By Danny Casey.
The heading is, believe it or not, quite apt, as I have in fact pretty much “bookended” my career with the same company.
I have had a few gigs, in a few spheres, in my time, that’s for sure, but the one underlying, gnawingly addictive, “lure-me-back-in” constant has always been the marine industry – the outboard sector specifically. I’ve used, worked on, tested, raced, sold and written about them all – from 2-stroke motors mixed at 50:1 (even magnificent remnants from the ’60s at 25:1!) to oil-injected 2-strokes, to fuel-injected and then direct fuel-injected 2-stroke, to the latest technological marvels which are the 4-strokes of today.
And all through this voyage spanning the various epochs of ever-improving technology, I am reminded that there is one company whose products, engineering excellence and innovation have blazed a smouldering trail throughout those years. That company is Suzuki.
I started as the outboard and power product service rep for Suzuki GB (known then as Heron Suzuki PLC) in the late ’80s; did an almost three-year stint at world HQ in Hamamatsu in the early-mid ’90s; arrived at Suzuki Australia in 1996 and then left to do a few other things – including several years with Suzuki’s biggest crosstown rival in Hamamatsu (guess who!). Anyway… in somewhat of a “full circle” voyage, I returned to Suzuki in February 2021 but have reluctantly decided that, at the end of next month, February 2026, I will be “pulling the kill cord” on permanent employment and looking for other projects to keep me inquisitive, engaged, proactive and productive. It has been a wild, crazy, wonderful ride – fully trimmed out and on the rev limiter for the most part – but it’s time for a change. I’m not retiring; just refocusing.
If anybody needs anything done, and done well, be it short- or long-term, ad hoc or a one-off project, just keep in mind that Dan’s yer man!
Danny Casey is highly experienced, undoubtedly idiosyncratic, and immensely knowledgeable about things mechanical, new or old.
His knowledge and passion are as a result of spending his whole life in or around anything power-driven – especially marine engines. His passion for boating is second to none, with his life a montage of fabulous memories from decades spent in or around water and boats, both here and in Europe. Danny has spent myriad years in the recreational marine industry in a varied career in which he has bamboozled colleagues and competitors alike with his well-honed insight.
His mellifluous Irish accent, however, has at times been known to become somewhat less intelligible in occasional attempts at deliberate vagueness or when trying to prevent others from proffering a counter-argument or even getting a word in. Frank and to-the-point, but with a heart of gold, it can be hard to convince Danny to put pen to paper to share his knowledge. Marine Business News is grateful for his contributions. Connect with Danny through LinkedIn.
