Whether pulling two-tonne weights off beaches or navigating 140-nautical-mile recovery missions, Perth’s Offshore Diving Services demands absolute reliability. They found it in Mercury’s 150hp SeaPro Commercial Outboards, clocking a massive 4,500 hours of gruelling service on their twin setup before recently upgrading to a brand-new set earlier this year.
The family-owned and operated business specialises in salvage, mooring systems installation, underwater welding, and anode installation. Operating in demanding conditions, they frequently service key government and environmental bodies, including the Department of Primary Industries, Department of Transport, WA Water Police, and Water Corp.
Powering their eight-metre custom aluminium dive boat, Offshore Diving Services Director Glen Johnson decided it was time to repower, installing a new set of 150hp SeaPros in February this year after being blown away by the longevity and how well their previous engines performed.
“When we’re doing mooring work on the Swan River, we could be doing anywhere between 50 and 100 shift changes on the gearbox, so the outboards are getting a good workout,” Glen said.
“Some of the clump weights we pull off the beaches can weigh up to two tonnes, and we are doing static pulls for up to 15 to 20 minutes to move them. Through it all, we haven’t had any issues with overheating or oil pressure.”
The team strategically switches between 13-inch props for towing, 15-inch props for standard mooring work, and 17-inch props for lighter tasks, allowing them to precisely tailor the engines’ RPM to the job at hand.
“The SeaPros have been solid for us, and I don’t think any other brand would cope with what we put them through.”
Working in these demanding conditions the durability and power of the 150hp outboards was proven, making it clear that the SeaPro would once again be the engine of choice to power their vessel.
The fuel efficiency and reliability of the SeaPros have also constantly been put to the test, particularly when the crew is working remotely for extended periods.
“We do a lot of remote work where we might be away for 10 to 15 days, so we need outboards that are reliable and don’t burn through fuel,” Glen said.
“Sometimes we’re 70 nautical miles offshore on a vessel recovery – that’s a 140-nautical-mile round trip – so we carry up to 700 litres of fuel on board as a backup.
“We’re often dealing with tricky situations, so knowing the outboards won’t fail us, and that we’ve got backup fuel, gives us the peace of mind to focus on the job.”
The Mercury SeaPro range are built to handle the heavy-duty needs of commercial boating applications. To maximise durability, upper mounts are twice as stiff as recreational models, making SeaPro outboards perfectly suited to handle the rigours of commercial duty.
Keeping on top of regular servicing has also been key to the strong performance of the engines, with Glen and his team ensuring the SeaPros are serviced every 100 hours.
“These guys are on top of it when it comes to maintenance. They are absolutely spot on, they don’t miss a service and that is clearly a contributing factor to the longevity of these engines,” said HiTech Marine Owner Tony Spiteri.
Since upgrading, Offshore Diving Services’ commitment to keeping the outboards as well maintained as possible has made the transition from their old SeaPros to the new outboards seamless.
Find out more about Mercury’s SeaPro outboards here.
