557 HP outboards getting close to reality

[Andys Delight]

I have to say, I'm pretty damn proud of this American made ingenuity.  I know they have a long way to go, but these things are just amazing!!

[Scott G.]

     Very Nice      I will Take Two   

[Offshore Madness]

 

[L.T.]

Make sure your transom will handle it.  WOW 

[SurfJockey]

Those motors just look mean!

[Andys Delight]

twins pushing a 37 foot cuddy a reported 70mph in a 2-4 foot chop.  Now that's insane!  I gotta say I'm pulling for this to be a success.  It would be nice to see an American made product be out on the leading edge.

[Hotrod]

Buy 2 Get one free spine replacement in 1 year..

Sorry  I'm just not into that speed and the hammering the body takes.  Man even after a nice day running 100 miles i need a wheel chair to get into the house

[Kenny]

I hear you on that Rod....Speeds gota match the conditions...no sense geeting the crap kicked out of you.....us on the BBC are no spring chickens anymore

Do have to admit that 557hp is a beast though.

I wonder what the fuel burn per hour is on those...

[IrishAyes]

Buy 2 Get one free spine replacement in 1 year..

Sorry  I'm just not into that speed and the hammering the body takes.  Man even after a nice day running 100 miles i need a wheel chair to get into the house

Even with those comfy chairs you have on the deck?  Told ya they don't work. 

[Offshore Madness]

Does it really matter how much fuel it burns? if you got to of them id think ur pretty much well off

[Andys Delight]

Buy 2 Get one free spine replacement in 1 year..

Sorry  I'm just not into that speed and the hammering the body takes.  Man even after a nice day running 100 miles i need a wheel chair to get into the house

True, and purely for the speed factor is only one way to look at it.  At a rumored $70k a pop, there's going to be a very limited market for this.  But, alot of those CC's you see with twins/trips/quads may actually benefit from these.  Think about it, instead of running and maintaining quad Yammy 300's, you can go with twin 557's.  There's definitely good reason for these, but the truth is the common boater such as myself will never get their hands on one.

[Hotrod]

Buy 2 Get one free spine replacement in 1 year..

Sorry  I'm just not into that speed and the hammering the body takes.  Man even after a nice day running 100 miles i need a wheel chair to get into the house

Even with those comfy chairs you have on the deck?  Told ya they don't work. 

I never get to sit in them. But I did last time In when bob brought us home.  it was like heaven

[Luna Sea 5]

wow

[BigAl13]

 Rod hopefully after I get you your first njswf mat on the tog trip you'll be able to do 70

[Offshore Madness]

You know i was thinking about these motors two of them give you 1150 horsepower if you put that on a 26 center console you would do about 65 knots or better and if it wasnt flat seas youd launch high and dry.

Im pretty sure with the technology they have dont really burn that much fuel..less throttle at faster speeds make for better fuel economy...

 Im thinking these motors are meant for the offshore racers not the offshore fisherman..

[Andys Delight]

You know i was thinking about these motors two of them give you 1150 horsepower if you put that on a 26 center console you would do about 65 knots or better and if it wasnt flat seas youd launch high and dry.

Im pretty sure with the technology they have dont really burn that much fuel..less throttle at faster speeds make for better fuel economy...

 Im thinking these motors are meant for the offshore racers not the offshore fisherman..

They're actually designed more for the guys that head out in the FL tournament fishing events as well as those who make the trip over to the Bahamas regularly.  Those guys throw trips/quads on their CC's with the notion that getting to the fishing grounds faster means having more time to fish.  There's big money in those tourneys, so the investment might pay off for them.  Like I said before, are you better off with Quad 300's on your Yellowfin/Fountain/Contender etc..., making a total of 1200 HP with the weight of 4 outboards, or are you better off with two 557's, putting out a total of 1114 total HP at the reduced weight of 2 Outboards.  Sure, you lose a little bit of overall HP, but you're also dropping the weight of 4 outboards down to two.  Granted, I'm sure the 557's are going to be alot heavier than a 300 Yammy, but I think it's safe to say that 2 will still be significantly lighter than 4. 

[Offshore Madness]

 
The Seven Marine team mounts 557 motors on the Intrepid 370 Cuddy.
The 6.2-liter V8 outboard features an all-aluminum, supercharged powerhead sourced from GM Powertrain that is the same engine used in the Cadillac CTS-V automobile. It has closed cooling, a computer-controlled disc-clutch transmission with hydraulic shifting sourced from ZF Marine, and joystick control when paired with bow thrusters.

A pair of Seven Marine 557 motors were unveiled on the transom of an Intrepid 370 Cuddy, a boat that can be powered by triple 300-hp outboards. Other Intrepid models range up to 43 feet and can be rigged with four of the biggest outboards on the market. A pair of the Seven Marine 557 outboards could replace four 300- or 350-hp motors, offer about 300 less horsepower but also weigh 668 pounds less, and significantly reduce drag by placing only two gearcases in the water.

Seven Marine was founded about a year ago and is based in the Milwaukee suburb of Mequon, Wisconsin. Its principals include Rick Davis, who resigned in 2008 as executive vice president of advanced engineering at Mercury Marine. Davis is joined by his sons, Eric and Brian Davis, and manufacturing specialist Sandy Ballou.

 
Ready to roar: Twin 557's on the back of Intrepid's 370 Cuddy
In a video presented at the boat show, Rick Davis says that the concept for this new motor was hatched by Eric. According to media materials, Eric Davis holds 15 patents, the first of which was earned when he was 13 and on a “take your kid to work day” at Mercury. Eric Davis is also a champion powerboat racer, and the name of the company comes from his racing number.

The Seven 557 has a claimed dry weight of 1,000 pounds, compared to 667 pounds for a Mercury Verado 350 SCi. The top of the cowl is hinged and opens to reveal the V8 powerhead mounted horizontally, rather than in the usual vertical orientation. According to Rick Davis, the engine will remain in stock form as received from GM, with the exception of double-walled stainless steel exhaust and computer programming, and will run on 89 to 92 octane pump gas. I asked Eric Davis how the engine’s power made the 90-degree change in direction to mate to a drive shaft, and he just shrugged and smiled. “I’ll have to explain that to you later,” he said. Apparently the Seven team is not ready to reveal all of its secrets.

We do know that shifting is accomplished above the gearcase. The gearcase has a four-inch-diameter tube – a standard size – but has twin pinion gears to transfer power from the vertical drive shaft to the horizontal prop shaft, while keeping the size of the case small and hydrodynamic. An integral power steering system was developed with the input of Latham Marine, and the motor will be rigged with custom Hering propellers.

Rick Davis says the Seven 557 will have a three-year warranty, with 10 years of coverage against internal corrosion. How much will it cost? A cool $70,000 per motor, according to Eric Davis. You could buy the entire Cadillac for less.

Rick Davis told me that he and his team still have some testing and final calibration work to complete before we can actually take a boat powered by Seven 557 motors for a spin, and that work should be done this spring. In the mean time, I’m setting up a more-detailed tech briefing which I hope will answer some of the “how did they do that?” questions I’ve got about this exciting new motor. So stay tuned.



Read more: http://www.boats.com/blog/2011/02/seven-marine-reveals-557-hp-outboard-at-miami-boat-show/#ixzz1ammJXoH9

[Offshore Madness]

You know i was thinking about these motors two of them give you 1150 horsepower if you put that on a 26 center console you would do about 65 knots or better and if it wasnt flat seas youd launch high and dry.

Im pretty sure with the technology they have dont really burn that much fuel..less throttle at faster speeds make for better fuel economy...

 Im thinking these motors are meant for the offshore racers not the offshore fisherman..

They're actually designed more for the guys that head out in the FL tournament fishing events as well as those who make the trip over to the Bahamas regularly.  Those guys throw trips/quads on their CC's with the notion that getting to the fishing grounds faster means having more time to fish.  There's big money in those tourneys, so the investment might pay off for them.  Like I said before, are you better off with Quad 300's on your Yellowfin/Fountain/Contender etc..., making a total of 1200 HP with the weight of 4 outboards, or are you better off with two 557's, putting out a total of 1114 total HP at the reduced weight of 2 Outboards.  Sure, you lose a little bit of overall HP, but you're also dropping the weight of 4 outboards down to two.  Granted, I'm sure the 557's are going to be alot heavier than a 300 Yammy, but I think it's safe to say that 2 will still be significantly lighter than 4. 

just found an article on them guess im wrong....i want one for the proline

[Andys Delight]

just found an article on them guess im wrong....i want one for the proline

Hahaa, I figure if I managed to even get one to not sink my Wellcraft just from sheer weight, I can certainly envision going WOT and watching the engine literally push forward THROUGH my boat and continue on its way while my boat just splits in two, cartoon style   

[Offshore Madness]

     i can actually picture that happening