Has anyone compared the F350 to the Verado 350?

Todd & Amanda

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Just got home from a day of boat shopping. We left home excited to drive a R with a 250 Sho and a Q with a F300. The Q test drive didn't get to happen but we got to try a R25 with the F350 and all we can say is WOW...WOW...WOW. Now the question is I've always been a Mercury guy and have had the 250 Vrod and loved it. Has anyone actually driven both and can tell me how the performance compares on the two? Oh and Did I say WOW?
 
Wow!
 
Vroom, vroom.  I can only imagine what that test drive was like!  B)
 
I was really hoping to hear some feedback on this. I know the Yamaha vs Mercury debate is like ford vs Chevy. Seems like the 350's are just starting to show up more on the toons so maybe there's not many comparisons yet. I just know the F350 was absolutely amazing and that's coming from a guy that loves the VRod. 
 
The mrec's are 6 cylinders right? What's the old adage, there's no replacement for displacement? Yamaha wins that one!
 
I was really hoping to hear some feedback on this. I know the Yamaha vs Mercury debate is like ford vs Chevy. Seems like the 350's are just starting to show up more on the toons so maybe there's not many comparisons yet. I just know the F350 was absolutely amazing and that's coming from a guy that loves the VRod. 

Hey Todd, you might want to widen your search for comparisons to some other boards, specifically fishing. Seems like bass boats tend to have the bigger engines than your typical pontoon. Just a thought... 
 
If the weather holds out as predicted the problem is solved, I have set up a test drive on a 23R with a Vrod 300 and a 25Qx with the 350 Vrod for this Saturday. As long as it's not pouring rain we'll get to see for ourselves and I can report back to everyone.
 
The mrec's are 6 cylinders right? What's the old adage, there's no replacement for displacement? Yamaha wins that one!

Yes Vrod is a 6 cylinder but I have no doubt it will be as impressive through midrange and top end. I will be shocked if the low end is as strong as the Yamaha. We have been looking at Benningtons for a year now and I haven't once considered a Yamaha until now. The 250 Sho ran great on the 25ft we tested but it just wasn't for me, I actually prefer the digital throttle of the Mercs. The most impressive part of the F350 wasn't the top speed it was how quickly it accelerated from any rpm and the fact that we made 90 degree turns wide open and the motor never slowed down. It also really showed me how great benningtons ESP package really is, that thing was like riding on a rail in high speed turns.
 
 It also really showed me how great benningtons ESP package really is, that thing was like riding on a rail in high speed turns.

Yup. I feel the same way!
 
Well we got a couple of test drives in over the weekend to try the Verados out. First we drove a 23Rsb with the 300 Vrod and it was pretty impressive and definitely an option. Second we drove a 25Qx with the 350 Vrod but unfortunate it being a heavier boat plus it had a full enclosure on it catching wind so it didn't have the wow factor we felt driving the Yamaha F350. Top speed was the same which leads me to believe the 350 Vrod will actually be a little faster on top end if compared on the exact same boat. The Vrod was a quieter running engine than the Yamaha and I liked the digital throttle of the Vrod better. All that being said I'm a Mercury guy by heart but I'm amazed with the torque and acceleration of the Yamaha. Does the take off matter to us, not really but it sure feels good when you hit the throttle on the Yamaha. Another downfall to the Yamaha is it's going to cost us about $3000 more than the Vrod, but that's not huge when you look at the total price of the boat. I don't think we got a good demo of the 350 Vrod due to the totally different boat we got to drive with it. The 23R with the 300 was a very quick boat and impressed us except for being able to feel a noticeable difference In the smooth ride of the 25 feet boats. 
 
If you go to PontoonForums.com and PM "Bryden", his last boat had a Verado 225 hp with the ECU flashed by Simon Motorsports to 310 hp.  The cost was $650, and was a "budget way" to get big horsepower.  He's said that driveability at all speeds were greatly improved with Simon's modifications.


Bryan recently sold his boat and bought another--with a Yamaha 300 hp.  He can probably answer any  questions relating to that motor.


He's also an expert on propellers of all kind--doing testing for propeller manufacturers in the past.


When you get into the 350 hp range, the cost and weight of the motors is just more than I choose to go.
 
Bamaman your story makes me question the validity of flashing otherwise Bryden would have flashed a 225hp again and picket the savings
 
Bamaman your story makes me question the validity of flashing otherwise Bryden would have flashed a 225hp again and picket the savings

The pontoon manufacturer provided him a demo boat with a Yamaha 300, as Verado is not typically one of their engine choices.
 
How much are we talking about with 300, 350, and 400. Cost difference?!?
 
How much are we talking about with 300, 350, and 400. Cost difference?!?

From the pricing we have been getting it will cost us about $3000 more to go with the 350 Verado over the 300. The Yamaha 350 is about another $3000 more than the Verado 350 but it is truly amazing performance. 
 
If you go to PontoonForums.com and PM "Bryden", his last boat had a Verado 225 hp with the ECU flashed by Simon Motorsports to 310 hp.  The cost was $650, and was a "budget way" to get big horsepower.  He's said that driveability at all speeds were greatly improved with Simon's modifications.


When you get into the 350 hp range, the cost and weight of the motors is just more than I choose to go.

I actually researched Simons reflash considering ordering a 250 Verado and having it flashed. The cost with shipping is now around $875 and of course technically voids the warranty. It's only about $1900 actual price difference in the 250 and 300 Verado so the reflash is almost half the cost and I'd be afraid of future problems going that route. As far as the extra weight, the Vrod 350 is only about 30lbs heavier than the 300. The Yamaha is about 135lbs more than the Vrod 300. The 25ft R series we drove with the Yamaha didn't seem to sit any different in the water than the other boats we have tried but the acceleration blows the others away. 
 
Great information, not that I'll ever probably benefit from it. After one season, I'd have to guess that only one to two percent of my engine hours were at WOT. It seemed like passengers didn't particularly care for all of the wind and after a couple of minutes my eyes couldn't take it any longer either.


That said, IMO since cost is really not a factor, whatever way you go, brand wise, go big! You don't want any regrets in that department.
 
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