There are many reasons why everyones not on the pod bandwagon. Parts for them now have to go through mercury. Plan on replacing the anodes at least annually, using the correct alloy: Most pods use aluminum anodes, not zinc. To start with, Zeus and IPS boats have to be hauled after their first 25 engine-hours. I agree with Rob. Comfort Onboard comfort is improved too. This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Zeus Arsenal has always made only reliable, well-performing devices that go beyond just being the perfect daily driver. 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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. 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. Down sides were in the San Francisco Bay Area there is only one person that can work on them. Whats going on here? We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Inboards require sacrificial-anode replacement, prop adjustment, cutless bearing repair, shaft alignment, and a method of controlling marine growth. If the outer seal is damaged by debris, fishing line or rope, only the inner seal separates the pods innards from seawater. Theres no free lunch, so there must be a hidden cost that no ones factored in.. Especially if you plan on going on extended trips Pretty much wherever you ventured you would have always found someone to get you out of trouble with your 6BTA 370s and conventional drive line but if things go wrong your odds of getting the help you need and having anything left in your wallet (or hairs left in your head) could be less than favorable. That said, I have heard good things. 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. Zeus propeller shafts use a double-lip seal. I am liking the Searay 44 Sedan Bridge of the ~2009 vintage as those have QSC500s with conventional drives. For more information and/or quote, please complete the contact form below. That gives customers a stronger comfort level than an offshore service hotline.. Also demanding periodic attention are hydraulic steering, transmission, and lower-unit oils. lost surfboards santa cruz. Pods are more prevalent in the pleasure-yacht category than in sport fishing. We didnt have to touch it until we got back to San Diego.). 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. Mark their location any way you can, with a waypoint or a buoy, said Steve Little, president ofTowBoatU.S. Pods, on the other hand, need annual TLC, and this means skilled work. By turning one engine pod at a sharper angle than the other in a turn, they could narrow its radius. If you lose oil or get water in the lower unit, an alarm will sound before the problem becomes catastrophic, Fessenden said of Cummins drives. If one engine vibrates but the other doesnt while in neutral, the problem is likely in the always-turning jack shaft. are zeus pods still being manufactured. The biggest difference between IPS's and Zeus pods is the position of the propeller. (Stranded in Guaymas, Mexico, I watched a guy true up a dinged prop using just a single jack and anvil. Zeus and ZF have only a few thousand pods in use. Although hes well versed in the care and maintenance of inboards, Anderson was still anxious to run a pod boat. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. International service is also a concern for pods. 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. 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. Pods from all manufacturers have proven reliable and trouble-free, when maintained correctly. The boat had a set of outriggers, and fishing out of Beaufort, North Carolina, we caught the first billfish ever with an IPS drive system. We are not early adopters. Ignore it and you can forget about that edge in fuel efficiency over inboards. Those anodes shouldnt dissolve like zincs do, but both systems should be checked annually. A very hard grounding is also likely to cost less with pods, since theyre meant to shear off and then go right back onto the boat with just a thorough service and new bolts. In the past decade, high-tech pod drives have changed the face of powerboating, and for the better. While builders debated the benefits of the different pod designs, many new boaters were simply seduced by the joystick maneuvering system. There is definitely more maintenance with pods, said John Siebert. The pod-drive boats were clearly more maneuverable and accelerated more quickly than strut, shaft and -prop-drive inboards. 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. Although pod housings are built of corrosion-resistant bronze rather than the aluminum alloy used for stern drives, its still critical to maintain the anodes. Along with Volvo, who now makes the IPS drives from 260 to 1,000 hp, Cummins and MerCruiser partnered to join the fray with their Zeus pod-drive system, complete with SmartCraft monitoring and system management that integrates the vessels electronics, propulsion and onboard systems. And while its hard to nail down the amount of that fuel-efficiency edge, everyone agrees it does exist and can compensate you for at least some of the additional maintenance costs. He gives even higher praise to the Clean Wake exhaust feature. Our drives are made to stand up to a light freshwater rinse, Fessenden said, but dont blast them with the hose. Fessenden suggests a light coating of Mercurys corrosion spray. You cant take the grate off to clean or paint in there. His solution is to spray Interlux Trilux 33 or Pettit Alumaspray Plus from aerosol cans inside the seawater intakes. Dont cheap out on anodes, Petzold advised. A failed shaft seal lets water into the pod, with unfortunate and expensive results. Like most everything, making the decision to go conventional or pod is a personal choice. The biggest fear boaters have is not about running out in the open water. Volvos Active Corrosion System, which is standard on IPS 800 or larger drives, is similar. Take the props off, grease the shafts, and check the seals, Fessenden said. Allow $450 per IPS pod, $350 per Zeus. ZF also built far larger pods that could handle far more horsepower. vs. 0.8 nmg pods @ 16.2 kts.). The downside is pod drives are way more complex than conventional propulsion systems; consequently, pod-powered boats cost more to buy and maintain. They dont cavitate and they dont ventilate. Pod access aboard the Riviera 43 is through the cockpit sole. We only go around once anyway, so pay the money, grab the joystick, and have some angst-free enjoyment. 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. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. Then Zeus offered Sky Hook, a station-keeping device that combined data from a GPS and an electronic compass to keep the vessel perfectly still within a yard or two. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Like was said before I mirror there thoughts. A Bonnier LLC Company. The inboard has simplicity and ubiquity. 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. I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work out of warranty. Volvo doesnt offer the option of in-water service. are zeus pods still being manufactured how did lesley sharp lose weight julho 1, 2022. jack the ripper documentary bbc . I stay on top of the maintenance, oil and everything and never had a breakdown., Some people complain about the top-end speed of pods. Sabre seems to be moving more and more towards the IPS units over Cummins especially since Cummins and Mercury parted paths several years ago (both still support Zeus drives). Zeus ArcPods are finally here! But point and shoot was only part of it; IPS also claimed more speed and better fuel efficiency (the precise amount of each is still up for discussion), and thanks to its aft engine placement, more interior space and lower interior sound levels. Other than checking anodes, Petzold said the most important thing to do is change the fluids per the maintenance schedule, and use the recommended gear oil, or oils. Im all about new technology. 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. I liked the idea of being able to handle the boat from the helm seat instead of standing up all the time. However, I think the best application I have run to date was a 39-foot SeaVee with pod-drives. I'm concerned that I won't be able to get my hands on a replacement drive if one were to sheer off 5-7 years from now. 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. Whats another three grand, compared to the cost of a boat big enough and upscale enough for pod drives? They tasked ZF Marine to bring them a transmission that would mate with their Zeus pod, electronic controls and joystick steering. Yet the pod makers are quickly closing that gap, and captains who have run them for several years indicate that the reliability has been very good. 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. Zeus ArcPods are finally here! With quad outboards, Id get about 0.7 miles per gallon. A couple of tanks of fuel? (Do the same with outboards and stern drives.) Copyright 2023 Marlin Magazine. Review Images (jpg, jpeg, png) Max 3MB file size allowed. . Pods are the ne plus ultra of propulsion, but it costs a little extra to keep them spinning. Richard estimated an average annual cost of about $2,500 for scheduled maintenance on twin pod drives. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Short term fun, handling / high end features, and higher speeds vs. shaft drives at the same total (no too heavy) weight Mostly yes to these parameters, ZEUS would come in 1st. No thrusters are required, saving more cash. 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. Cleaning also maximizes efficiency of the pods contrarotating propellers. And what of resale? Finally theres antifoulant for the drive. Months later, Mercruiser and Cummins joined forces to deliver Zeus pod-drives to boaters. 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. cable tension calculator; neptune east coast reservation. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Will Pod-Drives Overtake Conventional Shafts and Struts? When I troll, I can turn it on and the exhaust bypasses the pod and comes out just above the water. 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. Most pods also require periodic removal and inspection of prop sets and seals, and re-greasing of the propshaftsfigure $250 per . 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. 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. For a ballpark number, Im deferring to a well-researched article written by our late friend, Capt. They also dont have cutlass bearings or shaft seals to monitor and replace, nor separate rudders and steering systems to maintain, saving money on those items over the long haul. At Volvo Pentas IPS rollout in Mallorca de Palma, identical inboard and pod-drive boats were pitted against each other. You get a little cavitation but nothing close to the noise from shaft-drives, he says. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them. The aft placement of pods has added to usable space on board. Capt. 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. The new props dont ventilate, and their position alignment with the keel gave them a decided advantage by leveling the keel on the hole shot. But pod-drive engines use counter-rotating props. We may request cookies to be set on your device. nonprofit grants for financial education; wire harness in solidworks; brooklyn, crime news today; alkaline breakfast smoothie; utsa football national ranking; I want to comment on how well Mercury backs their products. Its a whole new world of boathandling out there, one all of us can enjoy. Some could be rotated 180 degrees and run adequately facing either fore or aft. Controlling wind, waves and current. But this was a first for the recreational segment of the marine industry, and there was a lot of buzz and excitement. Sea Ray sells the 460 Sundancer with twin 550-horsepower Cummins diesels, with either V-drive or Zeus drives; the Zeus option adds $113,333 to the $1,004,768 price, according to Sea Ray. And the Zeus pods also came with a joystick. All told, figure $500 per engine annually, plus haul-out fees. I am looking for a larger boat in the same size range as you. With no compromise on taste or experience, as well as Zeus' guarantee that all liquids are mixed, tested and approved in the UK, the new disposable pod will carry users from A-Z of their vaping journey knowing that the premium flavour will not fade, fault or fail on the road to being smoke free. I was surprised by how light and long lasting these were. Grant Bentley captains Home Run, a 60-foot Spencer. It seems that the Zeus pods have evolved over the years and later systems are more reliable than earlier ones. 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. When checking transmission oil level, give it a sniff. maritime ships for sale near vienna; octagon mirror feng shui; does zwift work with proform When you put a pod system in, you try to do more with less.. Pods have more parts, both mechanical and electronic, and conventional wisdom says that means more problems. Fortunately the 42 Express cockpit is well laid out for Zeus . For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Outboards are, in my opinion, the most interesting. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. 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. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. 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. Joystick control? ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. IPS followed with its own, and ZF ponied one up too. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. 2023 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. I had SeaVee owner Ariel Pared with me when we pulled away from the dock sideways, crabbing away briskly from our side-to moor. Autor de l'entrada Per ; Data de l'entrada ice detention center colorado; https nhs vc hh cardiac surgery a are zeus pods still being manufactured a are zeus pods still being manufactured It gets all the bubbles out of the wake, he says. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. I'll also add that I REALLY like pods for the fuel efficiency (25-40% better) and maneuverability in a twin engine application. Not a lot of guys know pods yet. Our best guess is it will take a significant chunk of the market. Learn more about the 3rd Generation of Vaporizers is here: https://bit.ly/3xm5ASYThe patented Zeus ArcPod is a sin. Only thing is, outboards burn gas, and more of it than diesels of similar power. And if you have to ask about price, you really dont need one. I simulated backing through a slalom course in reverse, moving faster than any angler could ever gain line. For those first 25 hours, we use a break-in lube, said David Fessenden, a marine applications engineer with Cummins Atlantic. The pods combine transmission, steering, and propulsion that would otherwise entail separate trans, shaft/prop, thrusters, and rudders. Zirk fittings require grease in U-joints and at both ends of jack shafts that connect engines to drives. Volvo has one zinc hidden, but accessible, on the drive itself. Caterpillar also offers a pod configuration with its CAT Three60 Pod 650, which is essentially a pod-drive married to a C8.7 engine. To start with, Zeus and IPS boats have to be hauled after their first 25 engine-hours. Yes, you need to be concerned about steering and propulsion fluids (lower unit) but you are not dealing with shaft irregularities, cutlass bearing maintenance, and thruster maintenance. Inboard props slip in both forward and reverse. 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. It turns out that if I went with the new Cummins 550s and straight shafts, the IPS is a little cheaper., Sport-fish mode. Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists Forums Cummins Marine Engines Zeus Pods: Good, Bad, Ugly?? Drive Pirates Zeus Pod Drive Transmissions. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Zeus ArcPods are finally here! Using a ZF transmission, it could mate any marine engine (Yanmar and Caterpillar have been popular partners) to its pods. Then forward-thinking builders (Tiara, Cruisers, Regal, and Sabre among them) redesigned their boats for pod power and the technology became mainstream. The drive can be simultaneously connected to electric propulsion too. Just add a bracket and bolt them on, install the digital controls and joystick and youre set. Stephen Smith is the southwest sales representative for Caterpillar. Volvo Pentas IPS drive features patented forward-facing props, which lets them bite into clean water. However, the 48 Fly is offered with the engine you mention or with the IPS 700. Disappointing, but then again whens the last time you worked on your car? Petzold said he thought that was about right, even almost four years later. But how much more, and how complex is pod maintenance? A Valid Government issued Identification is required to receive product. Its also important to monitor for seawater dripping onto drives. In the past decade, high-tech pod drives have changed the face of powerboating, and for the better. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. ZF also built far larger pods that could handle far more horsepower. Pods are something new, he said. Are there particular production years that performed better than others. When a 42-foot pod boat can replace a 46-footer, savings add up fast. Are the Zeus drives still being produced today? Once offshore, I spun the boat in a complete 360-degree rotation on its own axis in less than 14 seconds. are zeus pods still being manufactured. The pods require yearly maint that is beyond what regular trans, shaft and prop systems require. Make sure to do this, and if buying a used boat, make certain the first owner did it, too. Zeus offers dramatically improved high-speed handling and delivers up to: 30% improved fuel economy 15% faster cruise speed 2023 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. Plus factors and quiet fuel efficient. Some had forward-facing propellers. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. The Zeus system propellers are on the back of the pods, as opposed to the Volvo IPS, which are on the front. Pods have been pretty darn foolproof, he said. Nevertheless, pods are making inroads. 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. Its the joystick maneuvering system that sells it. If you get to know these pods and keep regular checks on fluid levels, they will treat you well. All rights reserved. All up, pod owners can expect to pony up something like an additional $2,500 for scheduled maintenance. From a long term maintenance perspective you are better off with a conventional drive line. Today, 250s are middle of the road: Triple and quad 300s are common, and 400s built for everyday use are available, too. We have, on occasion, sent oil out with no visible sign of water, but it showed up on the test. Oil analysis is inexpensiveusually under $200and worth doing at every change; finding a bad seal early will save thousands of dollars in repairs. 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. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Simply pop in a pod and enjoy your herbs. 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. We get a lot of oyster growth inside the drive intakes, Siebert said. Boats do sink from that very thing. Viking offers four versions of its 42, all with pods, and according to company director of communications Peter Frederiksen, they sell well. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Most studies show that maximum rpm only accounts for about 10 percent of the total running cycle of most boats and engines. The biggest thing marketed to promote the system was its efficiency compared to a regular shaft and prop system, as well as joystick maneuverability. One drive had a. 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. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. It might save the cost of a divorce on cruelty-while-docking grounds, too, a way bigger budget-breaker than pod drives. 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. Being new to power boating, I selected this configuration for ease of docking and it has been fabulous. Nor did I want to. ZFs pod-drive includes a jackshafted transmission, which can mate to any diesel engine the owner prefers. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Warranty concerns may shorten the list of service providers. I am on the East Coast. 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.. 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. 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. And there are computer-controlled, straight-shaft systems that can juggle shifts, throttles, and a thruster or thrusters with a joystick, too, using traditional split-shift techniques. In that case, its not the pod; its our joystick-maneuvering system that does this, and we offer a joystick in a traditional shaft boat. Goes without saying: Its got ZF Smart Command 5000 drive-by-wire. The bottom line is, while pods are difficult or in many cases impossible to retrofit, the boat really has to be designed for the pod from the beginning, although some V- and stern-drive boats can handle pods, too. Thats opened up more opportunities and options for OEMS.. The owner of the boat spent almost 40k on the drives themselves and they were just under 8 years old. (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.) The other issue was when the owner sold the boat they did a oil sample and found water and both lower units had to be resealed and a main shaft had to be changed. By continuing to browse this website, you agree to the use of cookies. Of course neither of these statements is true. Hes also found them to be extremely reliable. Right now, I cant talk anybody who wants pod-drives out of them, says Caterpillars Stephen Smith. If I could afford em, Id get em. Within a year or two, Paul Spencer built a 43-foot express with IPS drives that we fished in a tournament. (Its not a bad idea to do the sameminus the sealsfor inboards.). You need go no farther than your marina to hear a list of suspects. 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. Regardless of the apparent belief that the pod-market growth spurt of the past nine years is over, several sources have reported that Caterpillar is preparing to release its own pod for 2014 and Caterpillar isnt denying it. But how do you compare boats?