New Mercury forward face prop sterndrive

Mercury has announced a version of their Bravo sterndrive with a forward face prop. It is being marketed to the "tow boat" market which is boats used for towing wakeboarders, water skiers and similar (not boats used to push barges). Mercury claims Enhanced maneuverability, especially at low speeds, resulting from the forward‑facing props' extra "grip" on the water.
New MerCruiser Bravo Four S forward‑facing drive with Smart Tow system delivers total control for tow sports | Mercury Marine https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/news/new-mercruiser-bravofours-forwardfacing-drive-with-smart-tow-system-delivers-total-control-for-tow-sports/

 

While forward facing propellers are obviously not the solution for many applications, the wakeboarding app may be a good niche market for them.

 

Didn't Volvo do that a few years back? How did that fair??

 

I'm surprised such a thing would be allowed these days, what with the catastrophic effects on any marine fauna struck by it.

 

the volvo penta ips. they developed a bad reputation here . prone to breakdowns. also the ips drive was sacrificial . it snapped off to save the boat sinking. i would hate to know what the repair and replacement cost was.

 

would it be any worse than getting hit by the leg then chopped up.

 

I'd say so, you can hit things in the water that don't always contact the prop, deflected by the leg.

 

At the end, you can't fix stupid. The engine should be off when coming alongside to pick up a skier. It is not difficult to do.