News

FOND DU LAC, Wisc. (May 1, 2018)– Mercury Marine’s all-new 3.4L V-6 FourStroke outboard lineup has been selected as a 2018 Top Product by Boating Industry.  The award, which was officially announced today, honors Mercury for its commitment to innovation.

“The 3.4L V6’s versatility and ability to address multiple outboard market segments is evident,” said Tim Hennagir, Boating Industry editor. “The double-digit improvements in low cruise speed, fuel economy and high-speed fuel economy percentages are also impressive. The big boost in alternator capacity is a welcome addition for powering the increased electronics load that comes with today’s bigger boats.”

This is the second major award Mercury has won for its new engine platform which was officially unveiled during the 2018 Miami International Boat Show.  Mercury was also awarded the 2018 Innovation Award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in the Outboard Engine category in February.    

“We want to thank Boating Industry for selecting our 3.4L V-6 FourStroke outboard lineup as a Top Product,” said Brian Meyer, Mercury Marine product manager. “The feedback on these engines has been incredible and consumers have been impressed with the new look, design and features that are designed to enhance the boating experience.  Winning this award is another indicator that our team has developed an engine that will set a new benchmark in the marine industry.”

The 3.4L V-6 employs a large displacement, naturally aspirated powerhead and proven mid‑section and drive-system designs. Additionally, the 3.4L V-6 outboards are exceptionally versatile, offering the option of mechanical or digital controls, hydraulic or power steering, and black or white cowls on FourStroke-branded products, as well as a variety of accent panel colors.  This versatility makes the new V‑6 an ideal engine for repower applications.

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FOND DU LAC, Wisc. (April 5, 2018) – Mercury Marine has officially broken ground on a new expansion at its global headquarters in Fond du Lac.  The two-story NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) facility’s first chamber, and the office space is scheduled to be completed by October 2018 while the second chamber is targeted to be completed by the end of the year.  The $10 million investment will add close to 20,000 additional square feet to the more than 2.5 million square-foot campus.  With this latest expansion, Mercury has now invested more than $800 million since 2009 in expansion and R&D with most of the work again being outsourced to Wisconsin-based companies.  Wednesday's event was attended by members of the Mercury team, community leaders and many of the partners who are working on the project.

NVH is the engineering practice of studying noise, vibration and harshness characteristics; these are integral to the boating experience, ensuring the quietest and most peaceful engine for the consumer.  The new technical center will contain two marine-specific hemi-anechoic chambers, structural dynamic testing bays, listening rooms, offices and workspaces. 

Further proof of Mercury’s commitment to NVH leadership is the company’s all-new 3.4L V6 200hp FourStroke outboard engine, which was launched in February 2018, is 15-30% quieter with 50% less vibration than the leading 200hp four-stroke competitor.

“One of the many things that sets Mercury apart from the competition is our investment and commitment to ensuring that every engine we manufacture is the quietest and most reliable engine in the world,” said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development and engineering.  “This new facility will allow us to continue to support NVH development and allow our engineers to study every noise, movement and performance indicator on every engine that enters the market.  In the end, our consumers will benefit from a fantastic experience with their Mercury engine.”

The new facility will be Mercury’s third major expansion in the last 18 months.  In early 2017, Mercury officially opened its new $24 million EDP paint plant and in April 2017, Mercury commissioned a 4,500-ton high-pressure die-cast machine, the largest in North America.

When completed, the two‑story, nearly 20,000 square-foot NVH Technical Center will contain:

Two marine-specific hemi-anechoic chambers designed to provide a consistent test environment that mimics being out on the open water without any outside noises present;

Structural dynamic testing bays for the measurement and analysis of the NVH properties of engines, components, and full configurations on boats of up to 45 feet in length and up to 12 feet in beam;

A listening (playback) room; and

Offices and workspaces for NVH engineers and technicians.

“We made a commitment to the community and the marine industry in 2009 that we would grow and invest in the company and we have more than exceeded those commitments,” said Reid.  “We will continue to delight boaters with world-class engines and continue to invest in the business.  This new facility is another example of our commitment to building the most refined and reliable engines in the marine industry.” 

FOND DU LAC, Wisc. (April 3, 2018) – Mercury Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion, has launched Vessel Config, a new software management configurator for boatbuilders and dealers.  Vessel Config will guide these direct customers through the configuration process to ensure they are ordering the right Mercury controls and rigging products for their boats.

“Vessel Config fundamentally changes the way customers interact with Mercury,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine vice president of global category management. “It turns boatbuilders and dealers into virtual engineers, giving them the ability to configure complex systems without assistance.”

With Vessel Config, boat builders and dealers now can prepare the right boat/engine for their customer with ease.  Vessel Config will guide our customers through the configuration process to ensure they are ordering the right Mercury products for their boats and in the end, providing an invaluable service for the end consumer.

“Our customers have been ordering parts the same way for the past 30 years and its time for a change,” Buelow said. “This technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with our customers and how our customers interact with the end consumer.  Customers have been asking for a better way to select parts and this is the first tool that easily explains what parts to order with what engine.”

Products included in Vessel Config include most of the controls and rigging portfolio of parts for new boats or re-power applications.  Engine families that can be configured are FourStroke 40-225hp outboards, Verado L6 200-400R outboards, 115-150hp Pro XS and MerCruiser 4.5L/6.2L/8.2L sterndrives, inboards and tow sports engines. 

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FOND DU LAC, Wis. (February 19, 2018) – Mercury Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion, is reviving a piece of its history as the company has agreed to lease the property at Lake X in Central Florida.  Lake X, a pillar of Mercury’s heritage, was designed and built by Mercury Marine Founder E. Carl Kiekhaefer in 1957 and later sold to the Kirchman Foundation, who still owns the property today.  The facility was designed to be the most secluded marine testing facility in the world with 12,000 acres of land and 1,440 acres of water at Lake Conlin.  

“Mercury Marine is closing in on its 80th anniversary (in 2019) and we have a rich heritage that is unmatched in the marine industry,” said Michelle Dauchy, Mercury Marine chief marketing officer.  “Returning to Lake X is an opportunity to build an immersive brand experience around that heritage and capitalize on the popularity of the Mercury brand.  We have been able to host customer and media events as well as take advantage of the lake to test product.”

The location, based in Osceola County, Florida, is roughly three miles long, one-mile wide and nearly six miles in circumference.  Lake X was long used for performance tests of Mercury-powered boats, R&D, new product testing and endurance validation.  Mercury Marine occupied Lake X until 2004 when it chose to not renew its lease.

The secluded freshwater lake is also known for one of Mercury’s most famous PR events that took place in 1957 where a 50,000-mile endurance run, featuring two boats running continuously on a closed 5.8-mile course, 24 hours a day, seven days a week made marine industry history. 

“We hear stories all the time about folks who worked for Mr. Kiekhaefer and their wonderful experiences at Lake X,” said Dauchy. “We want to create new memories and build on our heritage of performance, reliability and to merge together our new Go Boldly brand cache with almost 80 years of history.

MIAMI (Feb. 16, 2018) – Mercury Marine has been awarded a 2018 Innovation Award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in the Outboard Engine category for its all-new V-6 FourStroke outboard family.  The official launch of the product was made on the opening day of the 2018 Miami International Boat Show and impressed the judges with its new look, design and features that are designed to enhance the boating experience.

“We are honored to win an Innovation Award for our new 3.4L V6 FourStroke platform,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine vice president of global category management. “These engines are going to change the mid-range market.  The judges were very impressed by the features, especially the top cowl service door that provides easy oil check and fill without removing the cowl.”

The 3.4L V-6 employs a large displacement, naturally aspirated powerhead and proven mid‑section and drive-system designs. Additionally, the 3.4L V-6 outboards are exceptionally versatile, offering the option of mechanical or digital controls, hydraulic or power steering, and black or white cowls on FourStroke-branded products, as well as a variety of accent panel colors.  This versatility makes the new V‑6 an ideal engine for repower applications.

“The market has been very excited about these new engines, and we only launched them 24 hours ago,” said Buelow. “We can’t wait to get these engines into the hands of customers around the world.”

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