EXTREME BOATSEXTREME 64 PERFORMANCE in Lake Havasu,Arizona.Lake in Run Poker Storm Desert the at ‘Mamba’ Carbon-Edition 47’ Stevensen’sGTX Mike is here Shown inside. nicely fit 1075SCi engines HP of pair a and today, market the on boats performance radical of most the some makes Outerlimits F D n o W W W

U D mErCUrY raCing L 7480 C 7480 . C a g n i C a r Y r U C r E m , W n o s n o C s i 920-921-5330 Y t n U o r 54935 D a o . m o C UU Also seeour“Mercury HistoricalTimeline”: Pages74-75 Racing. Mercury of heritage and glory the in bask to us allowed and EBM to opened doors its Racing Mercury December, mid in factor in their adult lives. adult their in factor domineering most the been had he claimed him for worked that women and men many subconscious that powerful so the was personality His senses. assault still cigars his of scent leftover the and voice booming his but floors, shop and hallways these walk Kiekhaeferlonger Carl Founder, determination. and willsheer by victory to team their driving each made and what Vince is Lombardi contemporaries, game the for ferocity and better spirit competitive the but shapes different had a make have may fields playing to The engine. were outboard how industry world the of showing immortals to how football, Vince world play great the showing the were as Lombardi such immortals While h baig ol wa Lmad ws to was winner! a Football, Lombardi what to world was boating He the him. for worked that those of bodies the and body, his in fiber every with it after manwent and life in niche a his found that was He dealers. his and employees HISTORICALPHOTOS COURTESY STORYANDPHOTOS BY RONPOLLI Mercury Racing:Mercury Winning DNA i bsns cnue hs ie his life, his consumed business His morning Wisconsin cold brutally a On They know the rules and the objectives when they get in the game. and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. The objective is to win – fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules rules the by decently,fairly, squarely, – win to is objective The “It’s areality of life that men are competitive, That’s why they’re there –to compete. An InterviewwithFredKiekhaefer my no may , – but to win!” to but – that his father used before him. office same the from world boating performance Aeromarine high the over rules Kiekhaefer Fred son, Carl’s Kiekhaefer and of Racing Mercury called now is facility Carl This home Motors. original where the is Winnebago Kiekhaefer left his final Lake mark on the marine industry, overlooking provided topeoplearound theglobe. have products their that enjoyment the about industry. Fortunately for all of us, it’s also a boating story the upon crusade making history and their family Kiekhaefer the about really is here perfection for and the passion pursuit of speed. about But the all story it’s surface, the On be. to came it how and icon American an about story a why manyboatersconsiderthem‘thebest’. out find To ranks; Racing and Run Poker the in facility to learn why their engines are so dominant say, they stillbelievethattothisday. often would and acceptable” is perfection Carl than less “Nothing As manufacture. and the way they talk about the products in they design through shows It employee. each in pride of level high a is there that apparent it’s Manager, Marketing Senior Racing’s Mercury Mackie, Rick What we came away with was a larger story, larger a was with away came we What Lac du Fond Racing’s Mercury to went We from facility the around tour a getting After windows porthole round with building odd The Extreme - e C N i V

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the race course for all to see” mentality has provided terrific Throughout the tour, I’ve heard Rick Mackie use the term The new company was Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Motors? advertising platform. Mercury products, especially the racing “Black Art” several times. What does “Black Art” mean? “Yes. He then restarted Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Motors, freD KIeKhAefer products, have enjoyed an inherent level of excitement Fred explains, “It’s knowledge that comes from doing. dormant since World War II. I was in and out of that Proudly displaying because of their racing heritage. Carl understood product It’s knowledge that you can’t put into words, and you depending upon how easy it was to get along with him. the HP 1075 SCi engine at the 2005 placement long before Hollywood. This type of advertising can’t put into a manual. It’s learned from doing something Ultimately, I went completely off on another career path. Los Angeles goes way beyond a good brochure or a public relations firm. Mercury’s way for many years. Dennis Cavanaugh is a When he passed away, I came back and bought the assets Boat Show It comes from the consumer’s personal experience of either perfect example of a “Black Artist”. Dennis was the head from his estate and salvaged what I could of the business. using, or watching, someone race a Mercury product. In a of our propeller department. He knew everything about I started a new company, Kiekhaefer Aeromarine, Inc. “ya get what ya pay for” world, Mercury Racing has products propellers, probably the most knowledgeable person in Basically pushed it in a whole new direction.” with the highest value in the industry. the world on the subject. We lost him a few years back Carl’s son Fred Kiekhaefer is now in charge of Mercury’s to a tragic fall in his home. With him went a tremendous Didn’t anyone want to buy the business? “No. There was high performance empire. Fred grew up with Mercury as his amount of knowledge. It has taken us some time to nothing there worth buying out. It was not a pretty story brother, he lived through it all, sometimes from a distance recover from loosing him. Now we have Scott Reichow at the end of Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Motors. It’s kind of and other times with his own nose against the grindstone. and Ron Steiner who have taken over where Dennis left sad in some ways, but my Dad was doing things that he Mercury Marine has been in his blood his entire life. Some off. It’s a brain trust.” wanted to do. He made the money in the first place so it might say that Fred’s blood runs Phantom Black. was his to lose.” Fred was nice enough to take some time out of his busy What type of boat do you have? Fred smiles and says, “When he died, I looked at it this way, I could leave my day and answer some questions that he’s probably been “I am between boats. I had a 42 McManus offshore boat consulting career and come back here, have a chance of asked a thousand times before. and I haven’t replaced it yet. I have a bow rider making good out of the legacy. If I stayed with consulting, 2004:hp 1075 sCi CARL KIEKHAEFER WAS A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME. that I play around with on the lake.” eventually, I would have to come back and deal with an Mercury Racing ‘39 CeDArBurG MfG His passion for engineering perfection combined with Fred, could you enlighten us about your family history? empty factory because none of my family are business firmly established Carl forms Kiekhaefer his need to always win produced an explosive temper Fred begins, “Carl’s father, my Grandfather, August Did you take over the business after your Dad retired? oriented or capable of running it. I didn’t believe the itself in the Corporation from the ‘Extreme‘ engine ashes of the Cedarburg that became his personal trademark. He was brilliant at Kiekhaefer, owned a large dairy farm. When Carl “No. The story is my father left Mercury after the business would survive. I figured sooner or later I am builder category Mfg Co (which had marketing his products to the general public. Carl, always graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Brunswick management attempted to promote going to have to deal with the facility, the property and with the launch been producing under-rated the horsepower of his motors, giving the August bought a manufacturing plant for Carl as a gift for somebody over his head and kind of kick him everything else. It’s better to do it as a growing concern.” of their 1075hp outboard engines.) consumer more than they were paying for. In the early graduating from engineering school. The company that upstairs. You didn’t kick my Dad anyplace. He didn’t monster. Combining It had everything Carl performance with days, if it said 10 HP, you could bet it put out at least he bought had made outboard motors for Montgomery go anywhere without kicking and screaming at When you say “new direction” are you talking about the needed to design and reliability, it is the build mechanical 13 HP. Carl’s marketing concept worked, his Mercury Ward and others. The final shipment of 300 outboard the very least.” Kiekhaefer drive? Fred replies, “Well that didn’t come best of all worlds. List products. outboards would always outrun a competitive model with motors was rejected and all got returned. Carl had all these first. First, we successfully upgraded the quality of the price is $150,000.00 (including a #6 50,000 MIle test the same horsepower rating. Consumers soon viewed engines in inventory and the first thing that he did to raise When your father sold to Brunswick, what percentage trim tabs. Brought out the zero Drive). I’ll take Product testing has Mercury engines as “high performance”. To this day, capitol was to repair the defective outboard motors. did he sell? “He sold all of his company to Brunswick. effort controls. Dramatically two please... always been important Mercury Racing has followed Carl’s original promise of His initial plan was to make equipment for the dairy When he left, he started up another company. In the expanded the propeller to Mercury. Pictured delivering more horsepower than advertised on the cowl. business. That’s what Carl intended to do, but he never beginning he didn’t know exactly what he was going lines. Did contract machine above is a 50,000 mile endurance test of an Carl Kiekhaefer always had an affinity with racing, got that far. He was going to make magnetic clutches and to do, but he ended up building snowmobile engines work for other companies outboard on Lake-X. especially winning races. In 1955, Mercury sponsored separators. The separators, as I understand it, were used because it was two-stroke technology and that was including Mercury High The test boat is being a three-car team for several years in NASCAR and at the to pull magnetic material, like bits of barbwire, out of cow not included in the non-compete. He dabbled in Performance. Just refueled continuously. Carrera Panamericana rally across Mexico. But boat racing, feed before the cows ate it.” that for a while and then started making parts for whatever we could do of any kind and size was always his passion. He was never “He needed money so he re-worked the outboard offshore racing stern drives. Making them stronger to make the business at the wheel, but his factory paid drivers were the best of motors and re-sold them to Montgomery Ward. so they’d live. He started making racing engines. successful. My father their time and were expected to break (either the boat or Once they got those outboard motors and found that they Did contract machine work. Did a whole bunch of had the luxury of their bodies) or win. worked, they started to place orders for more outboards things, whatever he found entertaining. He tried to being able to fund the You’ll always find Mercury Outboards on race boats, you for the following year. That’s how my father got into the get into turbine engines, but couldn’t quite figure business out of his pocket. can’t say that about the competition. This type of “prove it on outboard motor business.” out how to make that happen.” That wasn’t a luxury I had.

Mercury Racing CONTINUED ON PAGE 68

66 Ex t r E m E Bo a t s ma g a z i n E | Vo l u m e 3.2 Vo l u m e 3.2 | Ex t r E m E Bo a t s ma g a z i n E 67 ExtremeEngine Builders m e r c u r y r a c i n g

C o m P a n Y Mercury Racing [www.mercuryracing.com] L o C a t i o n Fond Du Lac, Wisconson Y E a r EstaBLisHED See Mercury Historical Timeline, pages 74-75 s t E r n D r i V E P r o D U C t s MODEL RETAIL PRICE * WARRANTY INFORMATION 525 EFI $59,000 1 Year Includes Bravo One XR drive

600 SCi $64,000 1 Year Includes Bravo One XR drive 850 SCi $127,000 180 Day Includes Dry-Sump Six drive 1075 SCi $150,000 90 Day Includes Dry-Sump Six drive

* RETAIL PACKAGE PRICES : ALL CONFIGURATIONS / WARRANTIES SUBJECT TO CHANGE : RECREATIONAL USE ONLY E n g i n E s / Y E a r Tons (i.e. top secret...) n o t E s Generations of knowledge, 65+ years of engine building experience I only bought assets of products that I thought I could outdrive was created. It was actually created by people on make into something.” Fred continues, “We wound up the Mercury’s payroll who then clandestinely sold the rights manufacturing again, started making the products, made for the engineering and development to Volvo. If you look What is the one thing that you wish today, in hindsight, you There are people who could have survived if sanctioning MAIn fACIlItY it profitable and then went on to develop the Kiekhaefer closely, you’ll notice the photo of the first Volvo prototype had a chance to do over again and do differently? “Oh boy. organizations would have been paying more attention (From left) drive. We took a couple of World Championships with that has a Mercury gearcase. So there was a very real risk of At the time I sold my company, Brunswick wasn’t engaged to the safety capabilities by requiring full capsules, air This building drive then we were purchased by litigation around that. My father, by the way, never knew in ‘creative acquisitions’ where they would buy a minority supplies, harnesses and Hans devices. Of course you’ve got was designed by Carl with round -- the same company that bought my Dad’s company.” any of that while he was alive.” share in somebody. They bought all or nothing -- so I sold the marine environment, with a perpetual debate between “porthole style” all of it. In recent years, Mercury and Brunswick have done closed and open helmets and I don’t know who wins that windows like on How does Mercury Racing fit into the larger Brunswick org? Who is your biggest competitor these days now that OMC transactions where they bought a part of a company. one. The moves that the high-end classes have made a ship. Inside the “We are a division of Mercury Marine, which is a wholly is out of the picture? “On the outboard side you could Quite frankly, I sold my company because I was concerned toward oxygen systems and full restraint harnesses have shop floor area for two cycle products. owned division of Brunswick. The corporate entity name all the players, but the big ones are Yamaha, Honda. for continued employment of my people and surviving in an all been good things, but I would love to see impregnable A craftsman is Brunswick, that’s our parent. We’re a division of We’re by far, the largest in the marketplace. Sterndrives economic downturn with a highly leveraged company. casings around the pilots of these things. I am pleased with building a number another division - Mercury.” we’re substantially number one. Beyond Volvo, no real I spent a lot of money to acquire these assets; we grew very the progress we have made in the last decade, but it needs six drive may spend head-to-head competitors of any strength.” fast; so, everything I had went back into working capital. to extend into all racing classes.” up to an hour per set of gears to get Tell me a little about your father’s life long battle with OMC. More leverage, more bank debt, because we were growing them to mesh just “Look at it like a wrestling match. There are people that Along the way, what was your Edsel? the company quickly. When I got in it, it was a down spot Everyone has been very tight lipped about new products, right so there is no get cheered for it, and there’s people that get booed at. “I got burned in the late 80’s by attempting in the cycle, so I rode the wave up.” would you like to share any new thoughts on where binding throughout What’s the fun if there’s no enemy to vanquish?” to bring out an integrated engine silencing “I would have done better financially had I sold 40% you’re going with the Company? “I’ll see you in Miami. an entire rotation... as they say, it’s a system. I had a product that was very elegant or 50% of the company and enjoyed the increase of the It’s a nice place in February. Bring your camera, we’ll go “Black Art”. What did Mercury do right that they did wrong? in it’s execution but it was just a total piece of business value that came from growing it so substantially. for a ride.” I’ll take you up on that offer Fred! “My father used to really enjoy battling OMC. At sales garbage. It didn’t last very long. There were just It’s done very very well. I would have loved to have found meetings, he’d hang an Evinrude over a bonfire and get things we didn’t understand about the chemistry stress test a way to not have had to sell the company, but having sold SHOP FLOOR TOUR: Fred has surrounded himself with an the dealers all worked up watching it burn. A little tacky, and the acceleration of deterioration with heat. This 557 Cubic it, there’s not a better partner I could have joined. army of high-octane talent like Jim Goerlitz, Manager of inch block is in my opinion. Mercury paid attention to their business a It was our first attempt at the muffler and about to get The synergy that we were able to achieve with the Race Support Marketing. Jim gave us some insight into little more. I think we had more critical mass. I think on I think we bought back every thing we sold. dressed up in capable people I found inside Mercury’s organization, Mercury’s racing efforts and the support that they provide average our products were better, certainly more exciting. Of course that was a time when the company 850 SCi trim and plus the entrepreneurial spirit that I brought to it, the to the racers. Jim, what Supercats were running your motors They had some good products, and some excellent brands. was still very highly leveraged and we really sent to the dyno combination of the two was remarkable. We went places this year? “Currently Mercury supplies Supercat motors to for some torture They had some good distribution; we just had a little couldn’t afford a lot of mistakes.” testing. that I could have not have gone on my own. I took the CRC, WHM and Bacardi Silver.” better distribution and were a little quicker on the uptake business, with the help of a lot of good people, to places that Please explain the costs involved with running a Supercat of developing trends like engine-boat packaging and So you were buying back your reputation? Mercury Racing would not have gone on it’s own. It’s been program. Jim explains, “Racer price is $46,000 a piece, direct-to-OEM channel relationships.” “That’s right. It also reinforced an old lesson about a lot of fun. I will tell you, the talent, capability, depth of then we rebuild them after every race or two, depending the value of serious validation. Product validation organization, and access to expertise... it was a great learning upon the program they are running. A minor rebuild is Did it help that Mercury enjoyed a patent on the outdrive in the marine environment is a duty we have to curve and we’ve been able to get an awful lot done.” $7,000 per engine, a major rebuild is $10,000 per engine for seventeen years? “Well, that is a non-trivial question. perform to be a world-class manufacturer. A lot and if they win, we give a free rebuild for both motors. That’s actually a very complicated issue.” of the reason that we don’t have more competitors If you could just wave your magic wand and change one Mike Defrees did ok this year, CRC won a lot of races and got is because other people don’t validate the way we thing about boat racing what would you want to see? a lot of free rebuilds. I think he even made some money with I noticed when the OMC Cobra came out and Yamaha validate. Then they end up unable to figure out “Anytime I look at racing, I think about the safety of the the winnings from OSS.” came out, I figured the patent rights had expired. why their stuff doesn’t stay together. We’ve had people participating. I would like to have had total capsules Jim continues, “We also offer a racer contingency program “Yes, the patent rights indeed expired at the time you people come in -- trying to become serious players much earlier. We’re getting very, very close to that now, for teams that run our 525 racing engines. A 525 attached to saw that happen. But Volvo held the patent and it was in the performance market. It’s happened twice but we’ve lost too many good people along the way -- Six drives gets $1,500 per race, the engine with Bravo’s earns licensed by Brunswick. That was done because Volvo was since I’ve been in my role at Mercury Racing and Dick Fullum and Mike Poppa, Mark Lavin, and Tom Gentry, $1,000 per race. It doesn’t matter if they win or loose, just very eager to not have the truth come out about how the both times they withdrew.” we just loose too many good people through accidents. race our equipment and if you run a Super Vee with Six drives,

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you can get up to $24,000 back in cold hard cash at the end of We got sidetracked along the way, but the original shop tour the season if you run all eight races.” reason we came to Mercury Racing was to learn the (From left) What you get when you buy a Mercury Racing product answer to this one question, What makes Mercury Scott Reichow and Ron Steiner is very personal attention. There’s no separate line for race Racing engines so exceptional? That answer came showing the engines versus pleasure engines. When a 525 comes off the from Fred himself: difference between dyno, they don’t know who the end customer will be or how how a propeller it will be used. It could go into a race boat or recreational enters the building “We have a relentless pursuit of in the form of a sport boat. Everything here is made to racing specs. consistency through repetition. raw casting and Hand assembled is what makes this place tick. As an We test it until it won’t break even how the finished example, there’s one guy that assembles the dry-sump Six product looks drives. He spends hours assembling each set of gears inside the when pushed far beyond its anticipated when it leaves on it’s way to a housing. This is where black art comes in, getting multiple sets stress levels. We refine each part so they customer. Every of matched gears to mate in such a way that there’s no binding work in harmony with the rest of the engine spends at point throughout the rotation of all gears in a finished unit. assembly. When we build a new product least one hour on The 525’s and 600’s are built on the “Horsepower the dyno before it or engine, we first look for results in leaves the factory. Highway”. Engines move along a rail, paced by a single the dyno, then it’s time to start testing Fred Kiekhaefer mechanic assigned to that engine. He moves it along to and Rick Mackie of each station that has bins for the parts needed to continue at X-Site. We race and we punish our Mercury Racing in the build. However, the Super Cat race engines, 850SCi’s equipment and examine the results. front of quartet of HP 1075s engines. and 1075SCi’s are built in a separate area and each engine We are perfectionists and no engine has has a dedicated build team, two men per engine. The guys ever left this factory without running that build them are the same guys you see at all the races, on the dyno for at least an hour. Our jumping into the engine compartment of each Mercury goal is zero failure of any component powered Super Cat just prior to the race. Now that’s what under the harshest of conditions. We you call customer support! Another Mercury Racing product is a complete line of hope that our products have provided propellers. There must have been a thousand raw castings our customers with many years of of the five-blade cleaver props for the dry-sump Six drive enjoyment and fun on the water.” in bins awaiting their turn against the grinder. Hours and -f r e d k i e k h a e f e r hours go into turning these raw castings into beautifully As Mercury Racing powers into 2006, we’ll look to see polished pieces of stainless steel. This is the area where new products introduced in Miami and we’ll also see Class they practice their black magic. With sparks flying, One UIM Offshore racing series standardizing on the 1075 the technicians know just where to grind a little extra when engine. Keep an eye on Mercury Racing as it’s just getting lab finishing a propeller for a specific application. into its powerband. If Carl is watching, I’m sure he’s very Scott Reichow, the manager of Custom Propellers tells proud of what Fred and Brunswick have accomplished. us about how propellers have had to evolve to meet the needs of stepped hulls. “Steps create about an inch to an Zero Effort The Race Never Stops! Controls inch and a half of foam on the bottom of the boat. Combine the high X dimension along with the steps and the old tried are still built by The entire Extreme Boats Magazine team would like to hand and remain the and true four blade had too much slip. So we made the five thank Fred Kiekhaefer, Rick Mackie and the entire Mercury industry standard blade Maximus. It has a little more diameter, an extra blade Racing team for taking time from their busy schedules to in racing quadrant and we played with the blade geometry a bit, it really hooks controls. allow us a peek inside the legacy. See you at the races!!! up to the water way better than the four blade.”

Also see our “Mercury Historical Timeline”: Pages 74-75

70 Ex t r e m e Bo a t s Ma g a z i n e | Vo l u m e 3.2 ExtremeEngineBuilders / Series m e r c u r y r a c i n g EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE (Jim Wynne made a fortune and Charlie 1973 - Kiekhaefer Aeromarine “Champion 1991- The Kiekhaefer drive is renamed the Strang never receives a cent for his Maker” engines compete head to head Mercury Racing Six Drive. Fred is named sterndrive invention and the secret of its with Mercury and propel Carlo Bonomi Vice President of Sales and Marketing for true inventor was kept until 1990. Carl to a World Championship. Mercury Marine along with his position EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE never knew.) as President of Mercury Racing. 1974 - Charlie Strang is named President 1962 - The Mercury 1000. The rst and CEO of OMC. 1992 - Mercury is divided into ve CARL KIEFHAEFER / MERCURY HISTORICAL TIMELINE 100-horsepower production outboard separate business units. The high The story of Elmer ‘Carl’ Kiekhaefer is simply amazing, as he epitomized the image of a big business tycoon is introduced - the “Tower of Power”. 1976 - Kiekhaefer Aeromarine engines win performance propeller manufacturing EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE To make it look smaller, it was painted 59 races while MerCruiser and Mercury team moves into the former Kiekhaefer during the mid 20th century. He left behind a foundation of greatness that continues to be built upon to this day phantom black. outboards win a total of 99 races. Aeromarine facility. by his son, Fred, and the rest of the people at Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing. Books such as “Iron Fist” and 1963 - The full line of Mercury engines Carl Kiekhaefer is personally honored 1993 - Name changed back to Mercury EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE “The Legend of Mercury” have dedicated almost a thousand pages to chronicle Carl’s lifetime of achievements. are painted Phantom Black. That color when presented with the Ole Evinrude Hi-Performance. Ground was broken becomes the symbol of boating and award for “Immeasurable contributions for a 32,000 square foot expansion 1936 1939 1946 1955 1957 1964 engineering excellence. to the sport of boating.” of Plant 36.

1964 - New 370,000-sq.-ft. addition in 1977 - For the rst time since he 1994 – Mercury Hi-Performance EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE Fond du Lac, Wisconsin opens. resigned, Carl is invited to attend an manufacturing and administrative open house at Mercury Marine. It was functions move from Oshkosh, Wisconsin 1965 - The “Wall of Water” silencing a moment he’ll always remember. The into the expanded Plant 36 facility. system was introduced, cutting engine place was fantastic and many of his old Begins Lab nishing of Lightning E.T. 1999 noise by 50%. employees were still working there and Propellers for Outboards. EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE remembered him fondly. 1966 - Thunderbolt CD ignition is introduced 1996 – Mercury Hi-Performance 1971 1973 1975 1978 - up to 40,000 volts of sure-starting power. 1978 - Fred leaves the family business introduces the 502 cu. in. HP500 Hydraulic power trim is introduced. Better and takes a job outside of the marine carbureted sterndrive engine that EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE performance and easier operation in all industry rst, with a medical imaging propelled all APBA Factory o shore water and boat load conditions. company, then as a business consultant racing classes for their inaugural DECADES OF PRODUCT LOGOS with Price Waterhouse. season in 1997. 1967 - MerCathode corrosion protection 1926 - With a degree in engineering, Carl 1941 - American factories shifted a whopping 40 horsepower. A 40,000 point winning 16 races in a row) race fans is introduced. It’s the most advanced 1980 - Carl’s health is deteriorating and 1997 - The Mercury Pro Max and Mariner EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE Kiekhaefer gets his rst job as a draftsman production from commercial to military square foot expansion is added to the turned against the Kiekhaefer team. Deeply corrosion protection available. The rst the company is losing money. Super Magnum 300 outboards are made for Nash Motors Body Division. products. Doing what it could to survive, original barn. A saltwater test site is hurt, Carl Kiekhaefer withdrew from stock Mercury 150 E snowmobile is introduced. available from Mercury High Performance. the tiny company sought out government founded in Sarasota, Florida. car racing at the end of the season. 1983 - Carl Kiekhaefer passes away on These are the most powerful consumer 1927 - Carl is hired as a draftsman by contracts. In two months Carl developed 1968 - The 125-hp outboard introduced. October 5th at 77 years of age. outboards available! EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE Evinrude but is red three months later for a portable power chain saw engine to 1951 - Kiekhaefer hires Charlie Strang. 1957 - The company leases a 1,400 acre, insubordination. replace the heavy, cumbersome models During that year, Charlie shows undeveloped Florida lake - a new testing 1969 - Direct Charge fuel-induction “Wherever I go in the future, heaven or 1998 - The late Carl Kiekhaefer, founder then in use by the Army. In a test, the saw Kiekhaefer his idea for a sterndrive that area away from prying eyes. To keep the improves performance and increases hell, I do hope they have an engineering of Mercury Marine, is selected for 1928 - Carl is hired as a draftsman at Stearns powered by a Kiekhaefer Aeromarine connects to an internal automotive test location a secret, Carl Kiekhaefer power. Exclusive XK360 aluminum department because I might have some induction into the Motorsports Hall Magnetic, where he spends the next ten engine cut through a 24-inch green log engine. Carl dismisses the idea and they refers to it as “Lake X” when speaking alloy is introduced. The most fun being reduced back to a plain old of Fame of America at the Motorsports EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE yeas. Rises to Chief of Engineering. in 17 seconds, as opposed to 52 seconds never speak of it again. with outsiders, and the name sticks. corrosion-resistant alloy ever used engineer. The simplest and sweetest Museum in Novi, Michigan. Begins Lab for its nearest competitor. The chain saw on a marine engine. things in life are complex engineering: it’s Finishing of Bravo I Propellers. 1939 – With nancial assistance from contract was awarded to Kiekhaefer. 1952 - Mercury introduces the Flo-Torq, 1958 - A standard-production Mark 75 the people problems that are responsible his father and uncle, Carl starts the 1943 - During World War II, Kiekhaefer the world’s rst rubber prop hub to was the rst outboard to exceed 100 miles In November 1969, Carl Kiekhaefer resigns for today’s ills. I hope some day I can still 1999 - All of Mercury Marine gets a new EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE Kiekhaefer Corporation from the ashes of Corporation becomes a mass producer of protect the outboard’s drive train against per hour, achieving a two-way average of as president of Kiekhaefer Mercury. get a job as a draftsman or engineer with logo. Mercury Racing drops Mariner line the Cedarburg Manufacturing Company. chain saw engines. They also made ve impact damage. 107.821 mph. Quicksilver oil is introduced. a boss that can hand me work on a platter of outboards. Changes business name It had everything he needed to design and other engines for the military. In 1943, It’s the start of the marine industry’s 1970 - E. ‘Carl’ Kiekhaefer resigns from – with no other responsibilities except from Mercury Hi-Performance to Mercury build mechanical products. they shipped over 10,000 engines. 1954 - Mercury introduces the rst rst comprehensive line of proprietary Brunswick Corporation. that it works.” - Carl Kiekhaefer Racing. All products get new graphics permanent magnet, direct-drive, accessory products, improving dealer featuring new Mercury logo. EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE The Cedarburg company came with 300 1945 - By the end of World War II the alternator-type, 12-volt generator. service and customer satisfaction. 1971 - Carl reactivates his dormant WWII 1984 - Fred Kiekhaefer purchases some outboard motors that were rejected by Kiekhaefer Corporation is the largest Other innovations included sealed, engine company. Kiekhaefer Aeromarine of the assets of his father’s bankrupt 2000 – OMC Corporations o cially les Montgomery Ward, a large catalog retailer. builder of chain saws in the world. quick-disconnect, remote wiring 1959 - Jim Wynne leaves Kiekhaefer and Motors is reborn. Kiekhaefer sees an corporation. Fred opens Kiekhaefer for bankruptcy. Carl had all these engines in inventory and Kiekhaefer also manufactures two- harness and key switch operation of applies for a patent on the Sterndrive opportunity in the growing snowmobile Aeromarine, Inc. and picks up where his needed cash. The rst thing that he did cycle engines for drone aircraft, and the electric starter and choke. in his name alone. Charlie Strang was market and begins to develop new EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE father left off . All new HP575 SC engine and Bravo XR to raise capitol was to repair the rejected company becomes a recognized authority still working for Kiekhaefer and decided and more powerful engines for these drive are sold as a package. outboard motors. His initial plan was to on radio-controlled aircraft. Carl often 1955 - To promote his outboard business, not to leave, giving Jim free reign on recreational vehicles. 1986 - Fred refocuses the company on make equipment for the dairy business. He said the drone engine was his favorite Carl Kiekhaefer enters a team in the his invention. Jim assigns the patent to its core products, K-Plane trim tabs, 2001 – Mercury Racing introduces the was going to make magnetic clutches and product. Since the Air Force and Navy sport of stock car racing. Driving large Volvo. Volvo develops and builds the new Brunswick changes the company name Zero Eff ort controls, trim indicators Integrated Transom System (ITS) EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE separators. The separators were used to pull would shoot them down, they never had but more powerful 300s, team sterndrive and premiers it at the 1959 NY and logo from Kiekhaefer Mercury to and propellers. The company begins for Bravo drives. magnetic material, like bits of barbwire, out any warranty issues. Kiekhaefer won the largest collection of Boat Show. Mercury Marine. Logo rst appears on to show a pro t. of cow feed before the cows ate it. stock car racing trophies ever assembled products (outboards and sterndrives) 2002 – The bulletproof, race proven 1946 – The war is over and Kiekhaefer in a single season and stunned the racing 1960 - First anodic alloy trim tab ghts in the ‘73 model year. 1988 - Kiekhaefer Aeromarine, Inc. Mercury Racing 525 is born. Once Montgomery Ward got the repaired anticipates the boom in recreational boating community. Among their innovations galvanic corrosion and helps counteract introduces a brand new, heavy-duty EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE motors and found that they worked, by purchasing a large two-story barn lled were the rst dry paper air lter that all engine torque. 1972 - Carl’s ten-year non-compete clause drive that immediately propels 2003 – Mercury Racing begins Lab they started to place orders for more with 90 tons of hay. It would become the automobiles use today. is over, he’s now free to get back into the the Gentry Turbo Eagle to a World Finishing the Maximus propeller line. outboards for the following year. workplace of 150 Kiekhaefer employees. 1961 - Kiekhaefer was growing quickly marine business. Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Championship with Bill Sirois and Don Charlie Strang and Jim Wynne, both and needed to grow even more in order begins to compete against Mercury on the Johnson at the helm. 2004 – Going big, the 1075 SCI sterndrive EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE 1940 - Kiekhaefer develops a rubber 1947 - It’s a banner year at the Kiekhaefer Kiekhaefer employees, discuss Strang’s to ful ll the demand for its products racecourse. Carl taps Dr. Robert Magoon engine package is born. water pump that tolerates sand, silt, Corporation. Carl’s only son Fred is born idea for a sterndrive and how the two worldwide. Carl needed a partner with to pilot Kiekhaefer Aeromarine’s rst (Mercury sells over 400,000 outboards.) and vegetation. A one-piece streamline and over 55,000 Outboard engines are of them might develop it outside of the a similar vision to his and deep enough entry into the o shore wars. Magoon wins 2005 – Filling in the gaps, the 600 SCI, housing that protects driveshaft, built. The large dairy barn in Fond du Kiekhaefer Company. pockets to ful ll his corporate vision. six rst place nishes and is named APBA 1990 - Brunswick Corporation acquires 850 SCI are born and the SystemView waterline, and exhaust from exposure. Lac, Wisconsin, is converted to outboard Kiekhaefer merges with Brunswick, US National Champion. Kiekhaefer Aeromarine, Inc. and merges Race Edition monitor is premiered to rave EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE He names his new line of outboards after manufacturing. It also becomes the home 1956 - Kiekhaefer’s stock car team again a corporation that specializes in Kiekhaefer Aeromarine with Mercury reviews. Lab nishing of the Bravo III XR the mythical  eet-footed messenger of o ce of the Kiekhaefer Corporation. The dominated the circuit now known as recreational markets. Kiekhaefer “After having built a company that Performance Products. Fred Kiekhaefer Drives begins. the Roman gods: company had barely opened the barn for NASCAR, starting with a new record in the becomes the exclusive licensee of the has produced over 1.5 billion worth of is named President of the business unit. production when Carl orders a 25,000 Daytona Beach “Flying Mile” at nearly 140 Volvo patent for sterndrives. MerCruiser product with my name on it, I don’t Locations under the Mercury Performance 2006 – The Mercury story continues; EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE ”Mercury – the god of speed” square foot expansion. mph in the new Chrysler 300B. His teams Sterndrive introduced at Chicago Boat know whether any man is capable of two Products banner included, manufacturing Mercury Racing unveils three amazing would win a phenomenal 80 percent of Show, o ering the rst sterndrive unit ventures of this type in a lifetime… It’s headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, new products at the Miami Boat show that At the 1940 New York Boat Show, 1948 - Kiekhaefer innovation continues, all races entered, without a single driver with over 100 hp. MerCruiser would always easier, I suppose, to liquidate and R & D facilities in Oshkosh, the former once again demonstrate their passion Kiekhaefer accepts orders for more than as the company develops and injury, and would never be charged with an go on to outsell all other sterndrives buy tax-exempt bonds, but I wouldn’t Kiekhaefer Aeromarine facility (Plant 36) for performance and willingness to take 16,000 motors, and the marine industry manufactures the rst forged aluminum infraction of the rules. But because he was combined, eventually capturing 80 know what to do with myself since I don’t in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and the Lake X engineering risks. EXTREME BOATS MAGAZINE changes forever. piston. Thunderbolt engines delivered such an overwhelming competitor (at one percent of the worldwide market. like fi shing or traveling.” - Carl Kiekhaefer test facility in St. Cloud, Florida.

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