Mid-March we were invited across to the Gold Coast to check out Mercury’s new 350 and 400hp V-10 Verado outboards and their new electric Mercury Avator 7.5e.
WORDS BY Doug Dukeson
The new Mercury 400hp V10 Verado is the world’s first V10 outboard engine, which has been in development since 2018. V10 engine configurations have been around in performance cars such as Audis, BMWs, and Lamborghinis for some time now – but this is a first for an outboard engine.
With the relatively recent release of the Mercury 175-225hp V6, 250-300hp V8 and monster 500-600hp V12, it was almost expected, that an engine would soon be delivered to fill the 350hp and 400hp engine range, to complete the new line up.
Mercury’s new 350 and 400hp V-10 Verado, replaces the very successful supercharged 400hp L6 engine, which believe it or not has been around for 19 years. The slightly wider V10 weighs in at 321 kgs, only a few kgs heavier than the previous, taller, L6 at 309kgs. But running on 87 or 91 octane unleaded fuel, the V10 offers better performance through more torque offered by the extra cubes.
This new V10 is a naturally aspirated quad-cam engine that needs no assistance from a supercharger to deliver its power. Instead the 5.7-litre capacity delivers a load of torque for quicker acceleration than the L6, as we discovered on a variety of boats from a Whittley SL 25 family cruiser (single 400 V10), a Haines Signature 788SF (Single 400 V10) Sports fisher, to a twin rigged Powercat 9000 (twin 350 V10’s). The Powercat leapt from the water, with the engines pulling hard, right through the entire rpm range.
For the number crunchers, economy wise, the figures I recorded on the Haines Signature 788SF (Single 400 V10) Sports fisher read as:
At troll speed
650 rpm / 1.7 knots / 3.5 l/h
Mid-range
3600 rpm / 22 knots / 37 l/h
Wide open throttle
6350 rpm / 48 knots / 128 l/h
So what was the reasoning on a V10 outboard configuration?
Firstly, the modular design that starts with a narrow 64-degree angle between the two banks of cylinders which is also shared with the V6, V8 and V10 Verado engines.
This allows the big V10s to be spaced just 26in apart in multi-engine new installations and repowers.
The V10 outboard has exactly the same bore and stroke measurements as its V6
and V8 siblings (92mm x 86mm) meaning they can all be built on the same production line and fitted with the same pistons and many components.
We were told in our seminar sitting, that the new V10 is up to 56% quieter than its rivals at wide open throttle, and on the water – it was hard to believe there were 10 cylinders working away under the cowl. There is also a very cool Advanced Sound Control (ASC) feature, which at the push of a button, offers a quiet stealth mode or in the lower rev ranges a sport mode, offering the croakier sound you would expect from a V10. It was interesting to notice, there was no tell-tale, as this was the loudest noise at idle, which annoyed the designers, so they eliminated it.
The all-new gearbox and custom designed Revolution-X propeller has wider blades than normal, to handle the increased torque delivered, increase fuel efficiency and improve steering at low speeds.
For the petrolheads among us, there is also a 400R V10, which offers another 200 rpm, stiffer engine mounts, a smaller gear case and gearing worked for top end performance.
New Electric Power Steering System
The new engine and all engines 250hp plus, can now be set up with Mercury’s new fully integrated power steering system (with the option of a joystick control). This can be set up for multi-outboard installations, offering simplified rigging, less maintenance, better response and less clutter through the loss of hoses and actuator pumps. Also means better ‘transom real-estate’. Mercury have also introduced a
range of new features to the next generation controls including, autopilot, auto heading, joystick options and docking assistance.
Improved Charging
A newly developed alternator, provides 150 amps of charging power at just 1,500 rpm. This is over twice that of the previous 2.6-liter L6 engine and 30 percent more than the Verado V-8s. Mercury have also developed a new 48-volt alternator to charge the latest Navico Fathom e-Power lithium-battery-based auxiliary power system which is an option as a replacement for an onboard generator. This has the capability to feed power-hungry devices such as air-conditioning and gyro stabilisers and also offers rapid charging for the house and starter batteries.
Mercury V10 SPECIFICATIONS
- Power 350hp & 400hp
- Max rpm 5800rpm – 6400rpm
- Capacity 5.7 litres
- Cylinders 10
- Bore x stroke 92mm x 86mm
- Weight 316kg
- Alternator 12V/150A, 48V/150A
- Gear ratio 2.08:1
- Fuel 87-octane unleaded
- Shaft lengths 20in, 25in, 30in, 35in
- Servicing Annually or every 100 hours
- Pricing 350XL NZ$64,553
- Pricing 400XL NZ$69,997
New Mercury 25 and 30hp four stroke Mercury also had on show their new Mercury 25 and 30hp four stroke, which we all got to experience. This new 500cc, 3 cylinder engine, weighs in at just 60kgs, a whole 11 kgs lighter, cleaner and more economical than the previous model and is SmartCraft compatible (via phone).
Mercury 600 V12
To blow any cobwebs out, Mercury also had on hand a 600 Gemini fitted up with their 7.6 litre 600hp V12 which was released in 2022. We again got to get out and burn some fossils in the 2 speed gear case steerable V12. To read more about our V12 reports visit the websites listed to the right:
Electric Avator 7.5e
Mercury can now boast being manufacturers of marine engines, from 1 hp to 600hp in petrol, diesel and now electric propulsion versions. It was the logical and obvious next step in Mercury’s marine propulsion offerings.
Designed with the Mercury outboard family look’, the very portable Avator 7.5e produces 750 watts of power at the prop, this equates roughly to the same performance as a 3.5hp outboard, which it felt like on the Gold Coast broad water, without the petrol outboard negatives like fuelling, starting with choke management. Instead we enjoyed a no fume, no vibration performance, with a battery that simply dropped into the top of the outboard. The 1 kw battery could run us for 1 hour flat out at 7.9 kph (about the same time as one tank on a 3.5hp outboard). Or pull the throttle back and we are told you could expect close to 19 hours running at optimum speed levels. The boat seemed to hold at a constant speed no matter whether you had one onboard or four.
The Avator had a comfortable tiller handle, which as well as controlling the forward/reverse speed, also controls the multi-tilt lock / trim levels and also acted as a great carry handle.
The handle is centred, balanced and very easy to carry. The unit weighs in at just 9.1 kgs, with the 7.6 kg battery added, the total weight was 16.7 kgs.
The 1kw battery, which is capable of up to 1,000 charges, is energised by a 230w charger, this takes about 3.5 hours to power up to full charge.
Ideally positioned on the front of the engine cowl, is a bright integrated intelligent display (with GPS), even in the bright Gold Coast sun, it clearly displayed the speed, battery level, range, warnings and settings with features and data that is manageable via a Mercury app on your phone.
I feel the Avator 7.5e, which comes in at (15” shaft) $6,498 will be a great addition to your dinghy at the holiday home or tender on your diesel launch.
