America's Cup - Yamaha extends 30 year partnership with Kiwi team

by Sail-World.com on 3 Oct 2016
One of Emirates Team NZ's foundation suppliers, Yamaha have signed up again to power the most successful America's Cup team of the modern era.

For 30 years, Yamaha has been the official supplier of outboard motors for Emirates Team New Zealand's chase boats. The union began in 1987 when Yamaha supplied the team with engines for teh KZ-7 campaign in Fremantle, Australia. Yamaha’s reliability and performance is second to none, giving Emirates Team New Zealand the confidence on the water to get the job done.

Look out for the mighty F350, and F300’s as well as the F175 and F60 amongst the team support vessels.

With the selection of a wingsailed catamaran designed to foil, speeds in excess of 50kts are expected from the AC50 class to be sailed in the 2017 America's Cup and the AC45S ( a 45ft version of the 50ft America's Cuppers). To be able to just pace the AC45S and the AC50 when she is launched in early January, with a full team of analysts, support crew aboard requires a specialist boat and motors. The support boat is also required to be equipped with motors that will provide plenty of low-speed torque when towing the AC45/50's. The same quality will hopefully not be required for righting the multihulls.

Yamaha Motor was established in Japan in 1955, and today operates in more than 180 countries worldwide. Applying its small engine technology developed for motorcycles, Yamaha Motor released its first marine engine, the small outboard engine P-7, in 1960. Since then the company has expanded its marine line-up and today offers the latest in marine outboard engines and water vehicles. For Yamaha boating is a passion, every outboard in the range is the result of over 50 years’ experience on the water. A combination of 50 years of marine specific engine development and 50 years of real world evaluation in the field.

Aside from being used with professional teams like Emirates Team New Zealand, Yamaha powers many of the rescue and coach boats used by New Zealand yacht clubs and as well as powering yacht tenders and the like all of which require the same reliability required by an America's Cup team.

Internationally, Yamaha is also providing engines for several other America's Cup teams including Land Rover BAR and Softbank Team Japan.