In case you missed it (hey, I don’t know your life), Mercury rocked the industry in February with the release of a very innovative, V12 600 horsepower Verado. I was one of the fortunate marine journalists who were able to put the throttle down on this new extremely quiet outboard before the news was officially released. Mercury had six vessels at its testing facility on Lake X in Florida, but the shortest boat was still 40 feet long and not a single pontoon could be found.

You don’t need to twist my arm to get me to Florida in February, even if pontoons aren’t included, and I could completely understand why there were only larger boats to test. In fact, there were no single outboards in the water. Twin Verados were the minimum with one 54-foot Formula boat actually having four! If you’re not a math major that’s 2400hp and 48 cylinders on the back of one boat. Whoa!

I had an exhilarating day running these larger boats to say the least, but I did catch a little flak when I said the new V12 wasn’t exactly for the pontoon segment of the boating industry. I recall saying the same thing when Yamaha first released its 425hp beast that weighs in at over 900 pounds, only to see a Bennington with these twins a few months later. Simply put, I should have known better and it turns out pontoon manufacturers as well as dealers are already doing everything they can to get their hands on one. At over 1,200 pounds each I’m even hearing rumors of a twin setup on a pontoon coming, which is exciting even to think about.

But if you think pontoon manufacturers only want one because having a 600hp engine sounds impressive, there is way more to it. Mercury didn’t just add power to add power; over a five-year development period they created a game-changing outboard that is truly innovative and different than anything you’ve ever seen.

For starters the new V12 has the industry’s first two-speed transmission. First gear is 20 percent lower than second gear, so out of the hole it’s incredible and it allows you to cruise at much higher speeds at a better fuel economy pace. The best part is as the engine revs up and gets on plane, you can’t feel it shift into second gear. In fact, if you’re not watching the tachometer you never notice the shift from first to second.

The most talked about feature however, was its stationary design. The new 7.6L Verado also has the first steerable gearcase for outboards where the engine remains in a fixed position and only the gearcase under the water is moving. It is designed especially for multiple engine configurations and with the engines remaining stationary, builders can tighten up the spacing between them. And using the joystick is a dream: as you go from hard port to hard starboard you don’t hear any clicks or clanks. It’s just extremely smooth and quiet.

Dual props round out the new features, but worth noting is the service hood. Mercury’s service door on its previous new models have helped make servicing easier, but the service hood on the new Verado takes convenience to another level. You don’t need to take this engine out of the water for the first 1,000 hours or five years, whichever comes first, as all the oil changes and other servicing can be done through the service hatch on top.

Truly in a class of its own, it’s easy to see why the industry is so excited about this new 600hp Verado, and that includes those in the pontoon industry as well.