The Mercury Edge Lands In Southwest Florida
Mercury Marine is asking boaters to drive and compare its outboard engines vs. the competition in a series of free head-to-head test-driving events taking place now through June in southwest Florida.
Mercury, the world leader in propulsion systems for recreational and commercial boat, has launched The Mercury Edge tour in the Ft. Myers/Naples area, and included among the events are test drives of identical boats powered by Mercury and Yamaha engines. Those boats include two 19-foot Pioneer Islanders—one powered by a Mercury 115hp FourStroke outboard, the other powered by a Yamaha 115hp outboard; and two 24-foot Boston Whaler Dauntless outboards, one powered by a Mercury Verado 300hp outboard and the other powered by a Yamaha 300hp outboard.
Mercury is encouraging consumers to test drive all four boats and compare such attributes as hole shot, acceleration, top speed, steering, controls, fuel consumption, ride comfort and more. Mercury also asks boaters to compare Mercury’s unbeatable anti-corrosion abilities and warranty—the only three-year corrosion warranty in the industry.
Offered at these events are opportunities to win a free outboard and guided fishing trip, purchase incentives, $50 propeller rebates, experts to help with propping questions, giveaways and more.
The head-to-head tests are supported by a 35-foot Mercury Edge display truck that provides information about Mercury’s lineup of outboards, joystick piloting for outboards, protection against corrosion, propellers, controls, helm electronics and more.
These are The Mercury Edge opportunities on the near horizon:
• Feb. 19-20; Southwest Florida Repower Event
Tarpon Point Marina, Naples
• March 4-5
Bass Pro Shop, Ft. Myers
(On-land only, no head-to-head comparisons)
• March 12-13; Ft. Myers Spring Boat Show
Germain Arena, Estero
• March 18-19
Marine Max Naples, Naples
• April 1-2
Rose Marina, Marco Island
• More to be announced
At the recent Miami Boat Show, Mercury introduced its newest outboard, the 115 Pro XS FourStroke outboard, a perfect outboard for the Ft. Myers coastal region. Based on the popular Mercury 115 FourStroke, the new Mercury 115 Pro XS delivers significantly better performance than any other high-output 115hp outboard on the market today.
Building on its industry-leading Pro XS heritage, the new 115 Pro XS delivers:
• Quickest acceleration: The ability to run lower-pitch props puts the boat on plane quicker, reducing 0 to 20mph acceleration time by 1 to 2 seconds.
• Fastest top speed: Up to 3 mph faster than its nearest competitor.
• Higher full-throttle rpm: Increasing engine rpm from 6000 to 6300 allows prop pitch to be reduced, resulting in maximum performance benefits.
• Idle-Charge: This new feature provides up to 48 percent more battery charging at idle speed to support the greater power demands of today’s sophisticated marine electronics and accessories.