In Florida, boats are everywhere. Living on a peninsula, people have direct water access in nearly all directions, which means having a boat is a relatively normal thing. For boat lovers, you’ve probably heard of the company Mercury Marine before. And while famous for their collection of beautiful boats revolutionizing the industry, there is another reason to know this company — the secret boat testing site they opened in Florida that has remained a hidden secret within the community.

Few Floridians or avid boat lovers, know about the secret boat testing site in Florida that was purchased by Mercury Marine in the 1950s.
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Carl Kiekhaefer took a small, single-engine plane out in 1957 in order to find a secret location where he could test his marine engines day and night without anyone around.
Facebook Mercury Marine
The end result of this search was Lake X — a secret 1,400-acre lake surrounded by forest and swamplands that let Kiekhaefer and his team test out a variety of engines away from it all.
Mercury Marine
Lake X, as it was referred to by Kiekhaefer and his team, became the stuff of legends — with writers even adopting the name, too.
Mercury Marine

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Teams of workers traveled to Lake X in the early years in order to build boat launches, work buildings, seawalls, an observation tower, and even a six-room motel.
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Over the years, Lake X even became a coveted place for race teams and boat builders in order to improve the performance of their boats in private.
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Today, if you see a six-inch decal which says "Dialed in at Lake X" you’ll know that this boat means business.
Facebook Mercury Marine
Surrounded by 10,000-acres of woodlands and swamp, enjoy the stories of legends at this epic secret boat testing site in Florida.
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Did you know about Lake X? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section! Check out this article by Popular Mechanics to learn more about Lake X.

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