Brunswick siblings Mercury Marine and Navico Group have teamed up to create the next version of the Fathom e-power system supercharged by a new outboard motor alternator. Fathom-a lithium-ion auxiliary power system designed to replace a generator-debuted at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show installed in a Sea Ray SLX 400 Outboard. It's been offered as an accessory for the past year. At the recent introduction of the Mercury V-10 Verado 350 and 400 hp outboards, a new Fathom component was revealed: a dual-mode 48-volt/12-volt alternator, capable of delivering up to 6.5kW of power (per engine) in 48V mode. The dual-mode alternator will be a component on the Mercury V-10 350 and 400 hp and V-12 600 hp Verado outboards only when those motors are rigged to a boat with the Fathom e-power system. Beginning in 2023, Brunswick will make the Fathom e-power system available to boat builders that are not part of the Brunswick Boat Group. Because of the complexity of integrating the entire Fathom system with the boat's electrical system, we don't expect builders, including Sea Ray, to of fer Fathom with the 48-volt alternator before the 2024 boat season. Boat builders will determine retail pricing. Sea Ray is currently pricing Fathom with 12-volt engine charging at $26,400. There is no credit for the value of a deleted 7.5 kW genset.
This story is from the August/September 2023 edition of Boating.
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This story is from the August/September 2023 edition of Boating.
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AFFORDABLE SATCOM
Communications devices using satellite technology are more abundant today than any time in the past. What's more, many are portable, ultra-compact, affordable relatively and designed for boating, dispelling any perceptions that you need a big, expensive dome antenna aloft to access satellite communications.
IN THE BEGINNING
REPOWERING FOUNTAIN HULL NO.1
NAVICO GROUP FATHOM 2.0
Engine charging at 48 volts could be a game-changer.
PROPS FOR INNOVATION
Sharrow MX3 propellers live up to most of the company's performance-improvement claims.
MERCURY RACING 500R
Supercharged power for a variety of boats.
FLIPPING THE SWITCH
Much reporting focuses on reasons why one might choose electric marine power. The issues of range, speed, noise levels, winterizing and ethanol challenges, lake restrictions, environmental concerns and more all must be resolved on an individual basis. Little gets said about how a boater choosing to repower with electric actually gets that accomplished. Is it DIY? And if not, how does it get done?
TOW-VEHICLE TECH
If it's been a while since you bought new tow vehicle, you might be surprised by the many built-in advancements in trailering technology. New tow tech ranges from integrated weight scales and adaptive suspensions to systems that automatically back up your truck to hitch up your trailer. Here are a few examples to look for. -Jim Hendricks
MONUMENTAL TIPS FOR BACKING A TRAILER
Three Boating greats offer advice for a perennial reader query.
STICKING POINTS - Anchoring alternatives, and why you will always need a traditional anchor.
My brother-in-law likes to fish offshore reefs, and the process once entailed navigating to a mark, dropping a float, and idling upwind or up-current to drop the anchor in hopes the set would drop us back to the float.
FOR WANT OF A CLAMP
When 100 miles from shore, home and help, this boater’s preparedness prevented potential catastrophe.
