I was recently invited by Rutherford Marine to attend the launch of the new commercial application Mercury 4-Stroke SeaPro outboard motor range at Millers Point Ski Boat Club in Cape Town. I snapped up the offer and readied myself with a variety of questions, the main one being: “Why would any manufacturer offer 4-Stroke outboard motors to commercial operators and double the warranty period to a class-leading 2 000 hours or two years, whichever comes first?” The SeaPro 4-Stroke engines, which range from 75 HP to 150 HP, have undergone some ingenious changes to optimise them for commercial use. Let’s take a closer look.
Great new features
Heavy-duty, highly robust upper mounts and focused mounts situated at 45 degree angles, keep them away from the high temperatures being emitted by the exhaust, thus reducing wear and tear through expansion and contraction. This new configuration improves the longevity of the motor and makes vibration on these motors non-existent. Command thrust lower units are also heavy-duty and are standard on the 75 HP and 115 HP units, being combined with larger diameter propellers to ensure that these outboards are capable of lifting heavy boats onto the plane with ease and holding them there at lower speeds, without sacrificing top speed. Now that’s innovation!
Lightweight Technology
The new lightweight technology utilised in the SeaPro range drastically reduces the weight of these 4-Stroke engines and also increases their lifespan by using a specially designed alloy that dramatically reduces corrosion. More innovative ideas from this leading manufacturer of outboard motors later.