For the 2016 model year, Mercury Racing will stop producing the NXT drive that was originally introduced with the HP700 SCi and the 662 SCi engines in 2006. For those owners of boats with the NXT, Mercury Racing will still have parts available.
The NXT transmission will be paired with the Dry Sump Six drive as the Dry Sump NXT6. The package will use an M Series transom assembly and a longer input shaft to ensure proper engagement. The Six drive had a cast cowling while the M Series assembly has a composite version with stronger steering cylinders, a gimbal ring constructed from different material and other stronger components including longer pin bearings.
When it was originally introduced, the NXT drew mixed reviews because of its large diameter gearcase and water pickup installed on the back of the torpedo. Some manufacturers of stepped V-bottoms said it created too much tail lift, but builders of non-stepped V-bottoms including Baja and Velocity raved about the drive because it gave their boats just the right amount of lift.
Fountain Powerboats was the first manufacturer to pair the NXT transmission with a Six drive on its stepped V-hulls because of the sleeker profile on the Six drive’s gearcase.
