I just got off the phone with Randy Scism at Marine Technology, Inc., (MTI). They first tested Bob Bull’s Mercury 1350 powered MTI 48 Race/Pleasure Thursday, October 21 near the MTI facility. Mercury Racing Product Integration Manager, Mike Griffiths, worked closely with MTI in this, the first install of 1350s in a catamaran and the first 1350 install for the Wentzville, Missouri based company.
The installation went very smoothly – culminating with the on-water test Thursday. Test time was limited due to water conditions and the need to transport the boat to Florida. It will be on static display in the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, at Pier 57/MTI in-water slips October 28-Nov 1.
Both Randy Scism and boat owner Bob Bull are ecstatic with the new 1350s.
“To me, they are game changers. The first thing I noticed was the incredible manners the engines have around the dock. They idle better and shift better than a 525 EFI. They are smart too. While still strapped to the trailer, turning big props, we started and ran the engines for a period of time – shifting in and out of gear. The engines adjusted immediately and never changed more than 50 rpm between shifts. No stumbles, No stalls. Dock manners are second to none. I am extremely impressed. Can’t wait to resume testing,” said Scism.
“The acceleration and power output from these things is better than anything we’ve ever tested on pump gas. They may even be more powerful than engines on race fuel. We’ll know for sure once we get more test time,” Scism said.
My next call was to boat owner Bob Bull whose enthusiasm equaled Scisms’.
“Mercury did a heck of a job with this engine. It is an impressive piece. The acceleration is unbelievable. It is amazing how quiet and smooth they run. This engine will revolutionize the high performance marine industry,” said Bull.
“I have raced a lot of Mercury Racing products. This is now number 1 on the list. I’m looking forward to do more testing and some top-end running,” Bull said.
Scism and Bull are excited to have the boat in Ft. Lauderdale so people can see, touch and feel it first hand. The boat will then go on to Key West, Florida where it will be on static display at the 30th Annual Key West Offshore World Championships, November 7-14. Testing will resume upon completion of the week-long Key West events.
A second pair of 1350s are built and on their way to MTI for another 48 Race/Pleasure hull.
Source: http://www.mercuryracing.com/blog/mti-spooled-up/