How the Water Connects Us: A Mercury Repower Story

The idea of a repower is pretty simple – by swapping out your current engine with a new one, you give your boat new life by improving its performance and reliability. It’s also a great way to keep making memories in the boat you love.

While the story you’re about to read is certainly a repower story, it’s also a lot more than that. It’s a story about connection and kindness; about giving and gratitude and the amazing things that occur when we perform the perfectly simple and utterly human act of being there for another individual.

A CPA Walks Into a Boat Shop

The story begins in South Carolina in the early ’70s, when a CPA named John Greene was having no luck finding someone who could repair his ’60s era 19-foot Evinrude Rogue – a boat known for its unique styling, comfort and speed.

After a few failed attempts, John learned from a friend about a mechanic named Randy Lee. Known in the area as an ace with boats and engines, Randy was the head mechanic at Dillard’s Marine & Sporting Goods – a highly regarded shop in northwest South Carolina. 

So, John paid Randy a visit, and as reported, Randy did what no one else seemed to be able to do – he got John’s boat back on the water. In the process, a friendship began to take seed. A lifelong friendship that continues to this very day.

In the many years that have passed since their fortuitous first encounter, a lot of wonderful things have occurred between these two men – things that highlight the best in humanity and offer irrefutable proof of the goodness inherent to the human condition.

For example, when Dillard’s decided to sell off the marine part of its business in 1979, it was John who approached Randy, encouraging him to buy the business and make it his own.

But Randy didn’t know anything about running a business. Heck, he wasn’t even sure he could afford John’s consulting fees. When Randy shared this concern with John, John chuckled, gave Randy a smile and told him it wouldn’t cost him a thing.

“That’s just who John is and has always been, and he never asks for anything in return,” explained Randy.

From Mechanic to Business Owner

John would go on to advise Randy and his wife, Dottie, on how to navigate their way through the purchase of the business and even provide tips on how to do the books. And so, Lee’s Marine was born, which to this day is a thriving business and a bit of an institution in Anderson, South Carolina. One that may never have come to fruition if it weren’t for John’s kindness, generosity and guidance.

At 85, Randy’s role at Lee’s Marine has changed quite a bit. While he and Dottie are still very much involved in things, Randy no longer does any of the repair work himself. No, these days, Randy’s two very talented mechanics perform the day-to-day repair work. He’s also kept the business in the family, with his daughter Julie Lee managing the office and his grandson Cole Lee handling sales.

While John has never asked for anything in return from Randy and Dottie, they try to pay it back every chance they get, like prioritizing John at the shop, and often waiving the cost of labor and only charging for materials.

This has been the way of their friendship for all these years – a fateful encounter between strangers followed by countless acts of kindness. Their relationship exemplifies the importance of putting others first and being generous with the gifts we’ve been given.

The Next Chapter – Repowering a Classic

Now that you know a bit about John and Randy, it should come as no surprise that when the time came for John to find someone to repower his newest project – a 1977 Boston Whaler Revenge that he came across while driving up the coast – the choice would be easy. Yep, he chose Randy and the crew at Lee’s Marine!

At 21 feet, the Revenge was exactly what John was looking for – a vessel big enough to take the entire family out on the water. It also didn’t hurt that the Revenge was a boat that John has loved since first seeing it some 50 years ago. And since Whalers have been in the family for generations, it was more than a little serendipitous that he should stumble across this one.

As one can image, at 48 years old, the boat needed a few things. The fuel, electrical and steering systems all had to be replaced, and it needed some body work, a few new lights, and most importantly, a new engine. So, John recruited his grandson Jack Heeney to help him find a replacement for the two low-horsepower outboards that came with it.

Finding the Right Outboard

The search for the perfect outboard began with Jack asking his grandfather what he was looking for. “Because the boat is so big, we knew we needed to find an engine that would deliver plenty of torque and plenty of power to move it across the water,” explained Jack. “The boat is rated for 200hp, so when my grandfather found out that Mercury made a 200hp V8 Pro XS with the right gear ratio to boot, well, his mind was made up!”

The Pro XS has some other features that resonated with both men. Because of its Advanced Range Optimization, the V8 is surprisingly fuel efficient. It’s also one of the lightest engines in its class, which translates to faster speeds and better handling. It sounds pretty awesome, too, with a throaty growl at idle and a refined, deep tone at cruising. And with its advanced gearcase design and responsive Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) system, it also delivers exceptional stopping power.

With the decision made to go with the Pro XS, John and Jack gave the go-ahead to Randy’s team at Lee’s Marine to do the repower. And from ordering the engine to the install, Lee’s made the entire process seamless.

After a lot of hard work, the repower is now complete. The Revenge has already had a few preliminary test runs across Anderson’s Lake Hartwell to ensure everything has been tuned properly.

The Dream Comes Fully Into Focus

Lee’s Marine is also working on a few final touches, like securing the Revenge’s signature red stripe decal that will run down the side of the boat – a detail that pays homage to the vessel’s legacy and serves as a notice to other boaters that they are in the presence of something truly special.  

When all of these final details come together, “heads are gonna turn,” as Randy puts it. More importantly the repowered vessel is going to help John and his family continue doing what they love doing most – spending time together on the water.

As John puts it, “the water is a way of life for my family. Always has been. We go to dinner by boat, we visit friends by boat, we even go to church by boat.” And these things resonate deeply with John, in a way that’s every bit as timeless as his 1977 Whaler.

It’s also indicative of what repowering a boat is all about. More than simply improving performance, repowering a boat is about connection, and in this case, it’s about legacy. It’s about passing down a tradition that’s been in the family for as long as anyone can remember.

That’s why, when the times comes, the Revenge will go to Jack, so that he can then carry the torch. In that way, this repower story serves as a testament to lifelong friendship, love of family, the power of water, and offers a red-striped reflection of a life well lived. And that’s more powerful than any engine.