Within the next week or so, a pair of Mercury Racing 1,350-hp engines should arrive at Marine Technology, Inc., in Wentzville, Mo. According to MTI principal Randy Scism, the turbocharged engines will go into a new 48-long pleasure catamaran owned by well-known offshore racer Bob Bull. Scism said his goal is to have the cat, as well as a 36-footer with twin Mercury Racing 700 SCi engines, on display at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Oct. 28-Nov. 1

Yesterday, Scism and Bull toured the Mercury Racing factory in Fond Du Lac, Wis., where they saw Bull’s engines being assembly and watched a pair of “mule” 1350s used for validation run on the company’s dynamometers.

“Bob had never been there (to Mercury Racing) before,” Scism told me this morning. “It was impressive.

“We should have the engines here in the next week or two,” he continued. “Our plan is to get them in the boat, do our testing and then get the boat to Fort Lauderdale.”