Mercury has launched its most powerful outboard engine ever, a 600hp 7.6-litre V12 with a host of radical new innovations. We reveal its innermost secrets

For the last few years Mercury and Yamaha have been slugging it out for the title of the world’s most powerful production outboard engine, creeping up in stages from 400hp to 425hp and finally 450hp.

Now Mercury has knocked Yamaha clean out of the ring with a punch so big it’s hard to see anyone bothering to challenge them. The US engine builder’s latest launch is a monster 7.6-litre V12 outboard engine delivering a staggering 600hp and easily taking the title of world’s most powerful outboard engine curently in production.

 

 

The new Mercury monster 7.6-litre V12

To 50-something year-old sportsboat owners brought up on a diet of spluttering two-stroke oil-burners struggling to make more than 60hp, it seems an utterly outlandish proposition and yet Mercury is fully expecting to sell thousands of them, mostly as twins, triple or even quad installations. The world, it seems, cannot get enough of big outboard-engined day boats and cruisers – and it’s not just the US builders – everyone from Windy to Wally is building them. So what are the secrets behind Mercury’s new
600hp V12 and how has it managed to outsmart the opposition.

How do you create the world’s the most powerful production outboard?

The starting point for building the most powerful outboard engine in production, is an all-new narrow angle V12 block with the same 60 degree angle between its banks as the smaller V8 and V6 ranges. Naturally aspirated with quad cams, 4-valves per cylinder and indirect injection, the emphasis is on smoothness and refinement as much as maximum power. As well as the inherent natural balance of a V12 configuration, every effort has been made to reduce unwanted noise and vibrations.

 

Why buy one when you can have three for 3x the price? No brainer. 

I noticed they dint talk about GPH....

1 hour ago, SkisNH said:

I noticed they dint talk about GPH....

Fortunately its a gas motor.  My diesels burn around 35-40 gph @ a present price of $6.59/gallon..  

57 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Fortunately its a gas motor.  My diesels burn around 35-40 gph @ a present price of $6.59/gallon..  

My center consol with twin 200's only burned 20gph @ full throttle and would run 57 MPH 

I can't even imagine pushing all of that displacement for 25 mph @ 35 gph (assuming you have a larger cruiser)

The 10% rule applies to just about everything that burns gas in a boat. If they say it will make 600hp at full throttle than it should burn about 60 gallons an hour at full throttle.

39 minutes ago, SkisNH said:

My center consol with twin 200's only burned 20gph @ full throttle and would run 57 MPH 

I can't even imagine pushing all of that displacement for 25 mph @ 35 gph (assuming you have a larger cruiser)

My boat will only hit about 24-26 knots wide open. 40 footer displacing about 30,000 pounds. Figure the running cost at todays prices are around 250-300/hr.  Nuts.  Its gonna kill the boating industry if costs dont come back down. 

15 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

My boat will only hit about 24-26 knots wide open. 40 footer displacing about 30,000 pounds. Figure the running cost at todays prices are around 250-300/hr.  Nuts.  Its gonna kill the boating industry if costs dont come back down.....

....and the RV, atv, snowmobile, motorcycles, vehicles, and everything else imaginable that takes fuel to operate. All by design and what they want with regards to their "green energy, climate change" scam. 

18 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

My boat will only hit about 24-26 knots wide open. 40 footer displacing about 30,000 pounds. Figure the running cost at todays prices are around 250-300/hr.  Nuts.  Its gonna kill the boating industry if costs dont come back down. 

We gave up the center console when we moved to the lake...we fill our pontoon boat twice a season. But we are going 5mph while drinking and eating.

37 minutes ago, SkisNH said:

We gave up the center console when we moved to the lake...we fill our pontoon boat twice a season. But we are going 5mph while drinking and eating.

Thats my eventual plan as well.     For what it costs to keep a fairly good sized boat on the ocean, I could handle something on the lake

1 hour ago, irv said:

....and the RV, atv, snowmobile, motorcycles, vehicles, and everything else imaginable that takes fuel to operate. All by design and what they want with regards to their "green energy, climate change" scam. 

Yup ...

6 hours ago, irv said:

....and the RV, atv, snowmobile, motorcycles, vehicles, and everything else imaginable that takes fuel to operate. All by design and what they want with regards to their "green energy, climate change" scam. 

 

spot on, the democrap design.

FOUR 600hp outboards on a 40' - 50'   center console or offshore racer,  will be a 🔥 hot seller for boaters with deep pockets + big egos . . .

Mercury will sell every one they can build for years to come.

 

Edited May 14, 20223 yr by ICG
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i was drooling over this at the boston boat show earlier this spring. imagine running a v12 /2 spd 600hp mota  a tune!?                the ultimate lake tune.