Large Boats with Outboards

If it flies like an outboard, runs like an outboard, looks like an outboard and/or quacks like an outboard;
Then it's still an outboard.
A poor investment for long term, reliable, cruising power.

I fear I got carried aweigh again with all my post. I do hope the OP understands my/our points. ☺

I remember Yamaha had issues with the exhaust passage in the the mid section. There was a service bulletin but they tried to keep it quiet.
Some warranty repairs were preformed but most failures were after the warranty period.
Fresh water cooling would not have helped here.

Did Yam fix it on later new engines?
Only had one Yam F225. It had the new assembly installed before I purchased it.
I have been off of outboards for so long, I just don't know.

So many choices 50 feet plus, and most are USA made and designed;

Scout = the biggest offer 670 LXS (which debuted a year ago in Palm Beach), but they also have the 530 LXF since 2019.
HCB = had the biggest outboard CC from 2018 to 25 (0vertook in 2025 by Scout) with the 65 Estrella but also offer the Suenos 56 and Suenos 53
Midnight Express = 60 Pied-a-mer and 52 Vitesse
Valhalla as the V-55 and since this fall also the 55 Sport Yacht
Cigarette has 52 Thunder and 59 Tiranna
MTI offers the V-57 and V-50
Tiara also entered 50 plus with the LS56 last year
Intrepid 50 Evolution and 51 Panacea...
Eclipse Yachts 505 Shadow and 605 Shadow incoming...
While Palm Beach is also offering the GT series of GT50, GT60, and GT70 with the RS outboard set up

Freeman is set to debut the new 56, the largest outboard powered catamaran this year, currently undergoing sea trials

As European offers go, the most famous is DeAntonio who has a 50 and the 60 which debuted this year.
While Aicon has the 50 Audace offered in both outboards and inboards.

Ribs = Novamarine Black Shiver 160, Magazzu MX-16 and MX-15 Gran Coupe, Salpa 52 Soleil, and Nuova Jolly Prince 50...
It is all very interesting.... We might also get bigger since Mercury is also testing an 800hp outboard....

Is it madness? Probably it is, but the market wants this, and I still think it is a bit of a loss that some of these like the Scout is not offered with inboards.
Anyways but to be fair, the Midnight Expresss 60 Pied-A-Mer was offered with an inboard surface drive set up which never sold any out of the units made to date.

But beyond these behemoths of fifty foot plus, the forty foot (40-49) offer has like tripled in the last five/six years....

I noticed a five pack running down the river last month for the children's toy river run.
Staggered but two outboards were trimmed up/out. Good thing he still had three running to still make 45+mph.

I use this observation and other views of Merc shops down the coast, Lots of down machines.
High tech has backfired.

Swamp logic; If you can't beat it with a hammer to fix it, It cost to much.