Mercury News

Mercury Marine tiller handle assembly for portable outboard motors wins IBEX Innovation Award

Tampa, Fla. - As part of this morning's kickoff of IBEX, the largest marine-industry trade event in North America, organizers of the annual IBEX Innovation Awards announced that Mercury Marine's tiller handle assembly for portable outboard motors has won the 2018 award in the "Propulsion Parts" category.

Brought to market in January, this new tiller handle features several remarkable advancements to make the steering, shifting and throttle operation of portable outboards more intuitive, comfortable and responsive. Designed to pair with Mercury's 15hp and 20hp outboard engines with electronic fuel ignition, the new tiller handle assembly is the world's first portable outboard tiller that offers ambidextrous operation.

In addition to offering adjustable horizontal yaw angles for left-handed or right-handed operation, this tiller handle features reversible throttle rotation with hard stop at idle, adjustable vertical operating angles, and stylishly designed key controls and touch points ergonomically positioned for intuitive access and control.

"We put a lot of research into the design of this new handle," said Jim Hergert, Mercury's product manager overseeing the development of this product. "We studied boater preferences regarding left-handed or right-handed operation, the optimal positioning and mounting of the handle arm, upward and downward adjustments to accommodate people of different heights and shapes, intuitiveness of shift operation, and safety considerations. Those studies highly influenced the development of a product that redefines ergonomics for operators of portable outboard engines," he said.