Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corp., announced today that company founder Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer was inducted posthumously over the weekend as one of the inaugural inductees into the Wisconsin Sailing & Maritime Hall of Fame at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
“Carl Kiekhaefer’s relentless drive to solve problems, push boundaries and deliver better experiences on the water helped define Mercury Marine from the very beginning,” said John Buelow, president of Mercury Marine. “His legacy is still reflected in our people, our products and our commitment to innovation more than 85 years later. We are proud to see his impact recognized as part of Wisconsin’s rich maritime history.”
Kiekhaefer was honored for the vision and determination that helped shape modern recreational boating and establish Wisconsin as a leader in marine engineering and manufacturing. Under his leadership, Mercury Marine became known for groundbreaking technologies, record-setting performance, and industry-leading reliability.
Today, Mercury Marine remains headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and is recognized globally as the leader in marine propulsion.
The Wisconsin Sailing & Maritime Hall of Fame honors individuals whose leadership, innovation and passion have made lasting contributions to Wisconsin’s maritime heritage.
Kiekhaefer, an engineer in the field of magnetic separators, clutches and brakes, purchased the assets of a defunct outboard motor plant, revamped 300 defective engines in an effort to raise badly needed working capitol and launched an empire that would eventually power an entire industry. Mercury outboards and MerCruiser stern drives are responsible for powering the world's fastest recreational and competitive powerboats, as well as providing exceptional reliability for the performance-oriented hot-boater. It is difficult to imagine the industry without the contributions of Kiekhaefer-the true measure of Hall of Fame status.
Kiekhaefer introduced his Mercury line of engines at the New York Boat Show in 1940 to positive reviews; though his efforts were delayed by World War II, he returned stronger than ever in 1946 and quickly established a home base at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as well as a year-round saltwater testing facility (Lake X) at Sarasota, FL. A series of impressive engines, progressively more powerful, followed. In 1949, Mercury's milestone motor was the 40-cubic-inch Thunderbolt, the industry's first four-inline, two-cycle engines. It had a one-piece die-cast aluminum block and was the first standard production outboard to deliver one horsepower per cubic inch.
In 1958, a standard production Mercury Mark 75 became the first outboard to exceed 100 miles per hour. achieving a two-day average of 107.821 mph over an APBA kilo course. That revolutionary, inline six-cylinder motor was notable for powering a pair of family runabouts 50,000 miles in 69 days of continuous testing on Lake X.
Under the iron hand of Kiekhaefer, a notorious taskmaster, the Mercury outboard line continued to grow in so-phistication. Single-lever throttle/shift controls, fixed-jet carbs and through-prop exhaust all emerged from tech-ology refined in the 1950s.
In 1960, Mercury announced the birth of their first inboard-powered effort of over 100 horsepower with the MerCruiser stern drive. Basing it on the big-block Chevrolet truck engine, Kiekhaefer drew on the talents of Gary Garbrecht in refining it. Spectacular expansion followed, and Mercury's $9 million expansion program at Fond du Lac was the beginning of a stern-drive-powered empire.
Outboard and stern-drive records followed. Among the most notable marks: a new stern-driven, Miami-to-New York speed record of 212 hours, 41 minutes, 15 seconds, set by a deep-vee offshore hull. Meanwhile a Mercury Twister I racing outboard went 136. The tone for contemporary muscle-boating was set in the 1980s with the introduction of Mercury's V-6 outboard line, as well as the new 350 and 454 Magnum stern-drive packages. The Alpha One stern-drive unit was followed by the Bravo One, both of which remain present in high-performance recreational waters today.
Through it all, Kiekhaerer remained committed to high-performance power-boating and racing, showing a vision that would guide the company to dominance in those areas through this century and into the next. His legacy will forever mark the progress of an industry.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mercury Marine is the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A division of Brunswick Corp., Mercury provides engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. Mercury empowers boaters with products that are easy to use, extremely reliable, and backed by the most dedicated customer support in the world. The company’s industry-leading brand portfolio includes Mercury outboard engines, Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages, Mercury propellers, Mercury inflatable boats, Mercury SmartCraft® electronics, Land 'N' Sea marine parts distribution and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils.
For more information, visit wisconsinmaritime.org.