Heading offshore is a resolute act. You launch with a spark of adventure and a slight leap of faith. Fortunately, Boston Whalers come standard with Core Confidence, the certainty that you are on a boat built to survive the worst that the sea can throw at you.
But heading out and getting back requires more than just an unsinkable hull. It requires an integrated collection of reliable systems that routinely press on past breaking points to deliver you safely back to shore. Not least of these is the power providing the push.
“Boston Whaler has been known for reliability and safety from our founding, and Mercury outboards are a major contributor to that,” says Jeff Vaughn, Boston Whaler’s vice-president of sales, marketing and customer service. “The legendary Boston Whaler customer experience includes the certainty that your boat will take care of you in the roughest seas, will deliver outstanding performance and ride, and will hold up for years to come. All of that requires dependable propulsion, which Mercury delivers in spades.”
Mercury outboards have been powering Boston Whalers across the whole model lineup for decades, with continuous gains in performance, reliability, corrosion resistance, efficiency, and smooth and quiet running. Mercury and Whaler share a commitment to innovation that builds synergistically to make drivers ecstatic to be, well, in the driver’s seat. But the experience extends well beyond performance to include comfort and durability, among other benefits.
Today’s Mercury Verado® FourStroke outboards are practically silent, and really can’t be heard above the trickle of cooling water that streams out of them. They are fuel-injected, supercharged power plants that run more powerfully at lower rpm than competitors do, with strong torque curves, better hole shots and great mid-range acceleration. Verados come pre-rigged from Mercury with their power steering in place so that it’s done at the Mercury factory, not as an after-market substitution, as with some competitors.
They also benefit from Mercury’s SmartCraft® engine management and Digital Throttle & Shift control systems. Even the smaller Mercury engines outside the Verado line impress with their smooth, powerful, efficient four-stroke performance and other Mercury advantages.
“When we develop a new Boston Whaler, we are driven to lift the overall owner experience,” says Chris Wachowski, Boston Whaler’s director of product development. “The original Unibond hull was the first product of that drive. Later, our rugged and smart hardtop systems raised the experience at the helm.”
“Our innovative approach to convertible seating provides next-level comfort and increases cockpit space when the bite is on, and so forth,” Chris continues. “We expect the same constant focus on progress from our propulsion partner. Mercury’s continued push to improve reliability, tied with ongoing innovation throughout their sizes and applications, matches our ethos perfectly.”
Consider Boston Whaler’s flagship 420 Outrage, Boating magazine’s 2015 Boat of the Year. After you stop gawping at its scale, beauty and loads of state-of-the-art features, you can’t help but notice the optional quad Mercury Verado 350s arrayed across the transom. When they are pushing the 26,000-pound boat to 50 mph, you really notice them, even though they are quieter than the wind rushing past your ears.
In fact, it’s a little eerie to be riding along that fast with essentially indiscernible engine noise. The 420 and its 1,400 horses further inspire awe at the helm, where the captain enjoys a seamless command experience with Joystick Piloting, Digital Throttle & Shift, SmartCraft VesselView and a massive spread of displays to report on and control nearly everything except the weather.
Multiple-engine setups are a fantastic thing, not least because they include built-in redundancy. But perhaps Mercury performance in single applications, right down to the 15 FourStroke on the 110 Tender, is even more impressive.
“We’ve compared the power, efficiency and reliability of other outboard manufacturers against Mercury to be assured in our choice, and none offer the complete package that Mercury offers to Whaler owners,” Chris explains. “From features to power-to-weight ratio to durability, Mercury FourStrokes and Verados are the only outboards worthy of a Whaler transom.”
One area where a focus on innovation has really paid off for Mercury is in corrosion protection, a crucial advantage in the harsh saltwater environment. Verados are built using a proprietary low-copper aluminum alloy throughout the engine and drive called XK 360, a resilient metal with the ideal weight-strength ratio of aluminum, but with incredible corrosion resistance. Props, shafts, trim and various rams, housings and other components are built with 300-grade stainless steel.
And if that weren’t enough, all of the internal water-cooling passages are treated with an exclusive Mercury Salt Shield, a durable corrosion-fighting coating that no other manufacturer uses. It’s invisible to the owner, but makes a huge difference in fighting the impacts of saltwater. Think of Mercury’s high-tech metals and their treatments as the foam inside a Whaler’s Unibond hull: Even if some-thing happens to the outside, you’re still protected from the inside.
But saltwater protection has to start on the outside, of course. And Mercury has developed the proprietary MercFusion Paint process to ensure its strong metals are never tested by salt in the first place. Three layers of sealant, primer and paint are applied using electrically charged processes that ensure absolute coverage and adhesion. The final powder coat is baked on for extraordinary hardness. Of course, Mercury warrants against corrosion failure just as it does against mechanical failure.
“Boston Whaler hasn’t gotten to where we are by not absolutely sweating the small stuff,” Jeff Vaughn says. “And as the saying goes, ‘It’s all small stuff.’ Core Confidence means you can take one of our boats and do with it what you want, knowing that it will take care of you. The Mercury outboards we hang on the back are a central part of that. Go with confidence. Whaler and Mercury have got your back.”
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This is for general information purposes only. Your use or reliance on any of the information in this Blog is solely at your own risk. Under no circumstance will we have any liability for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information provided.
Options and features mentioned subject to change. Please confirm availability of all accessories and equipment with an authorized Boston Whaler Dealer.