Boat owners with a sharp eye may soon notice a slight change in the appearance of some popular Mercury stainless steel propellers. The change is the result of an innovative and proprietary stainless steel polishing process being phased in at the Mercury propeller manufacturing facility in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The new process will fully automate the grinding and polishing operations and produce a high quality, brilliant finish on polished props.
For many years, the polished surface on Mercury stainless steel props has been achieved through a drag-finish process, in which propellers are polished in stages through large vessels of abrasive media. In the new process, all edge grinding and polishing are automated, and the final polishing step is accomplished through a color buffing procedure. The new process delivers consistent cosmetic results and maintains the fine details of the propeller design during the final step of manufacturing. Maintaining the specified propeller design throughout the manufacturing process delivers the consistent performance you expect from Mercury Propellers.
Propellers that go through the new process will have a finish that appears a little brighter and shinier than previous polished Mercury props. Expect to start seeing propellers finished with the new process in early 2021, starting with the most-popular prop models – Enertia®, Enertia® ECO and Revolution 4®. More models will be added to the new process line throughout the year. This new process is another example of Mercury Marine leading the marine industry through innovation in every aspect of product design, testing and manufacturing.
Ready for a new propeller? The Mercury Prop Selector Tool is a great resource that will help you narrow down prop options by answering five easy questions. It’s a great place to start. You can also take one for a test-drive.