Is this the first Mercury V10 Verado in Australia?

The Melbourne-based fibreglass boatmaker has posted a single image to social media of a large box with the “Mercury” logo, asking followers to try and guess what it is.

According to Whittley, the box was air-freighted from Mercury’s US factory to Australia, and will become an "Australian first” for the brand.

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The clue as to what it could be is written on the box – the entire package weighs 421kg.

Allowing around 100kg for the protective frame that houses the contents, whatever is in the box will weigh about 320kg, which happens to be very close to the 316kg minimum weight of the new 350hp or 400hp V10 Verado.

The big question, though, is which Whittley model the new engine will power. 

The brand’s largest model is the CR 2800 SD, a trailerable cruiser with either a diesel-powered 270hp Mercury sterndrive with a Bravo III lower leg, or a petrol-powered 350hp Volvo Penta V8 with a duoprop drive.

One thing it doesn’t have is an outboard-engined equivalent – something Whittley has offered as an option on several other boats that also feature sterndrives.

While not confirming that the images showed the new V10, a spokesman for Whittley told boatsales.com.au that the boat-maker had plans to eventually fit the engine “on one of the larger Whittley models”.

Whittley’s image is a good sign for anyone waiting for the new 350hp and 400hp versions of the Mercury V10 Verado to arrive in Australia, with the first batch of deliveries looking to arrive here early in the second quarter rather than later.

The new Mercury V10 Verado outboard engines look more like a conventional outboard engine than the V12 Verado introduced last year, which included a number of firsts for an engine hanging off the transom including a two-speed gearbox and an independent lower leg that steers the boat.

However, Mercury is still struggling with ramping up outboard engine production, with unprecedented demand in North America and supply issues still choking its ability to meet demand in overseas markets such as Australia.

Mercury Marine Australia was contacted for comment.

UPDATE: Whittley Boats has confirmed that this is the new 400hp Mercury V10 Verado outboard engine.

However, while the new engine has been confirmed, the boat that will wear it is yet to be revealed.