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or white. Now you have not 50 shades of gray but an unlimited number of color combinations thanks to four factory, optional color panels, plus a primer-coated panel to custom-paint to match your boat. And these panels are applicable to cowls of black or three shades of fusion white.

But we were about to experience what the new motors had gotten as well as what was gone.

We jumped aboard a Scout 275 Dorado with dual 200s and digital throttle and shift. The silky controls enhance the experience because they are so easy to operate and can be adjusted to give just the right amount of friction. Also on board was Mercury’s Active Trim, an automatic system that trims the motors to the ideal position based on an acceleration profile custom-calibrated to any boat. Merc has offered that for a while, but now it can be set and operated through the VesselView gauge. Another new advantage: If you override Active Trim, it re-engages when you stop trimming. There are five trim profiles for the boat, and if you find load or sea conditions require more or less trim, you can select a more- or lessaggressive trim profile from the VesselView gauge. Our engines were linked to the navigation system to display gauge information on the big navigation displays or VesselView screens.