Evidently these MS units were specially designed for the National Buoy Data Center, part of NOAA/NWS and sure enough, a search for National Buoy Data Center images shows a lot of pics of the buoys with two of them on it.
That explains why the cable is so stiff. Probably heavy duty to begin with and has seen a lot of UV rays out on the water. Also explains why the wire colors don't match up with any manual I've downloaded from RF Young for their current offerings to the public.
I'm guessing my unit has ceramic bearings like they put in the HD and MA/Marine versions as opposed to stainless steel.