I'm not certain that the Suzuki DF 25 V-Twin is the first outboard with a V-Twin powerhead - there were a lot of inventive cylinder configurations in the formative years of outboard development - but I know that it's the only V-Twin outboard you can buy today. The novelty of running a V-Twin kicker intrigued me, so I asked Suzuki to bring a DF25 to its recent 2008 outboard media launch in Branson, Mo. Suzuki obliged by rigging a DF25 on a SeaArk DuckHawk 1548DK (www.seaarkboats.com), a rugged jon-style utility boat that can be set up for a variety of missions, from hauling freight to duck hunting.

So why build a V-Twin outboard? According to Suzuki applications specialist David Greenwood, the DF25 V-Twin is intended to be an inexpensive, simple, low-cost outboard for utility use. The motor was introduced in 2006 to replace the previous DF25, an in-line three-cylinder model that shared a powerhead with the 30-hp DF30.

"The DF25 V-Twin is based on a powerhead that Suzuki has sold in other markets around the world as a work motor," said Greenwood. "It's very rugged, easy to maintain, and is designed to make a lot of low-end torque, so it's great for pushing heavy loads."

The 538cc, 70-degree V-Twin cylinder configuration, said Greenwood, helps the DF25 V-Twin make more torque than the previous 597cc DF25 triple. The DF25 V-Twin has a wide-open-throttle operating range of 4500-5500 rpm, which means it reaches is power peak about 1000 rpm lower than a typical outboard in this range. It has a single carb, which makes tuning and maintenance simple, that feeds a pair of long intake runners to further boost torque. The carb is located near the top of the motor, under an airbox that is combined with the flywheel cover. The spark plugs and oil and fuel filters are easy to reach for service, and the oil drain is handy on the middle of the mid-section. The lightest version of the DF25 V-Twin weighs 152 pounds, compared to 209 pounds for the three-cylinder DF25 it replaced.

To prepare this powerhead for the North American market, Suzuki fitted a new CD ignition that is both smarter and more compact than the previous ignition used on this motor. It self-adjusts timing based on engine temperature and rpm. The carburetor also has an electric choke replacing the manual choke used in other markets. The motor is available with manual or electric starting, and tiller or remote steering. Power trim is not offered. It carries a Three Star emissions rating.

The DF25 V-Twin I tested had tiller steering and electric start via a button on the front of the motor bracket. The motor comes to life with a distinctive, low sound. It also shakes like an old Harley Sportster. The powerhead does not have a counter-balancer to cancel vibration, but Suzuki has designed some very soft motor mounts for the DF25 V-Twin that almost completely isolate the powerhead from the boat and tiller - I felt almost no vibration to the boat or handle at any speed.

The standard SeaArk 1548DK weighs about 300 pounds, but our test boat had an optional diamond-plate deck, a side live-well box, and a bow-mount trolling motor. This boat is rated to carry up to 865 pounds, and as I prowled the shoreline of Table Rock Lake in the camo-pattern SeaArk, I imagined the boat piled high with decoys, a few hunting buddies, and a dog. I think the DF25 V-Twin would have no trouble moving it all. The motor pulls strongly right off idle and clearly makes nice mid-range power. It's quiet at idle - I measured just 66 dB-A from about 24 inches away - but makes a throaty intake growl when up to speed.

The motor is not as compact as I imagined it might be. If the intake and carb were placed between the cylinders the profile might be lower. But as it is, the DF25 V-Twin is much shorter than a 3-cylinder engine. It rises just 17 inches above the transom of the SeaArk. Suzuki points out that this low profile and the weight distribution of the V-Twin powerhead makes it easier to tilt the motor by hand.

The most-appealing alternative in the 25-hp class is the new triple-cylinder, 526cc Mercury 25EFI Four Stroke, which offers the significant performance and fuel-economy benefits of fuel injection in a design that can be rope-started. Like the Suzuki, the Merc is offered in 15 or 20-inch shaft lengths, and you can get the Merc with power tilt. In its lightest configuration the Mercury weighs 163 pounds, or 11 pounds more than the Suzuki. Pricing for the Mercury starts at $3,360. The lowest-priced Suzuki DF25 V-Twin costs $3,946. For boaters who find a low-tech, no-frills motor appealing - and like the idea that they might be able to fix it in the back-country with a screwdriver rather than a laptop - the Suzuki DF25 V-Twin is a motor worthy of consideration.

Really Full Service

Thanks to the ingenuity of engineer Mark Moertl, boaters in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, can now get valet fuel service right at their home dock. Boatgas Marine Refueling Service uses a customized barge equipped with a 575-gallon tank to fuel up boats on Pewaukee Lake and three smaller lakes. It's the first operation of its kind in Wisconsin, and state officials say the only similar service they could find was at Disney World in Florida. Read more about this great idea in a story that recently appeared on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel at www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=611240.

Editor's Note: Charlies Plueddeman is the editor at large for Boating, the nation's largest boating magazine.

Written by: Charles Plueddeman
Charles Plueddeman is Boats.com's outboard, trailer, and PWC expert. He is a former editor at Boating Magazine and contributor to many national publications since 1986.