Josh Ker, the man who heads up Bigfish Gear in Darwin, has been involved in offshore fishing for the past 25 years but he still wasn’t prepared for what happened when he recently repowered his Bertram 25 flybridge with a 350hp Mercury Verado.

 

“I’d been having some mechanical sagas with a 300hp engine from a different manufacturer which didn’t even have 1,000 hours on it so I decided replacing it was the only option,” he said.

With a simple push or twist of a joystick it’s possible to maneuver a boat in virtually any direction – sideways, diagonally or spinning the boat on its axis.

 

Control dual, triple or quad Verado 250hp, 300hp or 350hp outboards, even in challenging wind and current conditions. This system integrates seamlessly with SmartCraft® Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) and electro-hydraulic power steering, while standard integrated autopilot provides Auto Heading and Waypoint Sequencing.

 

Also available with Skyhook®, a digital GPS positioning system which can hold a boat in position while fishing or waiting for bridges to open.

The ultra-robust 5.44-inch-diameter Offshore gearcase is designed and built to handle offshore seas and provide extra lift for longer, heavier center-consoles and walkarounds. It features larger, stronger gears and heavy-duty bearings and components that are five times stronger than those in a standard gearcase. Companion engines: Standard on Verado® 300 hp, 250 hp and 225 hp.

 

The Heavy Duty gearcase is perfect for more aggressive go-fast boats and commercial offshore applications that operate in rough seas or want that extra mile per hour.  We pair our Offshore 5.44-inch gearcase with a 1.75 gear ratio and 1.25-inch prop shaft for added durability. Companion engines: Standard on Verado 350 hp and optional on Verado 300 hp.

 

For boats equipped with Mercury Joystick Piloting that exceed 60 mph, a specially designed "cambered" skeg option results in the best driving experience and overall engine performance.