Mercury 75th Anniversary World Event

September 23, 2014

Mercury held a special dealer meeting in Orlando, Fla. for its 75th anniversary, with some interesting new product introductions. Jerry and Juanita from Watertown were in attendance, so you can get the inside scoop right here.

The event started off with a speech by special guest Fred Kiekhaefer, son of Mercury's founder Carl Kiekhaefer, and former president of the Mercury Racing division. He outlined how his father started out in the outboard motor business with an unlikely family loan (what an impressive young man Carl must have been!) and a completely different initial ambition. Many years of hard work followed and now the company celebrates its 75th year, having produced 15 million engines, including 75,000 Verados.

Mercury warranty claims are at exceptionally low percentages, the hard-earned result of manufacturing true high-quality products. In addition, it's evident that Mercury is going through a special period of innovation, extending its lead in the boat propulsion industry.

There's a new stainless steel Enertia ECO propeller series for large, high-horsepower boats that can deliver an impressive 7% savings in fuel costs with no compromise in performance. Enertia ECO is made with Mercury's incredible X7 alloy.

Mercury is now producing a brand new 4.5 litre V6, which is manufactured by Mercury, including the engine block. It is NOT a converted car engine. This stern drive engine was demonstrated on the lake at Disney World and is quite revolutionary in how it responds to driver throttle input. There's no need to frequently adjust throttle to hold a specific RPM. Once the RPM is set with the throttle, it holds constant regardless of oncoming waves, cornering or shifting weight on the boat. As a result, driver workload is noticeably reduced. In addition, the 250hp demonstration model was peppy and responsive.

On hand, and what we feel is of greatest interest to the local Manitoba boating market, were the new 115hp Mercury FourStroke outboards. Four stroke, really? You wouldn't know it from their size. They're compact--we're talking two stroke territory (seriously)--and over 20lbs lighter than the nearest competitor. They look great and run oh-so smooth. The new 75EFI, 90EFI and 115EFI FourStroke outboards all share the same basic 2.1L engine block and external shell. Both the 90 and 115 will be available with a larger gearcase that will swing a V6-sized propeller, typically suitable for larger boat applications.

It's nice to see that after 75 years, Mercury is still investing in the future and achieving new milestones that will be admired by recreational and commercial boaters for years to come.