Mercury Racing Adding Performance Active Trim Across Engine Platforms

The push-button activated Performance Active Trim system will be available on all Mercury Racing engines in 2016.

At a press conference this evening in Miami, Mercury Racing’s general manager Erik Christiansen released the details of the company’s new Performance Active Trim system—“ an integrated boat speed-based engine trim system specifically for performance applications where the gearcases are running partially surfaced”—in advance of the system’s debut tomorrow during the opening day of the Miami International Boat Show. The system is available for the 400R Verado engine, the 520, 540, 565 and 700 SCi engines and the QC4v 1100, 1350 and 1550 engines.

According to press materials from the Fond du Lac, Wis., company, the “intuitive, hands-free system automatically adjusts trim angle for changes in operating conditions to maximize performance and boat handling at speeds up to 50 mph. New performance boaters are now able to enjoy properly trimmed engines with virtually no learning curve, while experienced boaters will no longer need to monitor and adjust trim upon changes in boat speed or turns.”

The key to Performance Active Trim is its exclusive and patented GPS-based control system, which uses boat speed as the primary input to trim the vessel. Using boat speed instead of engine speed (rpm) ensures the vessel is always trimmed at the optimal setting, according to the release. In addition, Performance Active Trim will also automatically adjust trim angle only when the operator increases or decreases boat speed.

“This ensures a safe, consistent system that is not affected by variables outside of the operator’s control. For example, engine rpm changes caused by a propeller breaking loose or a shift in boat-load could affect engine trim on competitive rpm based systems,” according to the release.

At speeds above 50 mph, the Performance Active Trim system reportedly provides a “seamless handoff” from auto to manual operation to give the operator full control at higher speeds. If left engaged, the system will resume automatic trim activation once the boat speed returns to 50 mph or less.

The system offers five selectable trim profiles that allow the operator to personalize Performance Active Trim to his or her driving style and/or compensate for changes in boat load, operator preference and weather conditions, while maintaining fully automatic operation. The trim profiles were designed to accommodate the sensitive trim range of surfacing outboard gearcases and stern-drives. Both trim speed and range were designed exclusively for surfacing V-bottom and catamaran applications.

Boats with the system in Miami at the Mercury Marine docks include an Outerlimits SL 50 powered by twin Mercury Racing 1550/1350 engines, a Formula 382 FAS3Tech powered by twin Mercury Racing 700 SCi engines and a Barker 26 Calibogue Bay powered by Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engine.

Mercury Racing Adding Performance Active Trim Across Engine Platforms

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