2019 V8 350 Outboard

by Mark Rettig
(Bessemer, AL)

2019 V8 350 Outboard

I have a Yamaha V8 35 Outboard and the Plastic Trim keeps popping off during low planing speeds. I have twin engines and BOTH came off this past weekend.

As you can see by the picture, the plastic trim came off both motors. The water coming off the bottom of the hull at slow speeds (3600-3800 RPMs/14-18 knots, required in steep, short seas) hits the motor at the perfect angle to get behind the trim and pull it off the motor. I recovered one but lost the other. I need some help from Yamaha to get it replaced as a warranty item since it is obviously a design flaw. However, I think the reason the water hits this as it does is because the engine bracket tapers up toward the engine instead of paralleling the bottom of the hull which would shield the engine from water hitting it at this particular angle at low speeds. I don’t think that simply replacing the trim will fix the problem, though. The trim design by Yamaha clearly has too few fasteners. Stiffening the plastic or adding fasteners somehow to Yamaha’s design might make more sense; in addition, future engine brackets should follow the contour of the hull and not be tapered, or you will continue to have this problem when using the 350’s.

In any instance and at every speed, I suspect that the trim should never pop off because the velocity of the water peels it off the engine.