The Evolution of Hill Marine’s Stainless Steel Gimbal Ring
When it comes to durability and performance in sterndrive applications, few upgrades have had the long term impact of Hill Marine’s stainless steel gimbal ring.
Built From Necessity: The Beginning in 1997
In 1997, when the very first stainless steel gimbal ring was built specifically for high performance boats. At the time, high horsepower twin engine applications were pushing equipment beyond its limits. When these boats powered through hard corners, the stress loads were literally breaking the factory aluminum gimbal rings in half.
The solution? Build a stronger one.
Hill Marine engineered a stainless steel version designed to withstand the extreme forces generated by performance boats. Originally, this upgrade was strictly a high performance solution, built to survive where aluminum simply couldn’t.
From Performance to Recreational Reliability
While the first stainless rings were built for speed and horsepower, it didn’t take long for the recreational and commercial boating markets to take notice.
The stainless gimbal rings quickly found their home with the MerCruiser Bravo One, Bravo Two and Bravo Three applications, where heavier boats and higher torque loads were common. Commercial operators and recreational cruisers were frequently replacing factory aluminum gimbals due to:
• Braking of failure
• Steering pin wear
• “Wallowing out” of the steering pin bore
• Corrosion in harsh marine environments
Aluminum rings in these applications often wore prematurely, especially in heavier cruiser setups. Stainless steel offered a long term solution, greater strength, improved resistance to deformation, and dramatically increased service life.
Official Production Launch, 2011
After years of real world testing and proven durability, Hill Marine officially launched its full production stainless steel gimbal ring at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach in March 2011.
At the same time, Hill Marine introduced its own line of stainless steel swivel shafts, creating a complete heavy duty steering support system for Bravo applications.
This marked the transition from a specialized high performance upgrade to a widely available, production ready solution for the broader boating market.
Precision Engineering & Finish
Hill Marine’s stainless steel gimbal rings aren’t just stronger, they’re engineered with precision.
Each ring features:
• CNC machined mounting locations for exact fitment and alignment
• Tight tolerance steering pin bores
• Structural integrity designed to resist flex and distortion
• Hand polished finish for both corrosion resistance and premium appearance
The result is a part that not only performs under load but also meets the visual standards expected in both high performance and luxury marine applications.
Strength Where It Matters Most
From its origins in 1997 performance racing applications to its full scale production launch in 2011, Hill Marine’s stainless steel gimbal ring has proven itself as a long term solution to a well known weakness in sterndrive systems.
Since the official production launch in 2011, We Believe there are around 2,200 stainless steel gimbal rings that have been put into service over the past 15 years. That number represents thousands of hours on the water in high-performance boats, commercial vessels, and recreational cruisers alike.
What started as a fix for broken aluminum rings in extreme twin engine boats has become a trusted upgrade for commercial operators, recreational boaters, and performance enthusiasts across the industry.