Yamaha Outboard Engines Get Electronic Theft Protection

Japanese manufacturer Yamaha revealed that it has extended the introduction of the Y-COP (Yamaha Customer Outboard Protection) system to all new fuel injection, four-stroke outboard models from 50 hp to 100 hp. Last year, Yamaha was the first manufacturer to introduce its electronic theft prevention system on its 30 and 40 hp models.

The Y-COP locks and unlocks the engine with one push of a button on the remote control... just like a car. The kind of craft that uses the engines featuring Y-COP are usually stored on trailers or on the deck of a mother ship - just about where they make tempting gadgets for thieves.

The Y-COP system uses a simple handheld remote transmitter to immobilise the engine when it is bolted to the transom. The signal from the transmitter is picked up by a receiver that is fitted to the boat and plugged into the LAN (Local Area Network) system.

The signal is passed to the engine ECM (Engine Control Module) via the standard LAN wiring system. The engine ECM recognises the signal from the transmitter and unlocks the system, allowing the engine to run.

All new Y-COP engines use NMEA 2000 protocol. This means the engine information feed can be interfaced with other electronic accessories, such as chart plotters, to monitor engine functions and fuel management. Even if it is disconnected or destroyed, the Y-COP will lock the engine into a low rpm mode, which is about enough to get you home safely, but useless to thieves.

The system can be used with Yamaha’s Smartlock or Nutlock to add an even higher level of security.