MARINE ELECTRICAL SPECIALISTS
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FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANELS
Use world’s most efficient solar cells Lightweight/ low profile
Easy to install – no screws or frame required Can be integrated into biminis and dodgers Thousands sold over 7 years
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SEALED AGM BATTERIES
Sealed, maintenance free Suitable for deep cycle or cranking Designed for the vibration associated with marine applications
Faster charge/ longer life Better voltage stability under heavy loads
BACK TO THE FUTURE
The holder of more than 200 patents, Kiekhaefer retired as president of Mercury Marine in 1969, and subsequently sold the Lake X property – which he had owned personally – to the Kirchman Foundation on the condition that the site be maintained in perpetuity as a nature preserve. Mercury continued to use the Lake X facility for engine testing until 2004 when, in the face of financial pressure and difficult budget cuts, the company chose to not renew its lease.
Fast-forward 14 years and Mercury knew that it had made a mistake in walking away from Lake X. As it approached its 80th anniversary last year, there was a massive push within the company to right the only wrong in its history, and find a way to return to Lake X.
“We hear stories all the time about folks who worked for Mr. Kiekhaefer and their wonderful experiences at Lake X,” says Michelle Dauchy, Mercury Marine chief marketing officer. “We want to create new memories and build on our heritage of performance, reliability and to merge together our new Go Boldly brand cache with 80 years of history.”
And that it did – going boldly forward to sign a brand-new lease on the property that it had made famous the world over. Wasting no time, Mercury promptly resumed R&D testing at Lake X within weeks of signing the lease.
Untouched since Mercury’s 2004 departure, the Lake X site today is an extraordinary and fascinating place. On one hand it’s a hub of constant activity as the manufacturer’s primary R&D centre, and at the same time, parts of it remain an absolute time capsule.
The main R&D building, with its three-panel aircraft hangar doors and numerous Plexiglas bubble windows, has clearly seen its share of hurricane damage and needs a new roof, but remains otherwise structurally sound and in comparatively good shape. Long-term plans are to restore the building to its original glory.
The iconic control tower on the end of the pier is still there, its uppermost deck also showing some evidence of storm damage, but still
very much the preferred spot for monitoring the proceedings on the water with its commanding 360° views. It, too, is slated for full restoration.
With the surrounding swampland carefully managed as a nature preserve, wildlife abounds. Wild turkeys and white-tailed deer walk through the property on a regular basis, completely unconcerned by the human activity.
Alligators must occasionally be shooed from access roads and launch ramps, while the healthy snake population protects the property from rodent issues. They, and the ferocious mosquitoes in the surrounding swamp, continue to ensure Mercury’s R&D efforts remain hidden from the prying eyes and camera lenses of any would-be corporate spies.
Brunswick Corporation CEO David Foulkes summed up Mercury’s return to Lake X matter-of-factly, as the two of us sat talking in the bow of a new Boston Whaler, enjoying the view of the historic turning basin, the entry channel and the iconic tower.
“When you consider the incredible history that has been made here, the decision to return was a no-brainer,” he said. “If you stand on the end of the pier the lake looks exactly the same as it did in 1957. You can feel that energy and that spirit today. It feels like anything is possible, and that truly is an amazing thing.”