Mercury and Triton step up hurricane assistance

Author: Staff
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (Sept. 2, 2005) - Mercury Marine and Triton Boats are rigging 10 boats and engines Friday for immediate use in the rescue efforts in and around New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The 40 hp FourStroke EFI engines were trucked overnight from Mercury's headquarters in Fond du Lac and arrived Friday morning at Triton's aluminum boat plant in Prairie, Miss. Technicians were standing by to rig the engines on 10 Triton 1648 SFB boats with the expectation that the units would be fully rigged, equipped with life jackets and other safety equipment, fueled and ready for service by noon local time. The boats are being put on trailers and picked up by officers from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency who have volunteered to tow the boats to the New Orleans area and aid in the rescue.
The boat and engine packages are being sent as a result of a request from the Louisiana governor's office on behalf of Louisiana Fish and Wildlife. The boats are durable aluminum models of shallow draft, making them ideally suited for use in the flooded areas of the state.
Earl Bentz, president of Triton Boats, said he's just happy to be able to offer help in the wake of such widespread devastation.
"It's a helpless feeling to be sitting here looking at all the suffering and wondering what we can do to assist these people," Bentz said. "We're certainly very proud of our relationship with Tennessee and all the wildlife agencies around the country and we were gratified to be able to contribute anyway we can."
Mercury Marine, the world's largest manufacturer of marine engines, has also made available 10 Mercury Inflatable boats for the rescue efforts, as well as five engines that are being rigged on Sea Pro boats.
Mercury Marine, Triton Boats and Sea Pro Boats are all owned by Brunswick Corporation.