Photo credit mercuryracing.com
The Miami International Boat Show was held in the Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin from February 13-17. Mercury Racing was a big winner at this event, bringing home an innovation award for their 450R and debuting their new 60R. They also introduced new racing propellers and pumps. Keep reading below to find out all the Mercury Racing had to offer at the 2020 Miami International Boat Show. TNT Custom Marine is proud to be a preferred Platinum Mercury Racing dealer, providing the very finest service and rigging in the industry.
450R Wins Innovation Award and the 60R Debuts
Mercury Racing introduced its new 60R outboard and other key new products at the Miami International Boat Show (Feb. 11-15) and received a prestigious award at the annual event. The all-new Mercury Racing 450R high-performance outboard model was awarded a 2020 Innovation Award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in the Outboard Engine category. The Mercury Racing 450R was introduced in 2019 and impressed judges from Boating Writers International with its combination of unrelenting performance, technology features, and styling, each intended to enhance the performance boating experience.
“We are honored to win an Innovation Award for our new 450R outboard,” said Stuart Halley, Mercury Racing general manager. “The team at Mercury Racing has created a new benchmark for outboard performance, one that might have seemed unreachable just a few years ago. Clearly the Innovation Award judges recognized the technological innovation and sophistication built into the 450R.”
The Mercury Racing 450R was featured on boats available for demo rides at the Miami in-water display area, including the NorTech 452 Superfish, Fountain 32 Thunder Cat and Mystic 4200 center console. Fans of sterndrive power had a chance to take a 150 mph blast aboard the MTI RP 48 powered by twin Mercury Racing Dual Cal 1550/1350 engines.
New Mercury Racing 60R Outboard
The new Mercury Racing 60R is the only outboard in its class with a 15-inch midsection designed to fit perfectly on the transom of technical flats skiffs and offers the added benefits of a high-thrust gearcase. This lightweight, compact outboard is a powerhouse tuned and geared to deliver amazing hole-shot acceleration for instant on-plane performance in skinny water.
The 60R outboard features a four-cylinder, 1.0-liter long-stroke powerhead tuned for torque by Mercury Racing. The WOT range is extended to 6300 rpm to maximize acceleration and enable more propping options. A single overhead camshaft cylinder head keeps the powerhead as light and slim as possible for less intrusion on the transom. A powerful 18-amp alternator is designed to maintain battery charge on boats equipped with angling electronics and baitwell pumps. The 4.25-inch diameter, high-thrust gearcase accommodates a robust 2.33:1 gear ratio to handle up to 20 percent more prop-blade area than a standard gearcase and is shaped to provide added lift aft to further boost hole-shot performance and confident handling at speed. The Mercury Racing 60R fits perfectly on a 15-inch transom. Compared to competing 20-inch motors, the Mercury Racing 60R offers a lower center of gravity for better boat handling and stability. It can accommodate a lower poling platform while eliminating the need for a jack plate or flared transom.
New Mercury Racing Propellers
Four new high-performance propeller options from Mercury Racing introduced at Miami are designed to maximize boat performance and handling in specific applications, and broaden a range of performance propellers that is unmatched in the marine industry.
The new Mercury Racing Spitfire XP propeller, designed to be the ultimate prop for the new Mercury Racing 60R outboard, can also offer outstanding performance on Mercury outboards up to 115 horsepower equipped with a 4.25-inch gearcase. The Spitfire XP has a four-blade design and long barrel that combine to deliver extra stern lift for lightning-fast hole-shot, a key advantage in skinny-water applications. This precision-tuned Mercury Racing Pro Finish propeller is crafted in Mercury-exclusive X7 stainless steel alloy. It’s offered in 12-inch to 21-inch pitch in half-inch increments to dial in optimal RPM at wide-open throttle.
The new Mercury Racing 600HP-Rated 5-Blade CNC Cleaver propeller is a surface-piercing design engineered with the optimal blade thickness to deliver unmatched top-end speed and handling on performance hulls powered by Mercury Racing 520, 525, 540, 565 and 600 SCI engines paired with a Mercury Racing Bravo XR Sport or Sport Master outdrive. Prop slip is dramatically reduced to an average of 4.5 percent at WOT in Bravo XR Sport and Sport Master applications. Available dimensions are 14.75- to 15.50-inch diameter (0.25-inch increments), 26 to 40 pitch (1.0-inch increments) and 15-degree or 18-degree rake.
Mercury Racing adds a new 12-degree rake option for its CNC Cleaver high-performance propeller line already available in 15-, 18-, and 21-degree rake designs. Intended for use with shaft drives and some Mercury Racing M6 and M8 sterndrive applications, the new low-rake profile generates the minimal lift desired for hulls that have substantial lifting characteristics at speed, such as Unlimited-class offshore race boats. The 12-degree rake Mercury Racing CNC Cleaver propeller is offered with five or six blades, in a 700-hp to 1,800-hp rating, in 15-inch to 18-inch diameters, and 28-inch to 37-inch pitch. All Mercury Racing CNC Cleaver propeller models are now available with rounded blade tips for boat owners that prefer that design.
New HD Steering Pump
The new Mercury Racing HD power steering-pump and High-Flow Helm deliver a new level of high-performance steering for boats powered by multiple outboard motors, including the Mercury Racing 450R outboard engine. The new pump enables high-performance boat builders to assemble a complete, validated steering system for almost any application using components from Mercury Racing. The HD power steering pump delivers 1,800 psi of pressure and a flow rate of 7.5 liters per minute, capacity designed to address the demands of high-speed, dual-engine catamarans executing extreme maneuvers. The new 80cc High Flow helm reduces lock-to-lock steering input on dual-engine catamarans for more-responsive handling and reduces the ratio on boats powered by triple, quad, and more outboards that use more steering cylinders. The HD pump also can be used with Mercury 40cc and 50cc helms, but the 80cc helm requires the HD pump to meet its flow requirement. The increased pressure and flow of the HD pump can also improve the power assist function on boats running multiple non-surfacing engines, including multi-engine pontoons. The HD steering pump fits in the same mounting space as the Generation B pump, and retrofit hose adapters will be available for use when replacing a Generation B pump with the new HD pump. Mercury Racing steering components are engineered to work as a system and feature quieter operation than competing systems.
Original article published on mercuryracing.com
