All my personal experience to date is with 6BTA 370s in a conventional shaft drive arrangement. And maneuverabilitywell, any good sportfishing captain can put his ride wherever he wantswithout a joystick. FREE shipping on orders of $100.00 and above. Then realized it was a conversation which I figured was private so I reposted here. (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.) They said it was so easy a child could do it, and sure enough, it wasnt long before a lad barely out of kindergarten deftly maneuvered a 40-footer into a slip all by himself. Its more maneuverable than an outboard, and you dont have any engines on the back.. If that aint enough, Seven Marine builds a 557- or 627-horsepower small-block V-8 configured as an outboard motor. A frequently overlooked benefit of IPS is this new stateroom, made possible by the compact power installation. Like was said before I mirror there thoughts. Volvo doesn't offer the option of in-water service. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Some really nice high tech features that most will never use. Richard estimated an average annual cost of about $2,500 for scheduled maintenance on twin pod drives. The inboard has simplicity and ubiquity. Ongoing maint costs and difficulty of changing/replacing props over time. Still, many boaters werent convinced. Naval architects have also gotten better at maximizing the efficiencies of pods at all speeds. 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. Sorry, but as an ex-Cummins and Merc dealer, I've lost all faith in the Zeus system. On Zeus drives, check the steering oil reservoir dipstick, and check the clear reservoir for lower-unit gear oil for any signs of water seeping into the drive. He fished many tournaments with the boat, including the Mid-Atlantic at Cape May, the Pirates Cove tournament in North Carolina and several sailfish tournaments in south Florida. So the fact that pod systems are loaded with electronics actually makes them less prone to failureand unfortunately an unfathomable mystery to most mechanics. A racing motor with a warranty? Oh boy, the lids. One benefit of pod drives is joystick maneuverability. Its also hard to put a price on joystick control, which completely changes dockside handling. Those meridians are not as over propped as other boats in the Brunswick family, based on my reading of boattest.com performance tests, but you will need to change out the prop set eventually and that means 4 different props for the ZEUS. All rights reserved. ZF 63A with 4BT, flywheel torsion coupler issue??? Our white marlin came in hot on the teasers we fished up close to the boat. Learn more about the 3rd Generation of Vaporizers is here: https://bit.ly/3xm5ASYThe patented Zeus ArcPod is a sin. Inboard fans argue that the pod-drives lack torque. With it, fingertip operation of any vessel became possible. But in that case, its the ability to point and shoot that gives them comfort level. I had SeaVee owner Ariel Pared with me when we pulled away from the dock sideways, crabbing away briskly from our side-to moor. Petzold said he thought that was about right, even almost four years later. The pod-drives gave us the ability to manage the narrow locks and small marinas along that route without a bow thruster. Although there are claims of 30 percent efficiency gains in cruise and top-end speed as well as fuel savings, the results vary from boat to boat when compared to straight shaft and prop configurations. are zeus pods still being manufactured. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. There support network is much better and to me is a better product. And, if you preferred to stand, Viking built the helm so you could control the pods with traditional dual levers.. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Inboards props are angled downward, diminishing the power directed toward forward motion. Pods are the ne plus ultra of propulsion, but it costs a little extra to keep them spinning. These come with various engine configurations but commonly, with QSB 425s which can be either shaft-drive or Zeus pods. In the past decade, high-tech pod drives have changed the face of powerboating, and for the better. Volvo Penta has 16,000 pod-drive boats in the marketplace right now. Like most everything, making the decision to go conventional or pod is a personal choice. After the tests in Sweden, I then did a leg of the trip on that first Tiara Volvo demo boat, heading west in the New York State Canal from the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. That smooths out some of the minor gear asperities and grinding marks, improving the life of the gears. After break-in, pods are serviced every 250 hours or 12 months, whichever occurs first. It seems like this new tech gadgetry would have been off-putting to the salty captains, and it was, particularly among the sport-fisher crowds, who already had their docking and fish-fighting skills well honed. But the rest? Pods also expand morning fluid checks to include the lazarette. With IPS Ill run out to the Corner and fish the tide for wahoo, then head over to Gingerbread and get some yelloweye before heading home. 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. (Power & Motoryacht once had a company boat powered by inboards with which the publisher at the time rammed a sunken fuel barge at a healthy clip. As Mercury continues to grow its diesel business, Zeus support will grow. Caterpillar also offers a pod configuration with its CAT Three60 Pod 650, which is essentially a pod-drive married to a C8.7 engine. Thats pretty good., Buckley also likes the IPS investment and isnt concerned about the sticker shock. Pod access aboard the Riviera 43 is through the cockpit sole. Yes, BM, thanks for all the info and posting your actual experiences always adds a lot of value to any discussion. Sensors and things like that. 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. Charleston. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Parts for them now have to go through mercury. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Our mentality could be considered the opposite of todays kids in relation to new technology. 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. By turning pods in opposite directions and running one in forward and one in reverse, the vessel can be pivoted more quickly and easily than in either outboards or inboards. Ill be limiting my search to non-pod models going forward. For those first 25 hours, we use a break-in lube, said David Fessenden, a marine applications engineer with Cummins Atlantic. You get similar handling advantages to pods, but with less maintenanceand its easy to find a mechanic certified on Yamaha, Evinrude, Mercury, and other brands. And with good reasonthese propulsion systems offer several major-league advantages over traditional inboard power, so once a few savvy boaters got their hands on 'em . Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists Forums Cummins Marine Engines Zeus Pods: Good, Bad, Ugly?? The maneuverability of the boat is what sells it, especially in close quarters, he says. The Zeus system propellers are on the back of the pods, as opposed to the Volvo IPS, which are on the front. To start with, Zeus and IPS boats have to be hauled after their first 25 engine-hours. When pods shear off, their recovery might cost a huge percentage of their value. Volvo uses SAE 75w140 oil for both the transmission and lower unit. All rights reserved. Pods are more prevalent in the pleasure-yacht category than in sport fishing. Ten years ago, many old-timers predicted that complex pod systems, with their computer-managed guidance, fly-by-wire controls, and inaccessible drive units tucked under the hull, would need constant repair and maintenance. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us . Volvo doesnt offer the option of in-water service. Check them just like you check zincs on a shaft, Petzold said: Swim down and have a look. x 33 ft.), SMX Bronze Freshwater Flush Cap for Groco ARG Series Strainers, Bronze Tee Adapter and Freshwater Flush System, Military Style Top Post Battery Terminals, Heavy Duty Marine Grade 316L Stainless Steel Washers, Cummins Marine Diamond Performance Series Engine Sticker, ZF Marine Transmission Sales & Current Inventory, ZF 45-85 A/IV Shift & Troll Cable Bracket, ZF Marine Transmission Oil Drain Line Kit, Suredrive Coupling for Borg Warner & ZF 220A, Suredrive Coupling for ZF 301 & 302 VLD/IV with Vulkan L, Marine Flex Plate (Velvet Drive, SAE 11.5), Vulkan Vulkardan-E (2K3411S004) SAE No. We may request cookies to be set on your device. Id guess none. Pod performance has inspired outboard and stern-drive builders to develop similar control systems that can be retrofitted to existing boats, something not practical with pods. Sure the stories are one-sided, but as an aggregate source of information, theyve led me to conclude that pods are no more prone to failure than inboards but that when a pod breaks, the repair bills going to be higher. I am looking for a larger boat in the same size range as you. In sum, with todays technology, the best combination might be a shaft boat, bow and stern thrusters, and the Cummins power plant with electronic joy stick controls. Not a lot of guys know pods yet. For more information and/or quote, please complete the contact form below. When a 42-foot pod boat can replace a 46-footer, savings add up fast. Around here most mercury dealers wont take it on. Part of that comes as a side effect to the benefits of the props angle of attack. With SmartCraft innovation throughout, Zeus provides a seamless approach to propulsion technology, marine electronics, and on-board information management that makes boating safer and more enjoyable than ever. I worked on a boat with Zeus pods for about three years. are zeus pods still being manufactured. 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. The Zeus ArcPods are the convenient method of preparing, loading, and transporting your dry herb for use with your Zeus Arc GTS or Arc S vaporizer. Cabos sport-fisher benefits from Cummins Mercruiser Diesels Zeus drive. They tasked ZF Marine to bring them a transmission that would mate with their Zeus pod, electronic controls and joystick steering. Alas, the fact that electronics dont respond well to brute force may mean some service challenges, at least in the short term, which is why long-distance cruisers have, as a group, been wary of pods. I was surprised by how light and long lasting these were. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. If I could afford em, Id get em. When pods vibrate, propellers or jack shaft bearings are the likely causes. It might save the cost of a divorce on cruelty-while-docking grounds, too, a way bigger budget-breaker than pod drives. Just add a bracket and bolt them on, install the digital controls and joystick and youre set. From a long term maintenance perspective you are better off with a conventional drive line. Some pods require draining. I simulated backing through a slalom course in reverse, moving faster than any angler could ever gain line. . But conventional wisdom no longer applies. Down sides were in the San Francisco Bay Area there is only one person that can work on them. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Volvo Pentas IPS drive features patented forward-facing props, which lets them bite into clean water. You must be at least 19 years from Canada and 21 years from USA to buy and/or use this website. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. 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).

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