Italian brand
Brands on board · Outboards · four-stroke
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From the licence-free BF40 to the twin BF350 V8s of the 9.50 · the brand is your choice
The outboard in this photograph is a Honda 250 fitted to the NAVY 7.60: the same engine as our 7.60 sea-trial boat. Honda has built four-stroke engines only, since 1964. On the NAVY range we fit them from the 40 hp, which needs no licence in Italy, up to the two 350 hp V8s of the flagship.
PLATE 02 — Why Honda · the brand remains your choice
Honda built its first outboard in 1964. It was called the GB30 and it was already a four-stroke. Honda has done nothing else since: from 1985 the whole range has been four-stroke, and in 2024 Honda Marine turned sixty. For anyone buying a RIB it means one simple thing: an engine that is quiet at idle, does not smoke, drinks little on a cruise and can be found in a workshop in every harbour.
On the NAVY range Honda is one of the three outboard brands we fit, alongside Yamaha and Mercury, all with equal weight. The engine is not included in the list price because we do not impose it: you decide the power and the brand, we quote it together with the boat and deliver it fitted and tested. On this page you will find what we know about Honda from direct experience, with the figures taken from the maker's own data sheets.
PLATE 03 — From idle to planing · Naviglia vision
It starts with the BF40: the Honda you can drive without a licence
BF40 · 3 CYLINDERS · 808 CC · NAVY 4.80, 5.50 AND 6.00
In Italy, within 6 miles of the coast, no boating licence is needed if the engine does not exceed 30 kW (40.8 hp) and the engine-size limits set by law. The BF40 sits below both thresholds: 40 hp and 808 cc. With the 40 hp we recommend boats up to 6 metres.
From the BF60 to the BF115: the right push for the 4.80 and 5.50
NAVY 4.80 UP TO 70-80 HP · NAVY 5.50 UP TO 115 HP
The NAVY 4.80 takes up to 70-80 hp, the 5.50 up to 115 hp. In the Honda range that means the BF60, BF80, BF100 and, on the 5.50, the BF115. These are the engines a family takes out on a Sunday and brings home without having thought about the engine once.
On the 6.00 you can go up to the BF150
NAVY 6.00 · UP TO 150 HP · FROM 40 HP
The NAVY 6.00 is the size that works both with the licence-free 40 hp and with a BF150 of 2,354 cc and twin overhead camshafts. Between those two ends lies the whole Honda mid range: the choice depends on how many people you carry and how far you want to go.
On the 7.60 we recommend the V6: BF200, BF225 or BF250
NAVY 7.60 · RECOMMENDED 200/250 HP · SINGLE UP TO 350 HP
The Honda V6 has 3,583 cc and a 90-amp alternator: fridge, plotter, lights and pumps without a second thought. Our 7.60 sea-trial boat carries a Honda 250: the same engine you see in the real photographs on this page. Those who want more move up to a single V8, the BF300 or BF350.
Twin outboards: two V8s on the 9.50 Cabin
NAVY 9.50 · TWIN OUTBOARDS, POWER AGREED AT THE QUOTE
The NAVY 9.50 Cabin is born with two outboards at the stern and the power is agreed together at the quote stage; so far we have fitted from two Honda 250s to two Honda BF350s, the 5-litre V8s presented in 2023. With two engines and the iST electronic control, manoeuvring in harbour becomes a calm affair.
Step aboard the 9.50PLATE 04
Who Honda Marine is · since 1964
Honda Marine is not a company in its own right: it is the marine division of Honda Motor Co., Ltd, founded in 1948 and based in Tokyo. In Italy the outboards are distributed by Honda Motor Europe Ltd – Italia, based in Rome. What follows is the story of the engines, taken stage by stage from the timeline Honda publishes on its own website: we tell it because it explains the character of these outboards better than any adjective.
In 1964 came the GB30, Honda's first outboard, a four-stroke at a time when almost everyone built two-strokes. In 1968 the range grew with the GB25 and GB40; in 1980 the BF75A and BF100A arrived and in 1985 Honda listed its entire range as four-stroke. In 1994 the BF30 was born; in 1995 the BF90 won the Popular Mechanics design and engineering award. In 2001 Honda built the world's first 225 hp four-stroke outboard, the BF225 with VTEC. In 2006 the BF75 and BF90 received multi-port injection and became the lightest in their class; in 2011 the BF250 made its debut and won the IBEX Innovation Award.
The recent years are the ones that matter to anyone buying today. In 2021 the BF140 with VTEC arrived and the BF115 and BF150 were redesigned, with the iST electronic control available as an option. On 21 September 2023, at the Genoa Boat Show, Honda gave the world premiere of the BF350: its first V8, 5 litres, 350 hp, with VTEC. In 2024 Honda Marine celebrated sixty years. In January 2025, at the Düsseldorf show, the second V8 made its debut, the 300 hp BF300, designed to run on regular petrol; in September 2025, again in Genoa, came the renewed four-cylinder (BF115, BF135, BF150) and V6 (BF200, BF225, BF250) ranges.
The range Honda publishes today runs from the portables, 2.3 to 20 hp, to the mid range from 30 to 150 hp, then the V6 from 200 to 250 hp and the V8 from 300 to 350 hp. The engine figures are those of Honda's data sheets: the BF40 and BF50 have 3 cylinders and 808 cc; the BF60 998 cc; the BF80 and BF100 4 cylinders and 1,496 cc; the BF115 and BF150 2,354 cc with twin overhead camshafts; the V6 3,583 cc with 24 valves; the V8 4,952 cc with 32 valves. On a RIB, where the engine hangs off the transom, these numbers tell you how long an engine's breath is when the boat is loaded and the sea gets up.
PLATE 05
On which NAVY · with what power
The power figures in the table are those of our own model data sheets; next to them you will find the Honda outboards that fit within them. It is not a closed pairing: it is the starting point for the quote, where the power is chosen with you according to how many people you carry, where you keep the boat and how you use it. The engine is bought separately and can also be left out: a NAVY is sold with or without an outboard.
| NAVY model | Power from the data sheet | In the Honda range |
|---|---|---|
| NAVY 4.80 | up to 70-80 hpwith the 40 hp, no licence needed in Italy | BF40 · BF50 · BF60 · BF80 |
| NAVY 5.50 | up to 115 hpwith the 40 hp, no licence needed in Italy | BF40 · BF60 · BF80 · BF100 · BF115 |
| NAVY 6.00 | up to 150 hpfrom the licence-free 40 hp | BF40 · BF60 · BF100 · BF115 · BF150 |
| NAVY 6.60 | data sheet being updatedthe engine is quoted together with the model | chosen at the quote stage |
| NAVY 7.60 | recommended 200/250 hpsingle outboard up to 350 hp, or twin engines | V6 BF200 · BF225 · BF250 · V8 BF300 · BF350 |
| NAVY 9.50 Cabin | twin outboards, power agreed at the quotefitted so far: from two Honda 250s to two Honda BF350s | two V8 BF350s |
The advice we give in person
PLATE 06 — NAVY 9.50 Cabin · two Honda BF350s · Naviglia vision
We have also fitted the flagship with two Honda BF350s
60° V8 · 4,952 CC · 350 HP EACH · VTEC
The BF350 is Honda's first V8, unveiled in Genoa in September 2023. On the new 9.50 there are two of them, on a boat 3.20 metres wide. Honda writes that the gearcase was redesigned to reduce friction and cavitation and that vibration and noise have been cut sharply: on a boat for 15 people, you feel it.
Above the engines, the sunpad: not everyone has one
Large aft sunpad over the outboard engines
The two outboards sit below the deck of the aft sunpad, which becomes the evening lounge. The cowls remain accessible for checks and servicing, and the side platforms lead you into the water.
iST: electronic throttle and shift, the two engines move together
HONDA INTELLIGENT SHIFT AND THROTTLE · UP TO 4 ENGINES · 2 CONTROL STATIONS
The BF350 has the iST control: no cables, a soft lever, a docking mode for slow manoeuvres and synchronised trim between the two engines. It is what makes a 9.80-metre boat manageable by one person alone.
The power is agreed together, at the quote stage
FUEL 500 L · from €86,900 + VAT · engine not included
The 9.50 is born with two outboards: Honda, Yamaha or Mercury, the brand is your choice. With 500 litres of fuel and two V8s the range is that of the islands, not of the coastal loop. The rest is best seen in person.
Come and see it in personPLATE 07 — Chapter 01 · Planing
Variable Valve Timing and Lift · Boosted Low Speed Torque
Every RIB has the same problem: full of people, with a full tank and a bit of chop, it has to climb out of the water and get onto the plane. Honda tackles it with two systems that carry motorcycle names. BLAST advances the ignition at low revs to deliver more torque the moment you open the throttle: Honda writes that it is designed to get the boat planing faster and to keep handling safe. In practice the RIB climbs in a few seconds, even loaded.
VTEC changes valve timing and lift according to the revs: at low revs the engine stays gentle and frugal, and when you open it up it changes character and pushes right to the top. You find it from the BF80 upwards, on the four-cylinders, the V6 and the V8. On the NAVY 7.60 with a 250 it is the difference between a boat that planes and a boat that flies: we let you feel it at sea.
Detail — 01 · The Honda BF350 below the 9.50's sunpad · Naviglia vision
PLATE 08 — Chapter 02 · Fuel and power supply
Lean-burn control · PGM-FI · 90-amp alternator on the V6
The cost you feel on every outing is not the engine: it is the fuel. On a 7.60 with 250 hp the difference is made by the ECOmo system, which leans the air-fuel mixture on a cruise according to load and speed. Honda writes that, with the boat on the plane, the PGM-FI injection can make the mixture up to 20% leaner. It means coming back to harbour with more petrol in the tank for the same miles, without touching the throttle.
The second item is electrical power. A modern RIB has a fridge, a plotter, lights, pumps and sometimes a windlass: the Honda V6 charges at 90 amps, up to 1,080 watts, which Honda describes as the best charging in the sector; even the BF40 has a 22-amp alternator and a fresh-water flushing port for the end of the day. And every Honda from the BF40 upwards speaks NMEA 2000: revs, temperature and fuel consumption appear on the Garmin screen at the helm.
Detail — 02 · The twin Honda BF350 V8s at the stern of the 9.50 · Naviglia vision
PLATE 09 — Chapter 03 · Manoeuvring
iST · Trim support · Automatic tilt · Cruise control
The quayside is where you find out whether an engine is your friend. On the renewed BF115 and BF150, on the V6 and on the V8, the iST control removes the cables between lever and engine: throttle and shift are electronic, the lever is soft, and a docking mode gentles the response for slow manoeuvres. With two engines, the two move together and the trim is synchronised: up to 4 engines and 2 control stations, Honda writes.
Then there are the conveniences you learn in an afternoon and never give up. Trim support adjusts the trim on its own according to revs and speed, with three settings you save yourself. Automatic tilt raises and lowers the engine with a double press of the button, for mooring and storage. Cruise control holds the speed with one key. And the anti-corrosion protection for salt water is what, at the end of the season, makes the difference between a glossy cowl and one to be redone.
Detail — 03 · The BF350 cowl, still gleaming after the sea · Naviglia vision
PLATE 10
Warranty and service · the conditions written by Honda
The engine is covered by its maker's warranty; the boat by ours. For Honda outboards sold in Italy the warranty is five years, free of charge, for engines used for leisure boating: it applies to engines distributed by Honda Motor Europe Ltd – Italia and sold from 21 September 2017, while engines imported by third parties or brought in directly from abroad are excluded. There is a single condition and it must be stated in full: the scheduled services must be carried out within the set intervals in the authorised Honda Marine service network, with genuine parts.
For professional use, rental included, the warranty drops to 12 months: anyone buying a NAVY to hire it out should know this before, not after. Honda also writes that the cover keeps the same value from the first day to the last. Activation takes place when the engine is bought, with the engine's and the owner's details being sent to Honda Motor Europe Ltd – Italia.
Service goes through the Honda Marine network, an authorised service network covering the whole of Italy; the locator of the service centres is on the maker's website. We deliver the engine fitted to the boat and tested; the basic checks before every outing and the scheduled services are then done in the Honda network, close to where you keep the boat. The RIB, for its part, comes with up to 15 years' Naviglia Yachts warranty.
PLATE 11 — In person · real photograph
Data sheets give you horsepower, engine size, amps. They do not tell you how a fully loaded 7.60 with a 250 at the stern gets onto the plane, how quiet it is at idle in front of a cove, how it stops at the quay. That you learn by stepping aboard. Come and see the boats in person. Then try them at sea.
FIG. 08 — NAVY 7.60 at anchor, stern three-quarter view, white Honda 250 and scrub-covered hills behind: Sardinia, real photograph.
The questions you ask us about engines
These are the questions that reach our office when the talk turns to outboards, with the answer we give in person. One at a time: open one and the other closes.
Honda, Yamaha and Mercury are the outboards we fit on the NAVY range. You choose the brand, together with the power. The engine is not included in the list price and we quote it together with the boat, so you have the final figure in front of you.
The BF40. In Italy, within 6 miles of the coast, no boating licence is needed if the engine does not exceed 30 kW (40.8 hp) and the engine-size limits set by law, which for a four-stroke outboard are 1,000 cc: the BF40 has 40 hp and 808 cc, so it sits below both thresholds. It is fitted to the NAVYs between 4 and 6 metres: the 4.80, 5.50 and 6.00. Beyond 6 miles a licence is always required.
Five years, free of charge, for engines used for leisure boating and sold in Italy by Honda Motor Europe Ltd – Italia, provided the scheduled services are carried out within the set intervals in the authorised Honda Marine service network and with genuine parts. For professional use, rental included, the warranty is 12 months. These are Honda's written conditions, not ours: we hand them to you together with the engine.
They are three systems found on Honda outboards. VTEC changes valve timing and lift according to the revs: a gentle engine on a cruise, full of push when you open it up. BLAST advances the ignition at low revs to deliver more torque and get a loaded RIB onto the plane sooner. ECOmo leans the mixture on a cruise: Honda states up to 20% when planing. At sea they translate into a quick plane and more petrol in the tank when you get back.
Intelligent Shift and Throttle: Honda's electronic control, with no cables between the lever and the engine. Throttle and shift are managed electronically, with a docking mode for slow manoeuvres and, with two engines, synchronised trim. You find it on the V8 BF350, on the V6 and on the renewed BF115, BF135 and BF150. On the 9.50 Cabin, with two engines, it is what lets one person moor without strain.
The 9.50 is born with two outboards at the stern, below the sunpad. So far we have fitted from two Honda 250s to two Honda BF350s, the 5-litre, 350 hp V8 that Honda unveiled at the Genoa Boat Show in 2023. The power, like the brand, is agreed together at the quote stage: the 9.50 can also be powered by Yamaha or Mercury.
The NAVY 7.60 can be fitted with a single or twin engines, but we recommend the single: with twins you lose the stern swim platforms. On the 7.60 the right single is a Honda V6 of 200 or 250 hp, with the V8 of 300 or 350 hp for those who want the most. The 9.50, on the other hand, is born with two outboards at the stern: so far we have fitted from two Honda 250s to two BF350s.
Yes. The RIB is sold with or without an engine, and we assess the pairing with your Honda on the chosen model: we need the engine's plate data, its power and its shaft length. If the engine suits the transom of the NAVY you have in mind, we fit it and test it with the boat.
PLATE 13 — The other brands on board
Honda is one of the three outboard brands we fit on the NAVY range: Yamaha and Mercury have their own pages, with the same figures taken from the makers' data sheets. Then there is the fabric that holds the air in the tubes and the electronics that talk to the engine at the helm.
All the brandsThe brands on board a NAVYEngines · tubes · electronics
PLATE 14 — The engine, together with the boat
Tell us which NAVY you have in mind and how much power you would like at the stern: we reply with a written quote, boat and Honda together, item by item. Then come and feel it in person. What power do you have in mind?
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Naviglia Yachts — Aprilia (LT), Italy · 380 173 0961
