It was in Hyères, in a sheltered bay on the Giens peninsula, on a barely wrinkled sea that we were able to test Suzuki's all-new DF350A outboard engine. Two boats were at our disposal, a rigid hull boat with cabin, the Leader 10.5 WA with 2x350 hp and a semi-rigid 8.45 m, with 350 hp, the Prince 25. ( We had analyzed the engine in this article and we discovered it here SI HUGO A R?VÉ SON ÉCUME DE MER POUR PARTIR EN GRANDE CROISIÈRE, CELA NE L'EMPÊCHE PAS DE NAVIGUER SUR D'AUTRES VOILIERS. IL NOUS FAIT VIVRE AUJOURD'HUI DANS CET ÉPISODE, LA PARTICIPATION AUX VOILES DE SAINT-BARTH. POUR CELA IL INTÈGRE UN ÉQUIPAGE QUI PARTICIPE SUR UN J/122 (UN VOILIER DE COURSE-CROISIÈRE DE 12 M).
The Leader test was conducted on the largest model, the 10.57 m long walkaround with a weight of 4,250 kg. With a 600 L fuel tank 3/4 full, and 5 people on board, our Leader 10.5 WA weighed about 6 tons. On this double step hull, the engines were installed 30 cm above the V.
The acceleration of Leader with these two engines is fast - 30 knots in 13 seconds and maximum speed (45.3 knots in our test) in 33 seconds. The boat takes off quickly - after 7 seconds - and glides over the water in the greatest comfort. Despite its weight and volume, we easily reached more than 45 knots smoothly. The boat remains very stable, even at high speed.
By way of comparison, with a lower engine - 2x300 hp - the Leader 10.5 WA would reach a speed of 40 knots. By increasing engine power, we gain between 6 and 5 knots. A gain made possible thanks to a concentration of innovations on the new Suzuki:
- The 4.4-litre displacement is combined with a high-performance compression ratio of 12/1, the highest of all standard outboard engines.
- The combination of direct air intake, dual injectors and reinforced pistons has eliminated almost all knocks, typical of high compression engines.
- A direct air intake system that allows the engine to draw a large amount of fresh air while removing water, vapours and moisture
- Double fins under the hood to trap water drops and then moisture as it enters the fairing, for almost no water infiltration.
- A counter-rotating propeller system offering three advantages (compact dimensions, increased stability and superior traction capacity).
The new DF350A engine is well named "Geki", which means fiery!
Performance reports
| Revolutions per minute | Speed (knots) | Consumption (l/h) |
| 650 | 3. San Sebastian, Spain | 4. Barge, Portugal |
| 1000 | 4,6 | 8,4 |
| 1500 | 6,4 | 15,7 |
| 2000 | 7,7 | 23 |
| 2500 | 8,6 | 40 seconds to drive |
| 3000 | 9,5 | 59 |
| 3500 | 15 l for 4 people | 85 |
| 4000 | 25,8 | 95,3 |
| 4500 | 30 seconds a minute, I'd say! But to be perfectly honest, when you accept the situation, everything comes together naturally. At the very beginning, we had 60 knots of wind very quickly. I only had the storm, a wave went over the back of the boat and broke the down door. The boat went to the luff, went to bed and the water came in. There was water above the chart table, where all the instruments are. I pumped with both electric pumps and the hand pump until the boat was empty. | 120 |
| 5000 | 36 pages | 158 |
| 5500 | 40 seconds to drive | 192 |
| MAXLITE++ | 45 | 221 |
