When seasoned anglers and fishing experts Nige Webster and Nicko Fewtrell set out to create a TV show – Tackling Australia – they knew they needed an outboard engine as tough as the waters they’d be navigating.
Powered by the robust Mercury 175hp V6 FourStroke on the back of a custom-built boat by Nicko, Season One saw the duo embark on a mission to determine whether the wet or dry season offers the best fishing.
Venturing through Australia’s northern regions during the notoriously unpredictable summer months, reliability was a non-negotiable, and their choice of engine ensured their adventures went ahead without a hitch.
“A big one for us is the durability and reliability of the outboard. Wherever we go our gear gets punished pretty hard, so we put so much faith into the engine,” Nige said.
“Another big factor for us is the power-to-weight ratio and fuel range because we need excellent fuel efficiency. We can’t carry a fuel tanker on the back, so need to cover long distances with the confidence that we have enough fuel reserves in case something goes wrong.
“With the 175hp on the back, we were getting incredible range from a single tank which was thanks to the outboard being one of the most economical engines on the market.”
But it was not just the reliability that impressed Nige, but the overall experience of using the outboard.
“For me, it’s the whole experience. The 175hp engine’s response is incredible, everything operated so smoothly and responsively, from the throttle to sitting at the helm,” Nige said.
“Another thing is it’s super quiet; we often started fishing, only to realise the engine was still running.
“The engine is fuel-efficient, powerful when needed, and incredibly responsive in sticky situations. With the outboard we knew if we want to put the throttle down it was going to go, and it would not burst our eardrums.”
The 175hp gave Nige and the Tackling Australia crew superior fuel economy, thanks to Mercury’s array of efficiency-boosting features such as Advanced Range Optimisation (ARO). These engines include a closed-loop fuel system and a hydrodynamic gearcase, both engineered to maximise fuel efficiency, so boaters can go further on every tank.
The decision to go with Mercury, Nige described as a no-brainer thanks to the development Mercury has made over the past decade.
“For us it’s the progression these motors have gone through over the last 10-15 years, it made the decision a non-brainer to go with Mercury,” Nige said.
“It’s a credit to how far Mercury has come in terms of its designs and the options that they give that you put these state-of-the-art machines on our boat and be confident that it will deliver an exceptional experience.
“You can take this engine across Australia without any concerns about its reliability, range, sound. Especially with everything we put it through, it adds a whole new dimension.”
Tackling Australia’s dealer, Port Douglas Marine played a crucial role in ensuring that their outboard was operating at peak performance, with Nige saying it was like having a pit crew.
“It wasn’t just a matter of dropping off the boat and walking away, they were genuinely invested in getting us sorted on the water,” Nige said.
“They ran all the diagnostics the first time the boat hit the water to make sure everything was working properly, they followed up with calls to check in, asking about the hours we’d logged, how the prop was performing and how everything was going.
“It was a fantastic experience, it really felt like we had someone looking out for us and our machine and it felt like having a dedicated pit crew.”
The Tackling Australia fishing off the Great Barrier Reef.
Tackling Australia, currently airing on 7Mate, is an eight-episode adventure that takes viewers from New South Wales to the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Queensland, and the Northern Territory during the summer allowing them to showcase the contrasts between the wet and dry seasons.
Their journey took them from a flooded river system near Cape York, through the inner Great Barrier Reef, to clear jungle streams and freshwater trout fishing in New South Wales and finally to the Northern Territory to witness the tropical runoff at the end of summer.
“We decided to hit the road during the hottest and potentially wettest part of summer, just to see what we could learn,” said Nige.
“We found incredible fishing in some areas and tough conditions in others.
“In shallow coral areas off the Great Barrier Reef, we discovered they were mostly devoid of life, but had success catching plenty of fish in deeper waters just off the reef’s edge, in 20 to 30 metres of water.”
Find out more about Mercury’s 175HP FourStroke outboards here or watch the latest episodes of Tackling Australia on 7Plus.
