Ford Jumps Back Into the Marine Engine Business

Ford Motor Co. will sell marine engines for the first time in 20 years through a partnership with Indmar Marine Engines.

The automaker will supply its 6.2-liter V-8 engines to the boat engine supplier for inboard installation in performance ski boats, the companies announced this week at the Specialty Equipment Market Assoc. show on Las Vegas.

The Ford engines are typically installed in Ford's F-150 Raptor and F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks. In trucks, the engines produce as much as 385 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque.

Ford says Indmar will offer three models of varying horsepower and torque. The company notes that torque needed to tow heavy trailers is a perfect match for high-performance watercraft.

Indmar Marine Engines, with distribution centers in Tennessee and California, is a 43-year-old company that bills itself as the world's largest privately held manufacturer of gasoline inboard marine engines.

Neither company disclosed the number of engines Ford would supply to Indmar, but Ford says it has production capacity to handle the expected demand.