Is this the world’s most powerful outboard-engined boat?

At the time it was one of the most powerful centre consoles conceived, boasting five 600hp Mercury V12 Verado outboard engines producing a combined 3000hp. Top speed was tipped to be around 52 knots, with an estimated cruising speed of around 35 knots.

Impressive? Yeah, not so much. That’s because there’s a new horsepower king in the bullring.

That boat is the HCB 65 Estrella, a centre console built by Tennessee-based HCB Yachts and dripping in luxury appointments that, when it launched in 2018, was powered by four outboard engines that push the hull along at around 56 knots. 

The engine choices have since spread to five 425hp Yamaha V8 XTO Offshore outboards, six Mercury Racing 450Rs, or the six V12s.

Since then, Mercury has launched its 600hp Mercury V12 Verado outboard engine. The V12 Verado, which features a unique steerable lower leg and a two-speed transmission, was built to reduce the number of smaller outboard engines powering a new generation of ever-larger centre console boats.

The V12’s design meant the engines could pack tighter than traditionally turning outboards.

And that’s why HCB has swooped on the engine, finding room for six Mercury V12 Verado outboards producing a combined 3600hp. It can do this because the maximum horsepower rating of the 20.0-metre centre console is listed as “unlimited” in the boat’s specifications list.

US performance boating blog Boats Gone Wild jumped on board the most powerful HCB, showing that all you need to tame all this power is a simple dual-lever fly-by-wire throttle and shift controller and a steering wheel. The boat also takes advantage of Mercury Marine’s Joystick Control for Outboards, meaning the skipper can shuffle the HCB Estrelle 65 into a dock or pen like a pro.

In Australian dollars, the engines are worth around $120,000 each, so a suite of six equates to an outlay of around $720,000 – the equivalent cost of what would be a pretty decent boat for most budgets.

The boat features a number of zones including an aft cockpit with a lounge and chairs, a large under-roof mezzanine that integrates with the five-seat helm station, a forward sun deck and a bow lounge.

It also has a large space below decks dedicated to a sunken lounge, bathroom, and master stateroom.

When it launched in 2018, an entry-level HCB 65 Estrella was priced at around $4.5 million. No price was given for the boat featuring the six Mercury V12 Verado outboard engines.