The secret was well kept, as hardly any of the press representatives had any idea what exactly Mercury would be presenting at Lake X in Florida on 9 February. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus situation, the press conference was only virtual. The spectators were therefore amazed when a huge colossus of an outboard motor appeared in the spotlight, with two shiny metal letters on its bonnet: "V12" and "600". Neither had ever been seen before in the history of the outboard motor.
"As boats get bigger and performance expectations continue to rise, boaters are looking for a better, more powerful, higher horsepower solution to meet their needs," said Chris Drees, President of Mercury Marine earlier in the press conference. "The V12 Verado is Mercury's answer to that." The trend in recent years, especially on the American coast, has been to hang more and larger outboards on the stern of 40 to 50-foot centre console boats. The sterns of the boats could not be wide enough to accommodate at least four engines. However, with 400 hp and thus 1600 hp total output from four engines, Mercury's current boats had the lid on the pot. Even more power would mean adding more outboards to the stern. But Mercury decided to develop a larger engine instead - a milestone in the company's history.
Need more information? You can find this report on the Verado V12 with technical data and further images in BOOTE issue 06/2021 from 19.05.2021 at newsagents or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
"Utilising our advanced engineering and design capabilities, we have completely redefined outboard performance," said Drees. "The V12 is a remarkable engine that will change the future of boating." The advantages of such a large engine are obvious for Mercury: instead of fitting two 300 hp Verado engines, one 600 hp engine will suffice in future, which will consume less fuel than two engines. Although some potential customers in the USA have already reacted to the presentation on social media: "It would be better to fit two of them. Just one engine - what does that look like?"
After the presentation, the subsequent Q&A session with the curious journalists lasted late into the evening. One question in particular was on everyone's minds: How had Mercury managed to develop such a large outboard motor? It was obvious that this required a number of technical innovations. Indeed, the engineers had many years of development work ahead of them after the decision in favour of the V12. First and foremost was the problem of weight: at 572 kilograms, the V12 is almost twice as heavy as the most powerful Verado model to date with 400 hp, 6 cylinders and 303 kilograms. Especially in combination with the popular extras such as the joystick control, it was no easy task for the developers to find a way to make the engine, which weighs more than half a tonne, controllable for fast manoeuvres. Mercury therefore developed a steerable drive: the engine remains fixed and straight at the stern, while the drive can be swivelled up to 45 degrees to either side under water. This makes the large outboard even more manoeuvrable than some smaller engines.
Need more information? You can find this report on the Verado V12 with technical data and further images in BOOTE issue 06/2021 from 19.05.2021 at newsagents or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
To control the new V12, Mercury has completely reinvented and further developed its proven DTS system (Digital Shift & Throttle). The entire Verado engine family will also be equipped with this new system as standard from summer 2021. It enables extremely responsive throttle performance without delay and full integration into the digital SmartCraft technology. Instead of an additional control panel as before, the Active Trim buttons are now also integrated, and a quick steering function creates better steering control in tight manoeuvres, which particularly benefits the V12.
Two counter-rotating propellers also help the V12 to get the 600 hp into the water and give the engine a little more "bite" in the water when manoeuvring in confined spaces or when mooring.
The third innovation of the new V12 is the world's first two-speed automatic gearbox on an outboard motor, which optimises the engine speed depending on the workload and thus enables even stronger acceleration and better performance when driving. The utmost care has also been taken in the development of the engine mounting system. The "Advanced Mid Section", which Mercury has been using for several years, is designed to prevent noise and vibrations from being transmitted from the engine to the hull. According to Mercury, careful engine tuning also dampens intake noise and almost completely eliminates injection noise. "Never before has 600 hp been so quiet," assures the development team.
Drees also tries to dispel the preconception that an engine with 600 hp also requires a lot of fuel: "The V12 Verado is incredibly fuel-efficient." In a comparative measurement at cruising speed presented during the press conference, the measured values show that two V12 Mercury engines with 600 hp require around 20 per cent less fuel than three outboards from a competitor with 425 hp. In addition, the measured engine volume is 30 per cent quieter. "The new engine is so smooth and quiet that you can hold a conversation while the engine is running," says Drees confidently, "There is nothing on the market today that equals the V12 Verado."
Need more information? You can find this report on the Verado V12 with technical data and further images in BOOTE issue 06/2021 from 19.05.2021 at newsagents or online in the Delius Klasing Shop.
The first examples should be available in Europe from the summer. We will then be able to scrutinise the engine ourselves. The sales price is expected to be around 65,000 euros.
