Motor Boat & Yachting — August 2017

Slightly more power for the people

Yamaha F2.5 outboard engine

Yamaha’s entry-level engine

gains a number of small but

useful improvements

Emissions reduction, as ever, feature

heavily in the press release of the

latest Yamaha F2.5 outboard. Fine-

tuning of the piston, cylinder, cylinder

head and manifold are responsible for

an improvement in engine efficiency

which, by eking out more from every

drop of unleaded, simultaneously

improves not only the emission

levels but also the performance

and fuel economy.

More obvious improvements for

the end user start with the adoption

of a large twist-grip throttle, greatly

improving convenience and bringing

the motor in line with larger portable

Yamaha outboards. You still need to

spin the engine through 180° to go

backwards, but a neutral gear facility

is a very worthwhile improvement.

Practicality has been augmented

with the facility to lie the engine

down flat in three positions without

oil leaks from the single-cylinder

four-stroke 72cc engine. You can

store the F2.5 on either side or on

its front without the risk of oil spillage

and there’s a comfortable carry

handle on its back (which is also

useful when reversing).

Finally, the integral 0.9-litre fuel tank

has been made see-through

for easier gauging of fuel level and

the oil level can be checked via a clear

window or by using the dipstick now

integral with the oil filler cap. Being

a deliberately basic, portable engine,

there’s still a manual choke for

the carburettor, however – no fuel

injection here. I wonder how many

people even know what that is

these days, much less how to use

it? Don’t worry, it’s in the instruction

book. Price £699.

Contact http://www.yamaha-motor.eu

Light the way

Esthec Solar Glow luminous decking

Every so often, I come across an

invention or new idea for New Tech

that has me thinking, ‘I need this in

my life.’ This is just such an occasion

• luminous decking.
  Dutch company Esthec has been
  making fully recyclable composite
  decking for years. Offering 13
  different colours with a variety
  of caulking shades, it’s an
  environmentally friendly and
  maintenance-free
  alternative to teak
  decks. Arguably
  safer too, it
  doesn’t get as
  slippery when
  wet. It looks great,
  and you can even
  have the name
  or make of your
  boat worked in.
  Solar Glow
  takes the concept,
  and adds a twist.
  Basically, the
  caulking is
  luminous. It looks

perfectly normal by day, but absorbs

light in order to emit a gentle glow

at night. The safety benefits are

obvious, gently marking out the

scope of the deck. You could even

use it on a gangway or passerelle

since it requires no wiring or power.

Call me shallow, but I don’t care

about any of that. I just think that

it would look fantastic!

Contact http://www.esthec.com

Another level

Gill 7014 Blackwater Level Sensor

There is one item above all others with

which you really, really don’t want

issues. Malfunctioning navigation

equipment might drive you aground

or a broken-down engine might cause

you to drift on to rocks, and that’s fine.

Just so long as you never have to deal

with any malfunction surrounding

your holding tank.

It’s with that in mind that we stand

and salute Gill for its latest product,

the new 7014 Blackwater Level

Sensor. Sensors and gauges that

inform you of the level in your holding

tanks are nothing new, but most rely

on moving parts, and you never want

to be the guy that has to unclog one

that’s ceased moving.

Available in sizes from 250mm

to 1,000mm, what makes the 7014

different is a complete lack of

anything to stick, seize or break.

Instead, there is a simple probe with

a non-stick FEP (fluorinated ethylene

propylene) surface that uses Gill’s

proprietary capacitive technology

that can differentiate liquid from air.

And by working out which is which,

it can work out the depth. Cleverly,

it comes with software that allows

you to pre-program minimum and

maximum levels, and a unique tank

sensor profiling feature linearises

the output for non-standard tank

geometries so that it can compensate

for tanks that are wider at the top

than the bottom, for example. You

can even program it to sound an

alarm once a preset level is reached.

Price from £233.

Contact http://www.gillsc.com

The high-tech probe can

sense the level in the

tank without any

moving parts

Clever new luminous

decking material

glows gently at night

NEWTECH BOAT MASTER