boatieblog: Official: Seven Marine Introduces 557 Outboard (The “Supercar” of Outboards) w/video

Source: Seven Marine

Until now, the best option to increase top speed on your monster center console was to add another outboard, and possible another. I am pretty sure I saw an OEM rigged center console with 5 outboards while trolling through pictures from this year’s Miami Boat Show. That adds up to quite a few tons of screaming iron hanging off the back of a boat as you skip along at wide open throttle. And that is even more gallons of fuel guzzled per hour trying to beat out the other boats to the fishing grounds. What if there was a way to increase horsepower while at the same time reduce drag, reduce weight, and increase efficiency?

General Motors hit a home run with its supercharged LSA V8 engine. The 6.2-liter fire breathing aluminum monster makes an impressive 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque. All those numbers make for impressive performance vehicles in the Cadillac CTS-V and the Camaro ZL1. But what if that beast-like engine was shoehorned under the cowl of an outboard motor? Enter the Seven Marine 557 outboard. In case you haven’t guessed it by now the engine is named the 557 because the engineers at Seven Marine managed to wring out one more horse than the GM rated version. That makes the Seven outboard, 207 horsepower more powerful than the leading outboard manufacturers engine.

Transferring all that power down to the prop is a ZF transmission. If you are unfamiliar with ZF, they are the transmission's transmission. They are just plain the best at what they do, and that is transmissions. ZF also provided Seven Marine with the world’s first Joystick Maneuvering System (JMS). Just think no more bow thrusters. To keep all that torque in check at the prop, Seven Marine outfitted their outboard with a twin pinion gearcase.

I found on another blog (waterblogged.com) where the retail cost of one Seven Marine 557 engine will be $70,000 (that is more expensive than a Cadillac CTS-V, the whole car). Let’s think about that cost for just a minute. First, you are paying for a pretty advanced engine to be marinized. Next, there is a level of service Seven Marine promises that is unlike any other engine manufacturer. Seven Marine will come to you for repairs and service. They assure that they will support their products no matter where they may venture.

So do I think the $70K is a deal, hell no; but you are not buying one of these engines because they are a deal. You are buying it because there is a menacing V8 under that engine cowl. You are buying it because you can get the cowl custom painted any color you want. Lastly, you are buying it because you don’t want to be that “tool” hanging 5 outboard engines off the back of your $400,000 forty foot center console.