Mercury launches MerCruiser Bravo Four S for ‘smart’ water sports
Mercury moves into the forward-facing sterndrive segment as it eyes the growing tow and wakesports segmentMercury Marine has revealed the MerCruiser Bravo Four S, an all-new smart sterndrive leg optimised for water sports and featuring all-new digital controls aimed at creating the perfect wake behind the boat.
Mercury said the new MerCruiser Bravo Four S – the first time the US company has used forward-facing props since it invented the concept in 1949 – “elevates the art of crafting perfect wakes for wakesurfing, wakeboarding and other tow sports”.
At its heart is a digital control system that automatically sets ballast, surf tabs and propulsion settings via a “a single and intuitive user interface” to make setting up the boat “easier than ever before”.
Mercury’s Smart Tow system will come standard with the MerCruiser Bravo Four S drive.
“These controls allow customisation of the tow sports experience with just a few taps on a Mercury VesselView touchscreen display,” Mercury said in a statement announcing the new system.
“The driver can simply select the desired tow sports activity, and the Smart Tow system will display the appropriate controls to dial in the perfect launch acceleration, towing speed and wake characteristics.”
More grip on the water
As well, the more “grippy” forward-facing props give boats equipped with the system much more maneuverability than was possible with a rear-facing prop system, Mercury said.
The system will also give drivers much greater control over speed when towing via Mercury’s SmartCraft digital throttle and shift controls.
Buyers also will be able to choose between five different propellers – the leg is designed to use a four-blade prop in front of a three-blade unit to minimise cavitation – “designed specifically to leverage all the advantages of the Bravo Four S drive”.
"We started with our highly visionary legacy designs and added new technologies, digital functionality for the user and seamless integration with the engine and boat controls," Mercury product development and engineering vice-president Tim Reid said.
"This is the forward-facing drive for the new generation of tow sports enthusiasts."
Growing popularity
Mercury said it has launched the MerCruiser Bravo Four S in response to a surge in the popularity of tow and wake sports.
“We carefully studied all the refinements that go into optimising a boat's wake for each of the various tow sports and devised a system to make those settings easy for the boater,” Reid said.
"We started with our highly visionary legacy designs and added new technologies, digital functionality for the user and seamless integration with the engine and boat controls.
"This is the forward-facing drive for the new generation of tow sports enthusiasts," Reid said.
There was no word on Australian availability, or pricing, although the MerCruiser Bravo Four S system is expected to come here.
Engine compatibility
The new sterndrive is compatible with the MerCruiser 4.5-litre V6, 6.2-litre V8 and 8.2-litre V8 petrol-fuelled sterndrives rated from 250hp to 430hp.
Despite being first with a blueprint on the concept, Mercury's forward-facing prop system catches up with that of European marine powerplant specialist Volvo Penta.
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