Dean Silvester has spent the past two year relying on the Mercury Marine Pro XS to help him traverse the seas looking for his next bite.
The 175hp Mercury Pro XS that powers Dean Silvester’s lifestyle
The video creator and social media influencer spends a lot of his time a long way off shore, averaging 180 kilometres on his round trips off the Queensland coast on the hunt for Red Emperors and Nannygai.
So it’s no surprise that performance and torque were top of his list when considering the engine for his Sea Fox 200 Viper.
“The torque on that thing is amazing. If you’re not holding on, you’ll very quickly be doing 60kms/hr and you’ll fall over,” Dean said.
“For me, torque is really important.
“I do a lot of driving crossing bars and dealing with waves and big swell offshore, so I need it to be very grippy and very powerful when required.”
Dean has even given the ProXS the nickname the ‘Redback Spider’ because in his words, “it will sting you if you’re not paying attention!”
Combined with the exceptional performance of the ProXS the engine is also surprisingly fuel efficient which is another important factor for Dean.
“The Pro XS is more fuel efficient than any comparable engine I’ve researched,” he said.
“On a rough day on the way out I’m probably doing 1.7 kilometres per litre, and with the wind up my bum on the way home I get between 2.4 to 2.7.
“That’s what’s most important to me with that boat because the boat only has a 180-litre fuel tank, so I need fuel efficiency.
“I have three 20 litre jerrycans on my boat and I once did a 580km round trip in that thing.
“Most people’s boats for offshore might have a 300 or 400 litre tank, so with 240-litres I was able to travel that far.”
The 175hp Mercury Pro XS gives Dean the performance and torque he needs
But don’t think for one minute that efficiency comes at the cost of power. The 175 HP Mercury Pro XS is lightweight and compact while being packed with incredible power.
“For me, its propped for fuel efficiency rather than speed, yet I am much faster than most boats with similar sized motor from a different brand,” Dean said.
Powered by a V6 engine, Pro XS offers lightning-quick acceleration, blistering top speed and legendary reliability. The engine continues to be the power unit of choice for competitive anglers, with outboards having won more bass fishing tournaments than all other brands combined.
As for Dean’s next adventure, he is set to move south to Gladstone to take advantage of the winds.
“Any wind breaks within an eight hour distance of that area we will be heading towards,” he said.
“Seventeen Seventy is 50 minutes away, Yeppoon is only an hour and a half away, Airlie is six hours away – all of which are within easy reach thanks to the Pro XS.”
For anyone looking for an engine that provides supreme torque and fuel efficiency Dean recommends a Mercury engine with Brisbane Marine – the place he goes for all his boating needs.
To see more of Dean’s fishing adventures, check out his YouTube channel here, and head to the Mercury website to learn more about the Pro XS.
