Mercury’s Phantom Black is a calling card. It’s the deep, mirror-dark finish you notice first on a fresh rig and the detail that makes a used motor look “new again.” When a skeg gets nicked or a cowling picks up dock rash, you don’t want “close enough”—you want the exact Phantom Black that came from the factory.
 
That’s what Mercury Phantom Black spray paint (8028781) delivers: a factory-matched tone in a convenient 12-ounce aerosol that blends cleanly, cures hard, and protects the surface. Produced to Mercury Marine’s OEM standards, it’s designed specifically for touch-ups on Mercury outboards as well as MerCruiser sterndrives and inboards. 
 
Built for Performance and Racing
If you run a performance boat—or wrench for a team—you already know how much the right black matters in photos and at the ramp. The same 8028781 that tidies a weekend skiff also keeps race hardware camera-ready between heats. Think of the modern Mercury Racing lineup that fans search for every day: the headline-grabbing V8 APX360, APEX 250, 250R, 300R, 450R, 500R, the V10 400R, and the nimble 60R—all part of the current Competition and R-Series family.
 
Heritage Models People Still Search
And then there are the legends that still trend in forums and classifieds: the supercharged L6 400R Verado, the two-stroke OptiMax 300XS and 250XS, the rare 200XS ROS, the Pro Max 300, 300X, and the screaming 2.4 Bridgeport, 2.5-liter EFI 280, ROS/260, SST-120—engines that defined eras of go-fast culture and continue to pull huge organic searches.
 
Prep: The Foundation of an Invisible Repair
Application starts with cleanliness. Rinse the area, wash with a mild boat soap, and degrease with a wax-and-grease remover or isopropyl alcohol, then dry thoroughly. If the damage has raised edges, feather them with very light sanding so the transition disappears under paint. For bare aluminum on a lower unit or sterndrive housing, use a compatible etching primer specified by your manual; for plastic or composite cowlings, apply the plastic adhesion promoter your manual recommends. Mask wider than you think you need and back-mask the edges so any overspray fades naturally into the surrounding finish.
 
Application: Shop-Proven Technique
Shake 8028781 longer than you think—pigment dispersion is everything—then test the fan pattern on a scrap card. Hold a steady distance from the surface and build color with multiple light passes rather than one heavy coat. Give each pass the label’s flash time before the next. Keep your hand moving, start and end sprays off the work, and overlap slightly so the film lays down even and glossy. Mind temperature and humidity; moderate conditions help the paint level and the gloss pop.
 
Curing, Blending, and Post-Care
Let the coating cure per the label. Resist unmasking too soon; avoid water and harsh cleaners until full cure. If you’re blending on a cowling and want a glassy show finish, refine the transition after cure with very light wet sanding and a gentle marine-safe polish—always within what the product label and your service manual allow.
 
For day-of-race fixes, the same rules apply in fast-forward: clean, feather, mask, light coats, proper flashes. Once cured, wash with pH-neutral soap and avoid abrasives. A small kit—tape, tack cloth, lint-free wipes, cleaner, and Phantom Black 8028781—belongs in every shop drawer and race trailer.
 
The Takeaway
If your Mercury outboard, MerCruiser drive, or Mercury Racing motor wears Phantom Black—whether it’s a legacy 2-stroke 200, 225 Pro Max, 260 EFI, 280 ROS, S3000, 300 Drag or the lastest 500R on a luxury sport boat headed to a poker run, a V10 400R on a center console, a 300R bass-rocket, or a classic 300XS/300X you’ve babied since day one—8028781 is the straightest line back to showroom gloss. Match the paint, follow the manual, and the finish will look fast long before you crack the throttles.
 
Contact Mike Hill at +1-714-697-1716 or email mike@buckshotracing77.com for technical support.