THE COSTS TO RUN 250 HP OUTBOARDS

What does it cost to operate a V-6 or V-8 outboard over a five-year period? Boating’s editor-at-large lays it out and breaks it down so you can be a better buyer.

Outboards continue to grow in popularity due to new designs that generate more torque than many sterndrives and present lower maintenance costs to operate them. A few years ago, we analyzed and compared the costs of operating 150 hp outboards.

Now, with new models being introduced, it’s time to review 250 hp engines. In single applications, they provide exciting power for runabouts and saltwater fishing boats to 25 feet long, two hot-selling boat categories. Here’s what 250 hp outboards cost to run.

HOW WE TESTED

We calculated the maintenance costs by using the manufacturers’ recommended maintenance schedule. Parts and labor estimates are listed below.

PARTS COSTS

Four-stroke oil is averaged at $8 per quart, fractional quarts are rounded up.

Gear-case lubricant is averaged at $12 per quart, fractional quarts are rounded up.

Labor is estimated at $100 per hour.

When water-pump inspection is required, we added the cost of a pump kit too.

SHOP TIMES FOR:

OIL CHANGE: 1 hour GEAR-CASE LUBE CHANGE: half-hour

WATER-PUMP CHANGE:

3 hours

VALVE INSPECTION AND/OR ADJUSTMENT: 3 hours TIMING OR ACCESSORY BELTS LABOR: 1 to 3 hours SPARK-PLUG INSPECTION/ REPLACEMENT: half-hour

Measuring fuel costs is a question of estimates based on assumptions and trade-offs. We used the International Council of Marine Industry Associations’ (ICOMIA) outboard running cycle standards, established for the Environmental Protection Agency to approximate the speeds, loads, emissions and fuel burn over the life of an engine. Admittedly, emissions, not fuel burn, was their primary purpose. Next, we averaged the fuel burn of four boats (as closely alike as available) powered by identical power engines per brand and applied this to ICOMIA throttle settings.

In a perfect world, a single boat would be powered by each motor in equal test conditions. However, since that’s not feasible to arrange, we estimate our fuel expenditures as described.

We did not account for anode costs or winterization because these parts and processes are easily user-serviced. Further, their service requirements depend entirely on conditions of use and climate.

We did not present winterizing costs, since many outboards operate year-round.