Each IPS has anodes as well, one up inside the exhaust tunnel (the other is on the transom); both Zeus anodes are on the trim tabs where theyre easy to reach. Plus, when we haul the boat, well catch problems a diver wont see.. Painting pods will cost a bit more too. Of course neither of these statements is true. But conventional wisdom no longer applies. . Controlling wind, waves and current. By turning one engine pod at a sharper angle than the other in a turn, they could narrow its radius. If they dont increase the odds of hooking up, who cares? Richard estimated an average annual cost of about $2,500 for scheduled maintenance on twin pod drives. Pods are the ne plus ultra of propulsion, but it costs a little extra to keep them spinning. Outboards are, in my opinion, the most interesting. Comparing the Sabre 42 Hardtop Express, one with pods and one with shafts: At wide-open throttle, the pods horizontal thrust and contrarotating propellers increase economy (0.8 nmg for pods, 0.63 nmg shafts). But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. But now thats all gone away. Cummins uses aluminum-gallium anodes to best protect bronze drives. (Do the same with outboards and stern drives.) Zincs every year, costing a few bucks, a new Cutless bearing every once in a while, and a couple of brushfuls of paint for the struts and rudders. So how big is the pod market? Plus factors and quiet fuel efficient. The IPS-drives fit well in our boats, and our owners love their maneuverability, Pared says, and he has customers who can back up his word. There are many factors that go into all of this, not the least of which are service and technical expertise to repair the systems, parts availability and costs for purchase and maintenance. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Ask to see the service records for the boats first year. Their hull speed is usually 8 to 10 knots, and the power and efficiency of pods dont kick in there much, even though they benefit from the added maneuverability, less vibration and less smoke. On the other hand, touching bottom only hard enough to bend the propellers will likely cost more on pods, because they have two props to repair on each drive. I have a 2013 Sabre 42 with the Cummins/Zeus pod units. Re IPS: Volvo is well regarded for their innovations with IPS. Inboards props are angled downward, diminishing the power directed toward forward motion. Discussion in 'Engines' started by JamCruiser, Jun 20, 2020. The Zeus ArcPods are the convenient method of preparing, loading, and transporting your dry herb for use with your, Fashioned out of high quality aluminum, the Zeus ArcPods are designed to hold up to 0.3 grams of dry herb and work perfectly with the. For nearly a decade, pod propulsion looked like it would render inboards obsolete. I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work out of warranty. The downside is pod drives are way more complex than conventional propulsion systems; consequently, pod-powered boats cost more to buy and maintain. When pods vibrate, propellers or jack shaft bearings are the likely causes. KISS Keep It Simple Sailor. Then realized it was a conversation which I figured was private so I reposted here. Boats do sink from that very thing. The first pod-drive was invented in 1955 and went by the generic name azimuth thruster. They were either diesel- or electric-powered, and some were large enough for a man to walk around inside the machinery housing. But then outboards are more powerful and more economical than ever. Weve been serving local Ventura County, California since 1980 as a custom boat builder, repower specialist, designer, and supplier of equipment to builders, commercial fishermen, and recreational users. Because they operate independently, pod-drives can be controlled via joystick for superb maneuverability. Then with the joystick, it directs the transmissions to pivot or swivel. Most pods also require periodic removal and inspection of prop sets and seals, and re-greasing of the propshaftsfigure $250 per pod. From a long term maintenance perspective you are better off with a conventional drive line. ZF also added a trick that has less validity in the United States than in the European Union; ZF pods can be mated with both electric and diesel motors simultaneously, allowing them to run on electricity to meet the European Unions emissions standards when in port. Weight kills the speed on pod-drives, compared to shaft-drives, Smith says. All with a simple push or twist of the joystick. 2023 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. Four different fluids just to service them. Using a ZF transmission, it could mate any marine engine (Yanmar and Caterpillar have been popular partners) to its pods. And if you have to ask about price, you really dont need one. (Have they also reduced the docking-related divorce rate among powerboating couples? Bottom Line. Pods operate independently of one another to provide vectored thrust in any direction, which makes the vessel incredibly maneuverable. Thats not me talkingits Bob Petzold, who has as much experience as almost anybody selling, servicing, and repairing pod drives. It is so nearly parallel to the boats keel that it enables pod-drives to lighten the vessel with smaller engines that still provide ample thrust to plane and power the now lighter boat. Zeus ArcPods are finally here! Interestingly, the most notable early prop-forward applications were in ice-breaking ships launched in 1990 an interesting defense to the argument that forward-facing props were too vulnerable to debris. But this was a first for the recreational segment of the marine industry, and there was a lot of buzz and excitement. The counter-rotating propellers and large rubber grommets the engine is mounted on means reduced vibration and engine noise. Pod drives, including the Volvo Penta IPS, Cummins Zeus, ZF Marine POD 4000, and CAT Three60 POD 650 have taken the recreational boat market by storm during the recent past. Blades, pitch etc Read some of the posting by Tom Bartolomei about what he has been doing with his Sabre to tune the prop sets on his pods. Its the joystick maneuvering system that sells it. In standard shaft and prop boats, props lose their bite in close-quarters maneuvering, Smith says. So the fact that pod systems are loaded with electronics actually makes them less prone to failureand unfortunately an unfathomable mystery to most mechanics. Smooth, incremental low-speed control. Fuel savings can be weighed against additional maintenance, but economy varies with each boat and depends on how its used. That gives customers a stronger comfort level than an offshore service hotline.. Unless you get the boat at a knock-down price, I mean really low, I wouldn't touch one without a full service history or a late model. You must be at least 19 years from Canada and 21 years from USA to buy and/or use this website. are zeus pods still being manufacturedbest air quality cities in arizona 27 avril 2022. are zeus pods still being manufacturedaluminum upright bass for sale 16 avril 2022; are zeus pods still being manufacturedwooden postcard postage 24 mars 2022; (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.) Over the years, Ive found online forums to be some of the most ready places for first-hand accounts of engine-related problems. They tasked ZF Marine to bring them a transmission that would mate with their Zeus pod, electronic controls and joystick steering. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Charleston. What if you do hit something? he says. IPS followed with its own, and ZF ponied one up too. But not many boat owners ponied up the cash to switch to pods. Zeus Transmissions are available at ZF Marine! Thats pretty good., Buckley also likes the IPS investment and isnt concerned about the sticker shock. Best of the old and the new.maybe. If I could afford em, Id get em. are zeus pods still being manufactured. Anderson acknowledges that pods have advantages in some areas and disadvantages in others. Okay, the motors cost about $80,000 and $90,000, respectively. Check the condition of the seals by inspecting the drained oil for water; the best way is to have the oil analyzed, said Petzold. However, the 48 Fly is offered with the engine you mention or with the IPS 700. Like long-distance cruisers, sportfishermen have been slow to accept pods, in this case not because of perceived deficiencies but rather a reluctance to try anything that might reduce chances of success. Pods are more prevalent in the pleasure-yacht category than in sport fishing. As we have seen many times with sailfish, I am certain one of the marlin swam along with us between the teaser and the boat, looking at the wheels and not at the bait we had moved into position to switch him over to. Ongoing maint costs and difficulty of changing/replacing props over time. He too is in love with the sport-fish mode and its maneuverability. If that aint enough, Seven Marine builds a 557- or 627-horsepower small-block V-8 configured as an outboard motor. I had the opportunity to run several different boats at Volvos test center in Gothenburg, Sweden, during the companys international press launch, and there is no doubt I was intrigued by the system. Whats another three grand, compared to the cost of a boat big enough and upscale enough for pod drives? As one broker told me, Its like automatic transmissions. Your are officially the first one to publish 4o% percent efficiency benefits for pods. Siebert puts annual maintenance for pods roughly $2,000 above what straight shafts cost, not including extra haul-out fees for boats that exceed 250 engine-hours per year. When I troll, I can turn it on and the exhaust bypasses the pod and comes out just above the water. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. The company didnt invent them, but it made pod a household word among boaters. (Stranded in Guaymas, Mexico, I watched a guy true up a dinged prop using just a single jack and anvil. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them. When you back down an inboard, the rudder posts start vibrating, and the boat sounds like its coming apart. We get a lot of oyster growth inside the drive intakes, Siebert said. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. The noise and smell from a diesel goes away with pods, said Bentley Collins, Sabres vice president of marketing and sales, and with joystick control, you dont have to worry about crashing into the dock.. Controlled at low speeds by a joystick rather than wheel, shifts, and throttles, pods take most of the angst, the apprehension, and, sometimes, the sheer terror out of close-quarters maneuvering. If we have to go searching or put divers in the water, thats another story. To prevent later claims of piracy, come to an agreement beforehand, Little said. In many ways, fishermen a nongendered term that embraces both sexes trust what weve learned over decades of personal experience and the experience of our mentors. How much of the additional initial cost will you get back at trade-in time? We do a lot of high-speed trolling for wahoo at around 16 knots, and all the exhaust is under the water, so you dont smell diesel fumes.. To determine which, run the throttle up slowly on one engine and then the other. We didnt have to touch it until we got back to San Diego.). Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Todd pauses thoughtfully before answering: We didnt run into that problem., While nobody can predict the ultimate size of the pod market, as more and more people experience them, the polarity between love and hate is apt to change. Once hes inspected everything and put it all back together, Petzold paints the pod. Then forward-thinking builders (Tiara, Cruisers, Regal, and Sabre among them) redesigned their boats for pod power and the technology became mainstream. He gives even higher praise to the Clean Wake exhaust feature. The sport-fishing world has seen builders such as Spencer and Winter Custom Yachts introduce several pod boats. I see the cummins split from Zeus around here was not a good thing myself. The most remarkable performance advantage was one that sent every propulsion and boatbuilding engineer to the drawing board to imitate: the joystick control system. Phone: 1-844-858-8273 Email: [emailprotected].com. At that time, the company boat was a 38-foot express cruiser with a pair of Volvo D6 370 hp diesels matched to IPS 500 series drives. Review Images (jpg, jpeg, png) Max 3MB file size allowed. Great Product. Pods require drive-oil changes every 250 hours or annually. The 42 Convertible is up to Hull number 10 but we are up to 36 hulls for the Open version, he says. But I usually run at 32 miles per hour and get 1.5 mpg, he says. Once you go to 3 or 4 engines or pods, I'd rather have shafts as the fuel efficiency with triples is only 10% better and not worth the maintenance cost and in a 4 engine/pod installation they tend to burn the same amount of fuel AND much more maintenance of 4. Simply pop in a pod and enjoy your herbs. And the Zeus pods also came with a joystick. Although hes well versed in the care and maintenance of inboards, Anderson was still anxious to run a pod boat. There are many reasons why everyones not on the pod bandwagon. Not on the pods. I understand in order to get pods cheap they had to use this cardboard-like substance, so seeing how you can't even try to clean it because of the material makes the company seem like they are fishing for my money every month unlike Healthy Rips and Storz and Bickel with their "pods" (IDK what to call them). You get a little cavitation but nothing close to the noise from shaft-drives, he says. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. The company has built exactly one 42-footer without pods since, versus a dozen boats with the pods option and another 50 of the new, pod-only 42-footer. Its a whole new world of boathandling out there, one all of us can enjoy. Trawlers dont benefit much from pods. Martin Meissner of ZF Marine says engine makers still dont have a handle on the potential volume. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Cummins says you dont have to haul, but it takes a lot more time to suck that heavy oil out than to just drain it from the bottom, Siebert said. "Cummins says you don't have to haul, but it takes a lot more time to suck that heavy oil out than to just drain it from the bottom," Siebert said. Savings on a long haul might disappear when slowing to navigate a tricky channel or speeding up to avoid a storm. Add to Cart. Somewhere in between the cost of straightening conventional shafts and rudders, and possibly even repairing transmissions, the advantage shifts back to pods. Pods cost more, period. At the 2005 Miami Boat Show Volvo Penta introduced its Inboard Performance System (IPS) and changed forever not only the way we run our boats but the way we think about running them. The vaporizers displayed on this website are not intended for or made to prevent, treat or diagnose any illness. Volvo has one zinc hidden, but accessible, on the drive itself. In addition, I enjoy the added efficiencies Tony mentions above. Fashioned out of high quality aluminum, the Zeus ArcPods are designed to hold up to 0.3 grams of dry herb and work perfectly with the Zeus Xtruder which directly connects to, fills up, and automatically ejects the pod once the optimal amount of dry herb has been loaded. In effect, a sport-fisher fresh out of the factory may make 45 knots on pods, but by the time it is provisioned and ready to fish, its going to lose some speed. Pivoting a boat is simply accomplished by twisting a joystick. Its more maneuverable than an outboard, and you dont have any engines on the back.. 2023 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. If we can go straight to them and safely lift them into the boat, most tow boat operators are going to charge an hourly fee or a flat fee, and not claim salvage. On Cummins drives, standard-equipment MerCathode system anodes emit a tiny electrical charge opposite the damaging electrical currents that normally flow through metal parts in seawater, actively protecting pods from galvanic corrosion. All my personal experience to date is with 6BTA 370s in a conventional shaft drive arrangement. Today, 250s are middle of the road: Triple and quad 300s are common, and 400s built for everyday use are available, too. Ignore it and you can forget about that edge in fuel efficiency over inboards. Capt. Regardless of prop orientation, the first drives were a far cry from the watchlike beauties brought forth by Volvo Penta and, later, Zeus and ZF Marine. Indeed, were approaching if you have to ask territory here, and although a magazine writer like myself has about as much chance of buying a pod-driven anything as he does scoring a date with Sofia Vergara, I still think the benefits of pods far outweigh the extra initial and maintenance costs. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. Gear, people, supplies, fuel and water lug a boat down, and the more it settles in the water, the more impact it has on your speed. You might not think of Cat as a pod company, but since ZF offered its pods to the market, hes helped several manufacturers build ZF or Zeus pod with Caterpillar engines. I am liking the Searay 44 Sedan Bridge of the ~2009 vintage as those have QSC500s with conventional drives. Yes they are neat and intriguing as to handling, fuel economy and socialability but all at the price of a steep servicing regiment, a potential for high costs and high stress trying to get the proper qualified servicing or repairs and more computer technology to troubleshoot and stay on top of as to firmware updates, gremlins, etc. That means a haulout to remove the break-in lube and replace it with the normal lubricant. I rarely say this but if your dead set on a pod option I would put Volvos in. Pods also expand morning fluid checks to include the lazarette. We may request cookies to be set on your device. But in that case, its the ability to point and shoot that gives them comfort level. ArcPods were made to be reliable and convenient, allowing you to pre-pack up to 0.3 grams of dry herb in each capsule using the Xtruder. It wasnt so long ago that a pair of 250-horsepower outboards was as much power as any non-raceboater could hang on the stern. ZF 63A with 4BT, flywheel torsion coupler issue??? Pods have taken certain segments of the cruising-boat market by storm, and now big-game charter captains who were once fixed-shaft aficionados are embracing this new technology. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. With its forward-facing counter-rotating propellers, Volvos IPS pod-drive is a unique system. Siebert prefers Boeshield T-9. Im a pessimist, however, and because of this Id budget $3,000, quite an upcharge from just replacing zincs. Naval architects have also gotten better at maximizing the efficiencies of pods at all speeds. Its hard to tell if sport fishermen will take to it. Yes, pods have sheared off upon striking something immovable (as theyre designed to do), leaving the hull intact and the owner with a five-figure repair bill. We raised several white marlin, and caught a couple for our junior anglers that were fishing with us for the day. But now that both Volvo Inboard Propulsion System and Cummins MerCruiser Zeus drives have been spinning beneath boats for more than five years, its time to assess the cost of ownership of pods versus conventional shafts. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains.