be undertaken at three levels. The first level is a certified (base level which can be done online), next is an Advanced Level (a combination of online and in-class learning, and finally, a Master Level, which is almost all diagnostic training.
“HCT is good for the technicians, and good to retain them in the industry,” said Steve Harvey.
“The benefits are, we don't charge our dealers for training, and there's less time away from the dealership because a lot can be done online,” he said.
Honda Marine's Chris Shultz explained that Honda's technician training scheme is just one of the solutions to the growing skills shortage within the marine mechanic trade. Shultz said beyond it's own technician training, which really only trains those already within the industry, Honda is looking to participate in a new venture by Manufacturing Skills Australia to promote skilled technician labour. Shultz said the industry is losing a lot of its skilled workforce to the mining industry.
 "Manufacturing Skills Australia is putting together a board for all auto skills, which includes pushbikes, motorbikes, auto, marine, power equipment, etc. We're trying to get one of or head guys here in the service division on the board. It would be good to have someone from the marine industry on there," said Shultz.
"It will  be a good thing, we're already seeing that a lot of our dealers cannot get skilled workers.  The technician training helps but you're really training people who are already in the system. And many skilled technicians are going to automobiles so what we need to do show that the marine industry is a viable alternative," he said.