Years later, the colour black was suggested to make the large engine look smaller, and the colour quickly became a brand trademark. Over the years, the power output of diesel sterndrives has increased dramatically from the 165mhp (at the crankshaft) of the original Volvo Penta Aquamatic of 1977. At first, the actual legs were painted white. The MerCruiser sterndrive was introduced in 1961. It is still a major part of Volvo Penta’s sterndrive business nearly 30 years later. The Duoprop represented a major development, with fantastic performance, sure grip in the water and improved steering. In 1982 Volvo Penta introduced the Duoprop, an Aquamatic sterndrive with co-axial, counter-rotating propellers. The only other brand that now comes close as far as numbers are concerned is MerCruiser, which in recent times has stepped up its activity in the diesel sterndrive market, especially with the formation of Mercury Diesel and the new TDI range. The original unit had a crankshaft power output of just 165mhp. Diesel power in combination with the Aquamatic sterndrive created a totally new market on which Volvo Penta has been arguably the undisputed leader since that time. ![]() That all changed in 1977 when the classic MD40 series of diesel engines was matched to the Aquamatic sterndrive, taking the boating world by storm. Since the introduction in 1959 of the Aquamatic sterndrive, Volvo Penta had continued to develop the sterndrive concept, albeit with petrol power plants. The only other brand that has managed to make any impact on the market is Konrad, also made in the USA. However, Yanmar, has in the last few years introduced a new sterndrive, the ZT370. When it comes to Diesel Sterndrive brands the market is dominated by two – Volvo Penta from Sweden and MerCruiser from the USA.
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