7.6L V12 outboard motor. Why?

[alarmguy]

600 horsepower V12 Verado | Mercury Marine

Introducing the Mercury 7.6L V12 600hp Verado®️ outboard, the ultimate luxury boating experience. With the strength of a V12 powerhead, the 600hp Verado outboard delivers extraordinary range and performance to take your boating adventures to new destinations.

www.mercurymarine.com

I don't know much about boats and am under the impression that anything with an outboard motor is an entry level lower priced example. Anything high end and luxurious will have the engine mounted inside the boat, not hanging off the tail end. So what's the point of this 1200 pound beast? Wouldn't anything worthy of that much power have inboard motors?

Actually, outboard engines and boats designed for them are more expensive then the equivalent inboard/outboard engine.
As far as is a 600 hp enough, that same question was probably asked when 300 hp engines came out. If there’s a market for it, it will be made.
It gets quite costly to build a boat with a strong enough transom to support these engines versus a boat with the engine inside of it.
Also keep in mind an outboard engine is made for its intended purpose, an inboard/outboard engine is a modified automobile engine block.

 

[alarmguy]

Someone else made a comment about pontoon boats, here is near me one with 800 hp hang on the back! I couldn’t believe it and took a picture of it!

 

[alarmguy]

Here is another not too large boat maybe 27/28 feet with 1800 hp. It’s impossible to have that much power in a small area with a regular inboard/outboard automobile engine block and if you can afford it why not do it right with an outboard Instead of a modified automobile engine.

 

[RhondaHonda]

View attachment 73264Here is another not too large boat maybe 27/28 feet with 1800 hp. It’s impossible to have that much power in a small area with a regular inboard/outboard automobile engine block and if you can afford it why not do it right with an outboard Instead of a modified automobile engine.
View attachment 73263

I agree with most of what you said but I’d guess that boat is closer to 40’.

 

[OVERKILL]

Actually, outboard engines and boats designed for them are more expensive then the equivalent inboard/outboard engine.
As far as is a 600 hp enough, that same question was probably asked when 300 hp engines came out. If there’s a market for it, it will be made.
It gets quite costly to build a boat with a strong enough transom to support these engines versus a boat with the engine inside of it.
Also keep in mind an outboard engine is made for its intended purpose, an inboard/outboard engine is a modified automobile engine block.

I would have omitted the word "block", as they typically use standard blocks, the engines themselves are modified, sometimes significantly, depending on the application.

Of course if we start looking at straight inboards, historically a good portion of them were not automotive derivatives. Back in the hayday of woodies there were many wholly marine specific engines developed by companies like Gray, Chris-Craft, Chrysler, Crown, Lincoln, Van Blerk...etc.

 

[OVERKILL]

View attachment 73264Here is another not too large boat maybe 27/28 feet with 1800 hp. It’s impossible to have that much power in a small area with a regular inboard/outboard automobile engine block and if you can afford it why not do it right with an outboard Instead of a modified automobile engine.
View attachment 73263

Well, it's not really impossible, lol. May not be practical, but certainly not impossible.

Mike Finnegan (of Roadkill fame) had a 1600HP BBC jet boat, and his current one is a 711ci HEMI that made 1,275HP before he added the turbos. He said he'd be comfortable with it making 2,000HP.

711 cid Twin-Turbo Hemi Jet Boat Engine - Engine Builder Magazine

Mike Finnegan grew up riding around in the backseat of a jet boat, inches away from a 455 Olds engine. As a child, he thought his parents wanted to kill him. It's tough to blame him! Going 150 mph in a 19-ft. boat is pretty insane. Mike Finnegan admits, that amount of speed in a boat on the...

www.enginebuildermag.com

And that's in a 19' boat.

A pair of those in an inboard twin-screw config without the hair dryers would be 2,550HP and would fit in about the same space as the outboards you've posted.

 

[4WD]

Actually, outboard engines and boats designed for them are more expensive then the equivalent inboard/outboard engine.
As far as is a 600 hp enough, that same question was probably asked when 300 hp engines came out. If there’s a market for it, it will be made.
It gets quite costly to build a boat with a strong enough transom to support these engines versus a boat with the engine inside of it.
Also keep in mind an outboard engine is made for its intended purpose, an inboard/outboard engine is a modified automobile engine block.

2022 Mercury 1750 HP 9.0L V8 Competition Sterndrive

New Models Mapleton Marine Mapleton, MN (507) 524-4588

www.mapletonmarine.com

 

[OVERKILL]

2022 Mercury 1750 HP 9.0L V8 Competition Sterndrive

New Models Mapleton Marine Mapleton, MN (507) 524-4588

www.mapletonmarine.com

9.0L DOHC? If that's an automotive derivative, I have no idea what engine it is. Looks mostly if not totally in-house to me...

 

[4WD]

Well, it's not really impossible, lol. May not be practical, but certainly not impossible.

Mike Finnegan (of Roadkill fame) had a 1600HP BBC jet boat, and his current one is a 711ci HEMI that made 1,275HP before he added the turbos. He said he'd be comfortable with it making 2,000HP.

711 cid Twin-Turbo Hemi Jet Boat Engine - Engine Builder Magazine

Mike Finnegan grew up riding around in the backseat of a jet boat, inches away from a 455 Olds engine. As a child, he thought his parents wanted to kill him. It's tough to blame him! Going 150 mph in a 19-ft. boat is pretty insane. Mike Finnegan admits, that amount of speed in a boat on the...

www.enginebuildermag.com

And that's in a 19' boat.

A pair of those in an inboard twin-screw config without the hair dryers would be 2,550HP and would fit in about the same space as the outboards you've posted.

Grew up being drug by 455 jet boats … you know that thread about arm length

 

[4WD]

9.0L DOHC? If that's an automotive derivative, I have no idea what engine it is. Looks mostly if not totally in-house to me...

Developed by Merc Racing but you know how that goes

 

[Donald]

The boat magazines are showing big boats in the 40' range with several outboards hanging off the back.

I do not know about the weight distribution with all the outboards aft.

 

[02SE]

600 horsepower V12 Verado | Mercury Marine

Introducing the Mercury 7.6L V12 600hp Verado®️ outboard, the ultimate luxury boating experience. With the strength of a V12 powerhead, the 600hp Verado outboard delivers extraordinary range and performance to take your boating adventures to new destinations.

www.mercurymarine.com

I don't know much about boats and am under the impression that anything with an outboard motor is an entry level lower priced example. Anything high end and luxurious will have the engine mounted inside the boat, not hanging off the tail end. So what's the point of this 1200 pound beast? Wouldn't anything worthy of that much power have inboard motors?

Lets put it this way: That house that you park all of the vehicles you sell in front of, would be just one of many similar homes owned, for someone who would own a boat with quad V12's hanging off the back.

 

[atikovi]

The boat magazines are showing big boats in the 40' range with several outboards hanging off the back.

Exactly. Boats. You never see yachts with outboard motors.

 

[Donald]

Exactly. Boats. You never see yachts with outboard motors.

Yachts tend to have diesel engines. They want to fuel economy of diesel engines and the safety of diesel fuel.

 

[Cujet]

Here in Jupiter, Florida (by the famous Jupiter inlet) there are many boats equipped with these ever larger outboards. Every visit to the inlet is interesting, with regard to the hardware.

While the comment above seems to make sense, there now are "yachts" with outboards. The definition of a yacht is fairly loose, depending on location, but one thing is clear, a yacht is a large boat (generally over 30 feet), used for racing or pleasure, generally requires a crew and is significantly seaworthy.

Yacht builders are most certainly making outboard powered yachts now. There is one that is 65 feet. Another in the works with the outboards completely hidden.

 

[alarmguy]

I agree with most of what you said but I’d guess that boat is closer to 40’.

Like I said 27 feet give or take one foot. This isn’t an internet photo. I was anchored behind this boat and took the photo.

^^^ I left the above initial reply intact and amended below.
I was sooooo sure it was in the 27 foot range, we were anchored behind them the whole day, I mean, like REAL close. I guess I was thrown WAY off by the low lines and lack of cabin.
You are 100% on the money! Its a 44 foot boat. SO weird seeing it like this, so low to the water, I just found this on Facebook and feel stupid, been boating for decades, completely throw off on the size..

 

[alarmguy]

I would have omitted the word "block", as they typically use standard blocks, the engines themselves are modified, sometimes significantly, depending on the application.

Of course if we start looking at straight inboards, historically a good portion of them were not automotive derivatives. Back in the hayday of woodies there were many wholly marine specific engines developed by companies like Gray, Chris-Craft, Chrysler, Crown, Lincoln, Van Blerk...etc.

Just talking production line Merc I/O units compared to Merc outboard units that typical people buy in non racing applications. Meaning from a boat dealer.
I am surprised to see the post above about the 1750 HP competition motor from Merc. Didnt know it existed.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Once I start watching boat videos i couldn’t believe how many ultra expensive outboard boats there were. This is the hot new motor and everyone wants one.

Hell, I don't even own a boat and I want one!

 

[4WD]

Yachts tend to have diesel engines. They want to fuel economy of diesel engines and the safety of diesel fuel.

Pod drives are an interesting in between … Some extreme multimillion dollar recreational stuff is going with diesel electric VFD (insulated gate bipolar transistor) and Z-drive with azimuthal thrusters - some with diametrically opposed tunnel thrusters in the bow …

I visited a floating dry dock in the EU a few months back. They had a very large Dynamically Positioned construction vessel almost completed (rebuild) … it had a heli-deck and an ROV spread in the moonpool.

This now belonged to a ME Prince … it followed his yacht around … you know - just in case they wanted to look at the sea floor at 7000’ - just for fun …

 

[OVERKILL]

Just talking production line Merc I/O units compared to Merc outboard units that typical people buy in non racing applications. Meaning from a boat dealer.
I am surprised to see the post above about the 1750 HP competition motor from Merc. Didnt know it existed.

Looks like Merc makes a number of very high HP inboard or I/O application engines.