NMEA 2000 and Yamaha or Suzuki Engines

Electrical and electronic topics for small boats
padrefigure
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NMEA 2000 and Yamaha or Suzuki Engines

Postby padrefigure » Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:12 pm

I am starting the process of repowering a 2001 Dauntless 22. It currently has a 200 HP Mercury Optimax and I am considering either a Yamaha F225 or Suzuki DF225. Yamaha has apparently not shipped a V-6 outboard as a loose engine in many months, but my dealer says that there is a shipment due to arrive in the US sometime in June. Suzuki engines are more available--my dealer says he is receiving engines weekly, but it may be a few weeks before a 25-in-shaft DF225 arrives. He said probably as long as six weeks.

One thing I desire after re-power is the ability to install NMEA gauges. The tiny LCD screen at the bottom of my Smartcraft gauges is almost impossible to read--plus, I like the thought of using my Garmin 94SV to display engine data as well. Not that I need multiple views of the same information, but I like the ability to display what I want where I want it.

What I cannot find is information about whether these engines are NMEA 2000 compliant. Both appear to offer their own network for displaying information without a mention of NMEA 2000 that I can locate. Can anyone point me to a resource that clarifies what engines are and are not NMEA 2000 compliant?

Thanks for your help.

jimh
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Re: NMEA 2000 and repower

Postby jimh » Fri Mar 31, 2023 3:39 am

The modern YAMAHA and SUZUKI outboard engines have NMEA-2000 interfaces. What they do NOT have is use of the standard connectors used in most NMEA-2000 networks on small boats. Instead of the DeviceNet micro connector, they both use their own style connector. They also use their own style NMEA-2000 bus connectors.

This diversion from the standard connectors and usual bus devices means you typically have to get a special cable to connect devices (with the standard DeviceNet connector) to the engine data bus.

I am not expert on the particulars, so you should rely on the dealer selling you the engine to work out the details. Typically the exact configuration will depend on the engine, the model year, and which tier of OEM gauges is also to be used. Other variables will be where the network terminators are placed. For me, this is a realm of arcane information best left to very a experienced dealer or perhaps to few very well informed boaters on a forum.

There is a crazy-long thread with several hundred posts on theHullTruth that might contain useful information about a c.2023 new Suzuki engine—if you could ever find that gem buried in the hundreds of articles in the thread plowing up the same ground over and over.

https://www.thehulltruth.com/marine-electronics-forum/286406-suzuki-nmea-2000-newtork-standard-suzuki-gauges-can-done.html

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Phil T
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Re: NMEA 2000 and Yamaha or Suzuki Engines

Postby Phil T » Fri Mar 31, 2023 3:15 pm

Many owners are only installing a single multifunction gauge and utilizing a large, 7-inch or bigger multifunction dislpay (MFD). A chart plotter is one type of a MFD.

One way to help make the decision on which brand is to visit each brand's local dealer and have the parts team explain how to integrate a MFD like a plotter. If they can't explain it to your satisfaction and reassure you, find a different dealer.
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jimh
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Re: NMEA 2000 and Yamaha or Suzuki Engines

Postby jimh » Sun Apr 02, 2023 5:57 am

Good advice from PHIL T: if the dealer isn’t knowledgeable on fitting the outboard into a generic NMEA-2000 network, they won’t be much help, and they will likely try to point you to buy OEM instrumentation at much higher cost. One the other hand, sometimes the OEM Instrumentation will be advantageous to have, particularly for engine alerts and warning messages which may not be supported by a non-OEM generic display.

Look at your generic display to see if it offers support for SUZUKI or YAMAHA outboard engine proprietary messages.

padrefigure
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Re: NMEA 2000 and Yamaha or Suzuki Engines

Postby padrefigure » Mon Apr 03, 2023 4:42 pm

Great information as usual. I will start the tire kicking. I am glad that it is possible to integrate all of my electronics, even if it involves untangling some proprietary connectors. I will let you know as I make progress. With availability being what it is for now, it may be a long process.