Yamaha F150XB Vs VF200XA SHO

[Bsluper]

After a life of stern drives and having hand me down boats I’m FINALLY in a position to get one for me! I’ve never had an outboard before and am looking at a 21’ regal bow rider. The two engine options are the Yamaha 2.7L F150XB And the 4.2L VF200XA SHO. Any pros and cons or recommendations? PLEASE, ANY advice or thoughts are welcome!!! (The price difference is about $6,400 between the two)

 

[mike_i]

I'm not sure if this helps your decision but I'm very happy with my 2018 f150xb on my 22' boat.

 

[dingbat]

After a life of stern drives and having hand me down boats I’m FINALLY in a position to get one for me! I’ve never had an outboard before and am looking at a 21’ regal bow rider. The two engine options are the Yamaha 2.7L F150XB And the 4.2L VF200XA SHO. Any pros and cons or recommendations? PLEASE, ANY advice or thoughts are welcome!!! (The price difference is about $6,400 between the two)

The 150 is a 4 cylinder. The 200 is a 6 cylinder

Can't find the Max. HP rating of the outboard models, but the I/O have a 280 HP option. I assume the outboard is rated similar.

Nothing worst than an under powered boat. The 200 all day every day if you can afford it.

 

[Bsluper]

I'm not sure if this helps your decision but I'm very happy with my 2018 f150xb on my 22' boat.

Thank you for the input! How quick do you get on plane, what’s your top end speed? Do I need power assisted hydraulic steering? Sorry for all the questions but I truly appreciate your advice!!

 

[Bsluper]

The 150 is a 4 cylinder. The 200 is a 6 cylinder

Can't find the Max. HP rating of the outboard models, but the I/O have a 280 HP option. I assume the outboard is rated similar.

Nothing worst than an under powered boat. The 200 all day every day if you can afford it.

Haha if I could afford it I’d find a way to put a 250 on it but unfortunately costs has to be a consideration... if it were a stern drive I’d be more familiar with the HP requirements but it seems Like the outboards are about 50-100 hp under what I’d expect in the stern drive equivalent.

 

[dingbat]

Haha if I could afford it I’d find a way to put a 250 on it but unfortunately costs has to be a consideration... if it were a stern drive I’d be more familiar with the HP requirements but it seems Like the outboards are about 50-100 hp under what I’d expect in the stern drive equivalent.

I’ve always used the 75% number in the conversion.

Huge difference in “grunt“ between a 4 and 6 cylinder outboard. Same comparing 2 to 4 stoke outboards

 

[Bsluper]

Thank you all for the input, it is very appreciated and helpful! I have one more question, there is a $2200 option for power assisted hydraulic steering. Any thoughts on that?

 

[dingbat]

Thank you all for the input, it is very appreciated and helpful! I have one more question, there is a $2200 option for power assisted hydraulic steering. Any thoughts on that?

I have good old NFB cable steering on my 22'er that is much heavier than your boat. No real complainants

Having said that, if the boat comes standard with hydraulic cylinder steering (ie Sea Star) you certainly don't need power assist

 

[mike_i]

With three people, fishing gear, two full 25 gallon bait tanks I've had my boat up to 30mph. I normally cruise between 20 to 25. It takes a few seconds to get on plan but I take it easy and never give it full throttle from sitting still. I'm not familiar with power assist, I have a sea star hydraulic steering system. You also need to take into consideration the specifics of your boat like weight and type of hull.