Mercury Marine Training Center Visit

[Boat Bling]

Had a meeting yesterday with one of our distribution partners in Atlanta. A part of the Brunswick corporation, this distribution facility shares space with a Mercury Marine technician training center.

As a self-confessed performance boat nut who had his original subscription to Powerboat magazine at 7 yrs old, I was like a kid in a candy store getting to peek behind the curtain. Unfortunately the Merc Racing products were off limits and I was under strict instruction NOT to do anything but look at the 1650, #6, and #8 drive cutaways on display.

These are the outboard test assemblies where they perform endurance testing and diagnostics. I believe these were all Verados.




Some awesome historical photos of Carl Kiekhaefer and early Mercury projects. Sorry for the reflections, Tommy Gun Images I am not!



Need a pull and don't have any friends with a boat?


Little known personal helicopter project. Think corporate would approve that one today?



-Zack

 

[Stainless]

^^^ Awesome!

 

[Boat Bling]

Been a fun trip so far. Stopped in to Port Royale marina on Lake Lanier. These guys have the most advanced boat rental operation I've ever seen. 70 boat fleet in which many will rent 2x per day during peak season. Walkways in center of photo draw up making for complete pass through end to end. Boats enter at end of dock, fuel up & proceed down assembly line of cleaning while renters wait at opposite end of dock to board the next boat in line.

Say what you will about rentals but these guys have the operations aspect handled.

 

[Fun Times]

Unfortunately the Merc Racing products were off limits and I was under strict instruction NOT to do anything but look at the 1650, #6, and #8 drive cutaways on display.

Maybe these images already online might be a little less detailed vs what you just saw,

http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndrive-losses-less-than-you-think/
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/mercury-racing-courting-crate-engine-market-with-1650-horsepower/

 

[RiverDave]

Been a fun trip so far. Stopped in to Port Royale marina on Lake Lanier. These guys have the most advanced boat rental operation I've ever seen. 70 boat fleet in which many will rent 2x per day during peak season. Walkways in center of photo draw up making for complete pass through end to end. Boats enter at end of dock, fuel up & proceed down assembly line of cleaning while renters wait at opposite end of dock to board the next boat in line.

Say what you will about rentals but these guys have the operations aspect handled.
View attachment 471121

I'm not sure I understood your description there of the line process... But it sounds amazing!

RD

 

[Stainless]

Maybe these images already online might be a little less detailed vs what you just saw,

http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndrive-losses-less-than-you-think/
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/mercury-racing-courting-crate-engine-market-with-1650-horsepower/

Very interesting story on various drives. #6 has the lowest parasitic loss @ 1%. :thumbsup

 

[Boat Bling]

Maybe these images already online might be a little less detailed vs what you just saw,

http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndrive-losses-less-than-you-think/
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/mercury-racing-courting-crate-engine-market-with-1650-horsepower/

There are definitely detailed photos out there from boat show displays and in Merc Racing marketing materials. As a vendor of their distribution company I figured it was best not to push the issue

I'm not sure I understood your description there of the line process... But it sounds amazing!

RD

Never seen anything like it. Best way to describe the operation was like staging lanes of rental car return or large scale car wash. Supposedly it was designed by a mechanical engineer with experience in commercial manufacturing processes. The center walkways raise/lower like drawbridges either allowing boats to pass all the way through or people to walk to opposite end of docks.

In this operation, boats are the product entering one end of 'assembly line' dirty with empty tanks. As renters offload, boats are fueled and move through the line as they are cleaned. By the time they reach the opposite end of the dock they are ready for the next rental.

Here's the full panorama. We'll see if it posts properly in tapatalk.



-Zack

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

Really cool pics :thumbsup

 

[nrbr]

Way freaking cool! Thanks for sharing the pics!