New Mercury 150 FourStroke wins Innovation Award at IBEX

by Jonathan Revitt on 24 Oct 2011 Fresh from its international release, Mercury Marine’s outstanding new 150 hp FourStroke outboard has received its first prize - a prestigious Innovation Award at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in the U.S.

The IBEX judges honoured the new 150 FourStroke for its light weight, fuel efficiency and performance.

'Mercury found a way to trim 24 pounds off their new 150 FourStroke, while helping to satisfy the growing need for superb fuel efficiency and performance,' said IBEX innovation awards judge Zuzana Procheska.

Despite the naturally aspirated engine’s remarkably small size and low weight, the new 150 hp outboard boasts a 3.0-litre, four-cylinder in-line configuration that easily creates superior power for single or twin applications.

In fact, it has more displacement than any other 150 hp four-stroke engine, yet it delivers fuel efficiency at cruising speed that no other engine can beat.

'We listened to what boaters were asking for and then set out to build the ultimate 150 horsepower outboard,' said Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine. 'The finished product is an engine that is incredibly durable – more durable, in fact, than any other 150 ever built – but is actually lighter than the less-durable engines of our competition. It delivers great fuel efficiency and tremendous performance.

'I believe we accomplished exactly what we aimed for; this engine is a perfect addition to our wide breadth of four-stroke engines.'

At just 206kgs, Mercury’s new outboard is by far the most compact FourStroke 150 hp outboard in the world. In fact, it’s just 11kgs heavier than Mercury’s popular OptiMax 150 direct-injected outboard.

This means it’s the perfect option for owners wanting to repower their boats, especially older models with transoms not designed to accommodate the weight of conventional FourStrokes.

Add all this together and it’s far and away the best value for money 150 hp FourStroke on the market.

Amazingly, the Mercury 150 FourStroke has almost 18% fewer parts than a Yamaha F150, proving that better technology can deliver durability and performance while simultaneously reducing package size and weight.

The new 150 FourStroke is designed, built and tested to be one of most reliable and durable engines in the world. It will start and run consistently and last longer on any body of water anywhere in the world, having proved itself in severe field testing in conditions as varied as cold 20-foot saltwater swells off Canada, commercial fishing in the warm waters of the Bahamas and the unprotected seas around Guadeloupe in the French West Indies.

It’s easily handled thousands of hours of hard-core severe duty, real-world testing in applications the average boat operator will never endure.

The new engine also provides a massive torque curve which ensures that even the heaviest boats will plane quickly.

'The new Mercury 150 is class-leading in every respect but we particularly focused our attention on being a stand-out in the areas that our customers told us really matter - quality and reliability, smooth operation, a great torque curve, low weight and compact size, plus excellent fuel economy,' said David Foulkes, vice president of engineering at Mercury.

In short, Mercury’s new 150 FourStroke is compact, powerful, incredibly reliable and delightfully easy to operate.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES AND BENEFITS

4.9-inch Gearcase:
Similar to the powerhead, the 4.9-inch gearcase housing meets durability requirements for 300 hp-class outboards though it needs to manage just 150 hp – an illustration of why this is the most durable 150 hp outboard on the planet.

Gear housing hydrodynamics:
To house its larger gear set and internal components, the 150 FourStroke requires a larger gearcase housing. In most cases, a larger housing equates to decreased speed and performance due to increased hydrodynamic drag. The 150 FourStroke's gearcase has an ultra-efficient hydrodynamic profile. In fact, the 150 FourStroke's gearcase housing, while significantly larger in diameter and longer in torpedo length, features better hydrodynamics than gearcases found on 90-115 hp class outboards.

Focus mount system:
Situating the mounts farther from the powerhead significantly reduces mount temperature and significantly increases mount durability. By contrast, our competitor’s upper mounts are tucked directly below the powerhead, which causes the mounts to constantly operate at the temperature of the powerhead. Angling the mounts on the Mercury 150 FourStroke significantly reduces vibration transmitted to the boat at all points in the power band, especially at transient points from a fast idle to the point the boat is coming on plane. In addition, this configuration makes inspection and service easier without removing the powerhead (as is required with conventional mount configurations).

Lightweight thermo-bonded SMC top cowl:
The thermo-bonded SMC top cowl uses commercial-grade bonded composites to help produce the smallest cowl of all 150 FourStrokes on the market. Inside stabilisers ensure a watertight seal to protect the powerhead from the elements. The powerhead features built-in alignment points to help guide proper cowl installation and avoid snagging electrical components such as harness wires. The single-point automotive-style rear latch opens with a single pull and provides positive disengagement and engagement during removal and installation. High-grade stainless steel latch components ensure corrosion-free, reliable operation.

Steel balance shaft gears:
Mercury's new 150 FourStroke uses a bulletproof high grade steel to produce its balance shaft gears.

Heavy duty transom brackets:
Mercury's 150 FourStroke transom brackets are of the very highest quality and are 22% heavier than those found on our competitor’s 150 hp outboard. The Mercury 150 FourStroke is the lowest-weight 150 FourStroke anywhere, yet durability was never compromised.

Rig it and forget it:
The 150 FourStroke is the world’s easiest 150 hp outboard to rig, with standard mechanical cables, dual cable or hydraulic steering compatibility, optional power steering on dual-engine setups, and the ability to run on either standard analog or full SmartCraft instrumentation straight from the factory. All connections under the cowl for throttle and shift cables, data harnesses, etc., are easily located and accessed for quick, intuitive, hassle-free rigging. It’s also compatible with Mercury’s innovative Big Tiller system.

Repowering is also quick and easy. The new 150 will connect to any steering, Mercury rigging or instrumentation currently in the boat, or whatever the consumer wants to upgrade in the dash or console.

Fewer parts:
The new Mercury 150 contains almost 20% fewer parts than our competitor’s 150 hp engine – a feat Mercury engineers likened to their efforts in designing the technologically advanced Verado line.

60 amp alternator:
The 150 FourStroke's marine-hardened alternator is automotive-style. This system – which is significantly lighter than our competitors’ engines – is fully regulated and supplies current only on demand; therefore, when the system senses the battery voltage has dropped below 14.2 volts, the alternator will engage and re-charge the battery. The 150 FourStroke's automotive-style alternator develops more than 67% of its 60 amp output at only 1,000 RPM. When the alternator is not charging, it 'free-spins', which minimises the power drain on the engine and unnecessary heat build-up.

SmartStart:
Instead of turning the ignition key to the 'start' position and holding it until the engine starts, the operator simply turns the key and immediately releases it. SmartStart will automatically continue turning the engine until it starts. This feature is also available with the accessory push button start/stop panels. With the new 150 FourStroke, it is impossible to grind the starter gear or engage the starter motor in the event the operator attempts to start the engine while it is already running.

Idle exhaust relief system:
As part of its world-class sound-management technology, the 150 FourStroke features a special idle exhaust relief system that uses a low pass acoustic filter to attenuate high frequency exhaust noise at idle speeds.

Warranty:
Given the incredible durability of the new 150 hp EFI FourStroke, it comes with both Mercury’s standard 3+2=5 Year fully transferable non-declining engine warranty plus its industry-leading 3 Year Corrosion Warranty.

First shipments in Australia and New Zealand of the new 150hp FourStroke are expected in January 2012.