OK, who is going to try it out first on a seacraft hull? (mercury 400hp outboard)
 

The new 400 hp 4 stroke mercury test engines going on the x cats to be tested!!! I hear it will be only around 500 lbs too. Might have to wait 2 years to be able to buy one but they are coming. Imagine a 23' seacraft cc with one, it would do some impressive numbers. With many going to big singles this would have to be popular once the price comes down to a reasonable level. I want one on the 27' race boat...

http://raceboatinternational.com/index.php?id=867

Attachment 5784

I will now taking monitory donations for the repower

7 marine is far beyond 400 hp in its outboards but I'm not sure how close to 500 lbs they are. My only concern for the Mercury is that the versions sold during the first 2 years of production will require 6 years of warranty and a new power head every 8 months. That is if it follows the path of of the opti and the verado.

557 hp triples on the 7 marine test boat....... Can you say " sleeper Tsunami"

Very true, Mercury tends to let the public do their r&d. Should be more affordable than the 7 but not cheep by my standards.

That's a really short shaft. Will they make a longer model?

7 says they can get 800 reliably. Lots of headroom in that motah. time will tell.

It is a 15" shaft for the x cats that it will be tested and raced on. I'm sure once the public's version comes out there will be 25" and 30" available. Hopefully they will work out most of the problems while they test them on the x cats but I wouldn't buy a first year production model myself. Guessing that it will start out as a "race motor" at first threw mercury's racing division, similar to the v-rod 350 sci.

To see one in person is quite a thrill for folks like me and you. If you're near a boat show where they are at it is worth checking them out. They took a well tested and reliable power plant that already existed and focused all their development on the adaptive mechanism to get the hp to the water.

It was a genius move that got them into the big outboard market with a fraction of the R&D expense. I can only imagine the possibilities of mounting a high tech, light weight diesel on the same drive configuration.

I would love to see a "7" in person and ride on a boat with one or three. I herd they have a unique sound to them. I like the block they use as well, very proven power plant. There is already tons of aftermarket parts for it due to the Caddies and Camaro using it. They just need to start making performance parts geared for the marine industry to work with that block too.

I think that a 557 on a seacraft hull would be even more interesting than the Mercury 400.

Sooooo when will we see one on a seacraft??? GFS- I know you were wanting a big single instead of twins on your 26'. What fun would that be!

I have witnessed the sevens at Ft Laud boat show last year, on an intrepid. They have a growl to them when they fire. Not super loud but a nice exhaust note. Bad ass motors for sure.

Are they in production yet? I keep seeing references to Seven Marine at boat shows, and I know they've teamed up with Intrepid, but I haven't seen one out in the real world yet. Of course I live in BFE, so maybe I don't get out in the real world enough.
Dave

Dave....Dave, actually you live just outside of downtown BFE!!!!, which is not as far outside of BFE as Area 442 is. However that crazy 442 place is just on the border of Obama territory!!! :)

Last June a Caddy SUV came in the shop. Big red 7 on the rear window. We chatted for a good long while. He seemed to be a deep pocket, but I am not sure. They are doing their testing. We had a great chat and they are looking to launch only when things are beyond the hours of mere mortals. Heavy Metal is an understatement. A duoprop design might make a single a good choice.

It`s a heavy motah. Up top.

7 as a single on a 29 deep v...... The sound they make is sexual! Can you imagine with open exausts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Krm...yer_detailpage

More details on the same run. 65 mph on a 30 foot with a single......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqGjL...yer_detailpage

I have seen them plenty on trailers but not personally out on the water.

There you go Moose, enough power for a 25 with a gazillion pounds of divers, tanks, ice, fish, etc.

stop the verado bashing, that's crap. your debating a race motor. aint apples to apples.

verados have stood the test of time since 2005 now. go talk a mechanic and stop reading forum posts. the only issue really is the older lower units and merc will take care of you. this spring they sold me a HD LU at cost, right from the mouth of the merc rep to dealer, and I was out of warranty since 2008.

I have a very early 2005 gen 1 verado, so early in the serial # its probably a demo model,no issues outside a couple minor items (t-stat dump fitting replaced). and the LU giving up late fall 2012, replaced this spring 2013. early issues were due to poor rigging and electrical not mercs fault at all.

swapped an ecu from a 275 onto it orginal 250. the new Gen 2s can go to 300 with a ecu swap. small secret, but something to keep in mind off warranty :).

Merc did a real good job on the verado out of the gate, and its time tested now. flat torque curve with supercharging, and digital throttle. my steering is under my console as well.


My #1 issue is friends who are not used to quiet 4S engines and digital throttles and almost send you over the rail when fighting a tuna. happens every time, no matter how much coaching, adrenaline, 4 blade prop, DTS throttles, whammo.

I'm glad you that you are having so much luck with your Gen 1 but the reality is that Evil Kinevil couldn't have jumped his fastest Harley over the warrantied Gen 1 powerheads that have been changed out. :D

Hey Moose.....that's funny!!! My opinion.....Small displacement engines with either turbo or superchargers to get HP is for race cars that only have a limited life span by design.

Agreed Don, naturally aspirated engines (diesel and gas) have proven longevity over their boosted induction counterparts without question. So far, I have 1700+ hours at sea on my naturally asperated 2006 250. That's not a lot of hours for a 4 stroke but its more than I've ever had on any other motor I've owned over the years. I will say though that the technology is improving and we may see reliable boosted outboards that can be trusted without being configured in twins or with a SeaTow captains membership.... I'm sure the Verado cops have been alerted by now to by blasphamy and will arive here any minute now to defend their brands honor. :D

The funny thing is that I have a friend with twin 275 gen 1s. He loves them but they sure have been problematic. One time while his boat was in the shop getting a new powerhead I told him I heard Merc was replacing all engine mounting hardware with wingnuts to reduce repetitive costs on future warranty work.... I thought he was going to physically throw me off the boat.

well, enjoy fishing, its cold and over up here till next year and that really hurts. lol. if I want to troll, will wait for april and some tuna.

"One time while his boat was in the shop getting a new powerhead I told him I heard Merc was replacing all engine mounting hardware with wingnuts"

There ya go....nylock wing nuts!! :)

At least you have tuna to troll for. I have to go out 90 nautical to get blackfins. Weather is starting to suck for the rest of grouper season here. Its gusting to 40 knots tonight with 8 to 10s for tomorrow. :(

And that`s when they start getting grumpy. Wait til April !

You could always troll a Nazi Mullet. They don`t washout. Josh, you could always hop a flight down to Dixie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuhJZT5dnSc This is classic.

The 7 as of now has 557 hp and 750 ft lbs of torque. 557/750. If they can get 800 hp with no issues, that is a game changah.

I have the guy`s card who came in our shop.

I wonder if they want a sexy, proven race hull to use as a test mule. Hmmm,
Three TOP Mercs weighed around 900 lbs. One Seven right around 1,000.

Hmmm

New Mercury V-rod unvailed today! The 350 is now in the normal line up.

Attachment 9442

I would love to try a 400hp once or twice, but I'm really interested in seeing how their 3.0L 4stroke 150hp would do on the back of a 23. Lots of reports of the 3.0L 150 putting out close to the same power of a old 2.5L 200hp fishing motor (without mods). The 150 is such a well thought out simple 4 stroke motor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4xq...layer_embedded

I'd love a new 400 on a new 25!

I have to agree on that, They are simple, and seem to be a good technology that has been working out well. Not to mention they are very very price competitive in comparison to other 150's out there. There is roomer going around that they may expand this motor into a 175 or 200 hp possibly! Now that would be the cats meow if they keep the price about the same. These are a great option for those looking twins that are light weight and a lot of people are using these in that application with good results. I heard they will not want to dump the v-rod low horse power motors for theses too, but if they become popular like it is trending they will do it if there is money there to be made. Everything else is going super high tech, give me a good reliable simple motor at a good price point and that will be marketable.

At the Miami boat show & marine unleashed their new 627hp beast too:

Attachment 9479

those 627s were badass. But I loved the 400R Verado. Wish I had enough boat for any of those engines.

I'm considering a 400 for my 23'

Considering the same displacement block is identical to the 225 any additional HP is coming from boost not displacement. All that extra $$$$ for more scream without any additional grunt. How tight can you squeeze a 2.6L block for HP?

No kidding!! I'm betting they have changed the gear ratio on the supercharger to spin faster and worked some computer magic. I bet that supercharger spinning at those rpms will make a BIG mess when it blows!!

53 Hydra Sports

This one caught my eye....:rolleyes: $949,000.00 :eek:

An exploding Merc? Whoddda Thunk?

7 took that puppy out to 800 hp years ago. The Ls makes 1200 reliably on the street.
The big 4 will be playing ketchup for years. The biggest hurdle for all not named BRP
is the pending 2017 CARB compliance.

Where are the 4 s cats going to be and how will the heat be addressed?

I hope BRP has some engineers at the WPB show so I can ask lots of questions.
The local dealer rep had a nice manicure.

You are right Kenny, It takes torque to twist things like tires and propellers. Cubic Inches is a most reliable way to develop torque. The dang General Lee wasn't no Toyota Tercel, otherwise Boss Hog would'a locked up Bo and Luke Duke more often. Of course then Daisy would of had to visit them in jail and she always was wear'in Bushwacker's shorts which looked amaiz'in on her! So there you go - size matters!

There is Tampa boy living near Ken's neck of the woods that knows a thing or two about motors and made a pretty good observation that probably applies - "There's no substitute for cubic inches" - 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits

Yeah, Garlits used to live in Seffner, just east of Tampa, he now lives just south of Ocala next to his museum. What's amazing is the same 500 cubic inch engine size used in 1965, first time I saw Garlits and a AA/TF dragster (that's for us old guys), is now producing around 10,000 hp. True it only has to do it for four seconds, but that's a bad ass four seconds! Seeya at the Gatornations next month. :)

Oh yeah, Terry take it easy on the Bushwacker shorts. I still have nightmares.