By Cory Allen
In an industry that is a circus of pre-heated, pre-packaged commercialized nonsense in which major brand name companies cram their products into labels and different packages, an observant angler such as I sees rehashed old “pie-in-the-face” products blatantly copied from someone else’s homework. Then they even accidentally sign the original author’s name on the test. It gets old fast.
Being an active participant in the ever evolving art form that is angling leaves the door open to an entire universe of creative possibilities that not only provide for free reign innovation but in that same vein, the promise of immense compensation for those bold and imaginative enough to seize the opportunity. Yet alas, the masses seem to enjoy being spoon fed more the gruel that is so often served on a fancy brand name logo laden placement. The beauty of this verisimilitude is that to those of us who truly seek the tools to create a better craft, the diamonds in the rough are rarely buried deep, and more often than not, glistening in plain sight.
Out of all the out-promoted outboards on the market, with big shiny pundits spouting cookie cutter compliments at a dollar a letter, it doesn’t take much discerning to notice the man behind the curtain. Behind all the smoke and mirrors, all that’s left is a big fat mark up for the paid opinion of a figure head that gets free product, and passes HIS savings onto you.
Yet, the old adage holds true. The best don’t have to tell you they are, they just are. Quality, integrity, creativity, innovation, and performance are their own advocates. They speak on their own behalf, with the truth as their alibi, and require no shiny suit or slicked back hair to sell themselves. Yes, the carousel barkers do have their lion’s share of the market. They also tend to be the easiest to leave the consumer with the scraps off the bone.
When I began my search for a new outboard, a mandatory search mind you, due to the surmounting costly repairs on an older albeit very popular model, I opted to search for a potential new propulsion system. Browsing through the online showrooms and review pages, I found varying degrees of quality, but very little attentiveness to any more than keeping pace or even drafting off the competition. Nothing really illuminated itself from the canvas of drab, so the determining factors fell upon price point and endorsement. Then, as if taken by the muses themselves, I happened to stumble across an entirely new model of motor that had just been released by Yamaha Corporation. This one was different; An off beat 70 horsepower. A weight that was absolutely unheard of… an oversized gear shaft and prop, and an entirely redesigned tiller kit… a mandatory item for the life of a topographically minded musky guide. This was intriguing.
It didn’t take much investigation for my aperitif to lead to appetite with this particular motor; a perfected synthesis of form and function, a beauty of reciprocity that is so often neglected. Like any online borne relationship, I had to actually meet this virago for myself. On the ballroom floor she was even more exquisite; A sleek sophisticated exterior cowling with a retro flair, a surprisingly petite physique, with a bit of steam punk print streaking down the side and a signature pendant on her chest and decked out with high heels in the form of an outsized gear casing and an appropriately proportioned prop.
Tell me quick, isn’t that a kick in the head…but beauty as they say, is only skin deep, or in this case…a 5 coat strong epidermal painting process to ensure she’d stay timelessly tragically aesthetic for many a moon. Then I saw her personality. Up to 6800 rpm of screaming torque, idling at a soft whisper, and moaning like a tom cat out of a back alley. I was ready to pick out curtains.
It wasn’t long before she moved in with me, bunking on the back of my Tuffy, a fitting fixture for such an aquatic Aphrodisiac. Like a seductive chanteuse draped over the lid of a Steinway piano as the Porter songbook flowed from the keys to accentuate her vocal chords. Her soft dulcet tones whispered in my ear at the first turn of the key, raspy like Holiday, but soothing like Fitzgerald. It was then that I first gripped the tiller, and realized how amazing a union Yamaha had truly betrothed.
A motor is merely a means of propulsion. There is potential for great application in this, but what good is propulsion without direction, inspiration with out purpose and will? I grew up with a tiller in my hand, trolling topography and realizing at a young age that an outboard was more than just a means of getting to point B from point A. It was a means for interpretive angling of structure, as well as a near perfected means of isolating the controls for that given day, and the moment to moment changes therein, that could guarantee a strike if utilized properly. The tiller itself though, considered primitive in most of today’s industry standards, had been a long forgotten tool and thus the purity of motor trolling itself had began to gather some dust. One of the most amazing things to me was the attentiveness to detail and integrated functionality that the Yamaha redesigned tiller kit offered the angler with specific trolling demands in mind. When I first went to see the motor I had Sears & Roebuck’d at my friendly neighborhood marine dealer, Chris of Louisville Marine [and quite frankly the only honest one I’ve met thus far…], even past the motor itself, I was absolutely smitten with the tiller he was about to install, like a perfectly balanced hilt onto a finely forged blade. I couldn’t help myself, and asked to feel the thing that would direct my angling for countless hours in my bare hands…the heft, the sleek design, the off-model size. In my opinion, a tiller on most motors seems like little more than the manufacturer slapping an object on the front and saying “Here, twist the shaft to make it go.” This was an entirely different animal.
Like putting a fresh team of dogs behind a sled, my Tuffy literally came alive like never before even during the break-in period. The Yamaha 70 was as quiet as a prostitute in the second row of a cathedral when she was sitting in idle, grinning with a Cheshire smile and a halo over her head, completely removing any suspicion that at her climax of RPM range, she moaned enough to make the entire red light district turn and bloud. But this girl didn’t ever fake it. Even at full throttle on plane, her caterwauling was only tastefully appropriate and never audaciously overbearing and boy was it a smooth ride. No small part in thanks to the tiller itself, having a very smooth and adjustable resistance throttle, easily adapted on the fly with the turn of a small wheel just behind the throttle. Along with this little feature that allows for consistency of performance between travel and trolling, the handle also held several other secrets that could not possibly be appreciated until she was put through her paces.
F70 (NEW)
Weighing in at up to 142 pounds lighter than its four stroke competitors, this 16-valve SOHC (Single Overhead Camshaft) midrange four stroke offers the greatest power-to-weight ratio in its class. That makes it perfect for lightweight fishing boats, pontoons and fiberglass boats. In addition, it’s Command Link® and YCOP™ compatible.
Running as many shallow Tennessee rivers as I do, the ability to learn the capabilities of trim and tilt as well as simultaneous on-the-fly adjustment the hydraulic jackplate I had installed allow me to do things that most prop boats, and prop boat drivers, would never attempt. While these types of maneuvers were feasible and doable with my old setup, the thing that set this motor and tiller apart more than anything was the trim and tilt built into the tiller handle itself, ergonomically placed at the tip of your thumbs so impromptu adjustments could be made on plane to adapt to different conditions…and for a guy like me who spends a portion of his time driving stick while standing on the transom, this was an absolute dream.
Even when trolling, the larger gear shaft and prop not only provided more grip in the water when making precision course adjustments while walking a breakline, it also goes without saying that having both this static feature and the ability to trim and tilt at will allowed for faster take offs and hole shot, a much appreciate side effect of Yahama’s new tiller design. But that’s not all. This tiller also comes with a feature that allows you to trim down your trolling speed up to 500 rpms from idle so that slower speeds can be checked and held, instead of my old school method of constantly engaging and disengaging the motor from neutral to drive. No need for a trolling plate, no need for back trolling and thus loss of control. I hate to say this because I have never found a case where I truly meant it…but they literally thought of everything. If DaVinci were alive today, I can guarantee you he would be a “structure” angler, and this would be his paintbrush.
There is no compromise to quality, no replacement for integrity, and no mistaking what is truly art. Many manufacturers slap fancy words, and pretty face on their products to sell them off with sawdust under the hood. Yamaha simply reaffirms its legacy of incomparable innovation. They don’t have to strut their plumage. Their actions speak louder than any words. So here’s a few words in honor of their actions…from a very impressed, and very grateful musky angler…I raise my glass to you, Yahama, for marching to the beat of your own drum, and giving no heed to the cacophony surrounding you. Notice that the word “phony” is built in there. You refuse to yield to their carnival barker advertising tactics, and simply deliver on your words and promises. From one angling consumer to a brilliant manufacturer, I give you my sincerest gratitude and thanks.
Cory Allen
Stone’s Throw Adventures Guide Service
P.S. Simply having this motor on my transom literally accounted for my first guest on a new water getting a 50″ plus Tennessee musky…the first of many, which I am sure, in no small part to your craftsmanship
