Single Mercury Racing 450R Outboard-Powered Eliminator Cat Hits 94 MPH

Outboard or sterndrive, Mercury Racing engines tend to travel in pairs. Single-engine applications such as the Fond du Lac, Wis., company’s 565-hp sterndrive mill in Canadian Bob Barnhart’s pretty Outerlimits SV 29 V-bottom are few and far between, and the thriving sport catamaran market is built on twin-outboard installations.

Eliminator No. 8 for Southern California’s Gary Fullmer, this 27 Speedster powered by a Mercury Racing 450R outboard engine could end up being his favorite. Photos courtesy Eliminator Boats.

That makes a new Eliminator Boats 27 Speedster catamaran powered by a single 450R outboard a rarity—if not a first—in the sport cat world. Neither Mercury Racing’s Steve Miller nor Kevin Skiba can confirm it categorically as a first for the 450R outboard, but both strongly suspect it could be.

And it’s definitely a first the for Mira Loma, Calif.-based custom boat builder.

The 27-footer, which boasts a light Kevlar lay-up and topped out at 94 mph in a test session before delivery, is going to longtime Eliminator owner Gary Fullmer of La Verne, Calif. Fullmer began boating on the waters of Lake Havasu in Arizona in the 1970s. In 1985, he purchased his first Eliminator—a 21-foot Daytona jetboat—and he’s been buying them ever since. His new catamaran is his eighth Eliminator build.

Fullmer has even passed on his love of the brand to his daughter, Ashley Syverude, and her husband, Van, who just purchased their first Eliminator in the form of a 25 Eagle V-bottom.

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Enjoy more images of the new 27-footer in the slideshow above.

Though Fullmer has yet to run on the open-bow, cuddy cabin cat on Lake Havasu, he did get to enjoy it on Lake Elsinore. And he was delighted with what is his first outboard-powered go-fast boat.

“It performs just like Jake (Fraleigh) at Eliminator said it would,” Fullmer said. “It takes off like a normal boat—it doesn’t stick its nose in the air. With a stock five-blade propeller, it runs more than 90 mph, which is as fast as I’d ever want to go. It’s quiet. It burns less fuel than my other boats.”

The Eliminator team worked closely with Fullmer on the build. The cities of La Verne and Mira Loma are just 20 miles apart, so Fullmer was able to stop by weekly during the process.

“I like the custom build process,” he said. “And I like that no two Eliminators are exactly the same.”

“Gary has owned almost every model Eliminator has offered and he was looking for an efficient, reliable setup for speed and fuel economy,” Eliminator’s Mark Baker said. “Chris Camire Jr. handled the setup and testing. The boat ran 94 mph fully loaded with half-tanks of fuel. At 50 mph, it got 3.23 miles per gallon and it has a 250-mile range.”

Lake Havasu will be home-water to this immaculate Eliminator 27 Speedster.

Though the 27 Eliminator is Fullmer’s first new powerboat build with outboard power, it won’t be his last. He currently has a 47-foot Intrepid Powerboats center console powered by triple Mercury Marine Verado 600s under construction.

He plans to keep the 47-footer in Marco Island, Fla. As for his 27-footer, it will spend most of its life on Lake Havasu.

“I can’t wait to get it out there,” Fullmer said.

Captured here in his parent’s 25 Daytona, Fullmer’s grandson, Luke, is the family’s newest Eliminator fan.

Single Mercury Racing 450R Outboard-Powered Eliminator Cat Hits 94 MPH

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