Theyre the cleanest-burning motors Ive experienced. Still, many boaters werent convinced. And the Zeus pods also came with a joystick. Zeus ArcPod Lids - Extend your use | Zeus Oh boy, the lids. The counter-rotating propellers and large rubber grommets the engine is mounted on means reduced vibration and engine noise. This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. (A complete maintenance schedule, including annual and longer-term items, is in the owners manual, so pay attention to it.). They dont cavitate and they dont ventilate. For more information and/or quote, please complete the contact form below. I am liking the Searay 44 Sedan Bridge of the ~2009 vintage as those have QSC500s with conventional drives. Also demanding periodic attention are hydraulic steering, transmission, and lower-unit oils. Zeus offers dramatically improved high-speed handling and delivers up to: 30% improved fuel economy 15% faster cruise speed All rights reserved. All with a simple push or twist of the joystick. Zeus and ZF have only a few thousand pods in use. First, hull efficiency was enhanced, because the props were always aligned with the direction of motion in the boat. At first no one trusted them; now you can hardly sell a car without one.. Richard Thiel, in February 2014. The pod-drives gave us the ability to manage the narrow locks and small marinas along that route without a bow thruster. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. Spencer Yachts builds an 87-footer with ZF pods, and Smith was integral to the development process. ZF 63A with 4BT, flywheel torsion coupler issue??? 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. ZF also built far larger pods that could handle far more horsepower. The Zeus system propellers are on the back of the pods, as opposed to the Volvo IPS, which are on the front. Im a pessimist, however, and because of this Id budget $3,000, quite an upcharge from just replacing zincs. 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. Over time, fishing line will damage the seal, and it can score the shaft, too. 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 customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. One benefit of pod drives is joystick maneuverability. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. For nearly a decade, pod propulsion looked like it would render inboards obsolete. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. Volvo Pentas IPS drive features patented forward-facing props, which lets them bite into clean water. The pods synthetic oil is dark, making it hard to see the telltale oil discoloration of a slipping transmission, but it will likely have a burnt smell. A frequently overlooked benefit of IPS is this new stateroom, made possible by the compact power installation. Using a ZF transmission, it could mate any marine engine (Yanmar and Caterpillar have been popular partners) to its pods. Full details on our program can be found here. But conventional wisdom no longer applies. However, I think the best application I have run to date was a 39-foot SeaVee with pod-drives. When pods vibrate, propellers or jack shaft bearings are the likely causes. 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. Then with the joystick, it directs the transmissions to pivot or swivel. 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. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. As you will find by reading the articles on this forum about prop load and engine life, the resulting need to swap out your props with the Pods is expensive when compared to regular shafts and props. As one broker told me, Its like automatic transmissions. If you seem to be going through zincs quickly, call an electrician, Fessenden warned. Make sure to do this, and if buying a used boat, make certain the first owner did it, too. Lets have a look. Oh, and if youre a do-it-yourselfer, youll discover that a lot of pod maintenance requires specialized tools and training. No thrusters are required, saving more cash. If your zincs are gone, your warranty might be gone too, Siebert said, so all his clients boats with pods are cleaned and checked monthly by a diver. Siebert removes all loose paint from the drive, sanding down to shiny metal with 100-grit sandpaper, and then applies primer and two thin coats of Trilux 33 or Pettit Vivid copper thiocyanate anti-fouling paint. Most pods also require periodic removal and inspection of prop sets and seals, and re-greasing of the propshaftsfigure $250 per . Diamond Steel > Blog > Uncategorized > are zeus pods still being manufactured. Once hes inspected everything and put it all back together, Petzold paints the pod. Its more maneuverable than an outboard, and you dont have any engines on the back.. Pod access aboard the Riviera 43 is through the cockpit sole. I had one of the first triple-outboard SeeVees made, but I was sick of buying the gas, and Ariel was gonna try the IPS. And joystick piloting? . Petzold pulls the props annually to grease the shafts, and to remove any fishing line or other foreign matter on the shaft or wedged into the seal. Ignore it and you can forget about that edge in fuel efficiency over inboards. Looking at other online sources, people seem to be in Love or Hate camps.what are the facts please? Initially, I too was surprised at the lack of trained techs in my area but once I realized you can use Mercury techs that have been to Mercury Diesel school, more options opened up. I simulated backing through a slalom course in reverse, moving faster than any angler could ever gain line. And often, pods do have less torque than shaft-driven boats. What if you do hit something? he says. Mercury Zeus Pod VS Volvo Penta IPS VS Cummins Zeus System Four different fluids just to service them. are zeus pods still being manufactured - xarxacatala.cat Months later, Mercruiser and Cummins joined forces to deliver Zeus pod-drives to boaters. Although hes well versed in the care and maintenance of inboards, Anderson was still anxious to run a pod boat. Volvo includes neither a water alarm nor a clear reservoir, so check the single transmission and gear oil dipstick for signs of water. While Buckley gets an impressive 50 mph with his pods, quad outboards would likely get another 5 to 10 mph. Check the condition of the seals by inspecting the drained oil for water; the best way is to have the oil analyzed, said Petzold. Parts for them now have to go through mercury. Click on the different category headings to find out more. 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. But its also highly dependent on the application of the vessel. Savings on a long haul might disappear when slowing to navigate a tricky channel or speeding up to avoid a storm. 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. The 390 with Volvo 600 IPS drives was absolutely one of the most fun and outrageous-performing boats I have ever driven. 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. However, the patent on forward-facing props a feature that Volvo Penta claims gives its drives better traction by letting the broad blades and narrow hubs of their counter-rotating props turn in clean water well below the surface was not utilized. Before, maneuvering required forethought, logic, coordination, and strategizing; after, it became mere intuition: Look where you want to go and point the joystick that way. FREE shipping on orders of $100.00 and above. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The downside is that a boat with less horsepower is more easily burdened by loading the boat. We only go around once anyway, so pay the money, grab the joystick, and have some angst-free enjoyment. The 42 Convertible is up to Hull number 10 but we are up to 36 hulls for the Open version, he says. It might save the cost of a divorce on cruelty-while-docking grounds, too, a way bigger budget-breaker than pod drives. However, most sport-fishers rarely operate at wide-open throttle. Will Pod-Drives Overtake Conventional Shafts and Struts? I can do that on 200 gallons. How Fuel-Efficient Are Pods, Exactly? But tick them off and its hard not to conclude that the trend is undeniable: More boaters prefer them every year, and while theyll never completely replace inboards, they are the future of boating. I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work out of warranty. Ill be limiting my search to non-pod models going forward. Sounds like another good option to me. Trawlers dont benefit much from pods. We had a few bugs in my first IPS boat. Cummins QSC 8.3 Zeus pods long term support - Engines | YachtForums: We Zeus ArcPods (Triple Pack) - Pod Power | Zeus With quad outboards, Id get about 0.7 miles per gallon. Best of the old and the new.maybe. I have a 2013 Sabre 42 with the Cummins/Zeus pod units. 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. With a shaft and strut inboard, you can pretty much pull up to any marina in the world and get it serviced. The ZS-3000 is Snell M2005 certified in the small shell size (XS to M). The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Smooth, incremental low-speed control. Pods operate independently of one another to provide vectored thrust in any direction, which makes the vessel incredibly maneuverable. They bite hard and wont let the engine spin up.. Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists Forums Cummins Marine Engines Zeus Pods: Good, Bad, Ugly?? Imagine a 44-footer with three cabins, two heads, and inboards priced $20,000 less than an identical 44-footer with pods that, thanks to its aft-engine placement, has one more cabin or head. A racing motor with a warranty? Cleaning also maximizes efficiency of the pods contrarotating propellers. Check them just like you check zincs on a shaft, Petzold said: Swim down and have a look. Most pods also require periodic removal and inspection of prop sets and seals, and re-greasing of the propshaftsfigure $250 per pod. Look for signs of corrosion. Zeus has two zincs attached to each trim tab. Thats not chump change, but neither is it likely to produce heart palpitations in the owner of a million-dollar vessel. Pods are comprised of some very costly components, but theoretically, their modular design should yield some countervailing savings in labor costs. In standard shaft and prop boats, props lose their bite in close-quarters maneuvering, Smith says. 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. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Its important to maintain good antifouling. Pods have water intakes, exhausts and other places that are inviting to marine critters, and keeping them out is important. Our white marlin came in hot on the teasers we fished up close to the boat. The most remarkable performance advantage was one that sent every propulsion and boatbuilding engineer to the drawing board to imitate: the joystick control system. Both throttle and steering. Wouldnt accommodations be the more relevant yardstick? Weight kills the speed on pod-drives, compared to shaft-drives, Smith says. Our mentality could be considered the opposite of todays kids in relation to new technology. Outboards are easy. On the Cummins side, only two Cummins dealers on the Chesapeake have been to Pod school. Sociability is another huge advantage to pods. And hitting something hard at speed would strip the pods off the bottom as neat as you please. Simply pop in a pod and enjoy your herbs. 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). Are they worth it? But now thats all gone away. I want to comment on how well Mercury backs their products. 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. International service is also a concern for pods. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Make sure theyre specifically trained, or at least have several years of experience, Siebert said. 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. Full details on shipping can be found here. I see the cummins split from Zeus around here was not a good thing myself. You dont have to redesign it to get our joystick maneuvering system. These are often second- or third-told tales with a questionable provenance and few verifiable facts. Check the status of an existing order here. Within a year or two, Paul Spencer built a 43-foot express with IPS drives that we fished in a tournament. Cummins uses aluminum-gallium anodes to best protect bronze drives. Todd Anderson recently ran a 50 Viking powered by ZF 4000 pods. Theres no free lunch, so there must be a hidden cost that no ones factored in.. When pods shear off, their recovery might cost a huge percentage of their value. 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. A couple of tanks of fuel? lost surfboards santa cruz. Zeus Transmissions are available at ZF Marine! This takes the stress out of dealing with any warranty concerns, if your unit is covered by our Hassle-Free Warranty and has an issue, do not hesitate to contact our customer sales team. The company didnt invent them, but it made pod a household word among boaters. 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. 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. We are not early adopters. 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. By turning one engine pod at a sharper angle than the other in a turn, they could narrow its radius. Its like a orange and all they work on is apples. Drive Pirates You can also change some of your preferences. But downward-pointing conventional shafts lift sterns, negating, or even reversing, that fuel-economy advantage at slower speeds (0.92 nmg shafts @ 15.9 kts. Ill bet everyone whos read this far is asking, How much does all this cost? Maintaining pods is a lot more involved than maintaining conventional running gear, and therefore more expensive. Cummins Zeus Pod Drive System for Recreational Marine 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. Also, you dont know how often the shaft seals will need replacement. Superior to bow thrusters, which can drain your battery and leave you stranded - Zeus Joystick Piloting for Pods is integrated with the pod drives, without relying on battery power. Somewhere in between the cost of straightening conventional shafts and rudders, and possibly even repairing transmissions, the advantage shifts back to pods. Pods are the ne plus ultra of propulsion, but it costs a little extra to keep them spinning. The boat never missed a beat, much to Pareds elation. 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. We get a lot of oyster growth inside the drive intakes, Siebert said. Controlling wind, waves and current. The drive can be simultaneously connected to electric propulsion too. Boat will operate 75% of the time in displacement/9kt mode, if that is relevant. Warranty concerns may shorten the list of service providers. A Bonnier LLC Company. Prior to heading out with the boat, there was a lot of talk on the dock about whether the new drives would raise fish or scare them away. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. In the past decade, high-tech pod drives have changed the face of powerboating, and for the better. Instead, Zeus pods came with traditional aft-facing props and the traditional exhaust-through-hub design. Add to Cart. Once offshore, I spun the boat in a complete 360-degree rotation on its own axis in less than 14 seconds. Zeus ArcPods (Triple Pack)| TVape USA You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Pods also expand morning fluid checks to include the lazarette. Great Product. Obviously, you have run over fish to get a bite, but we proved that pod-drives were no fearsome thing. I was surprised by how light and long lasting these were. 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. Pods also increase fuel economy and decrease vibration. The New York State Canal is just one of the many great scenic boat trips North America has to offer, and the numerous locks create a lot of tight-quarters maneuvering. 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. Copyright 2023 Marlin Magazine. 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. 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. All told, figure $500 per engine annually, plus haul-out fees. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. That gives customers a stronger comfort level than an offshore service hotline.. 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. And, if you preferred to stand, Viking built the helm so you could control the pods with traditional dual levers.. Like most everything, making the decision to go conventional or pod is a personal choice. Simply pop in a pod and enjoy your herbs. Okay, the motors cost about $80,000 and $90,000, respectively. (Changing engine oil at least yearly is a good idea, too, even if you dont hit the hour limit.). Arrogant factory leadership, poor parts fill, and high parts prices scared me off. Inboard fans argue that the pod-drives lack torque. 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. Thanks to all.just the practical advice I was looking for. His company, Siebert Yacht Management commissions and maintains most new Sabre boats delivered to Palm Beach County, Florida, giving him considerable experience with Volvo IPS drives on Sabres 38- and 54-foot models and with Cummins Zeus drives on Sabres 42- and 48-footers, as well as those same hulls with conventional shafts. 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. Please note that to purchase a vaporizer from this website you must abide by local laws and be a minimum of 19 years of age. Hes also found them to be extremely reliable. Today, 250s are middle of the road: Triple and quad 300s are common, and 400s built for everyday use are available, too. Petzold said he thought that was about right, even almost four years later. You get a little cavitation but nothing close to the noise from shaft-drives, he says. is ryan bingham related to ken curtis. But how much more, and how complex is pod maintenance? Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Whats another three grand, compared to the cost of a boat big enough and upscale enough for 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. Yes, BM, thanks for all the info and posting your actual experiences always adds a lot of value to any discussion. 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. (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. 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. And the Zeus pods also came with a joystick. Youre going to ruin more with a straight shaft than with IPS.. If one engine vibrates but the other doesnt while in neutral, the problem is likely in the always-turning jack shaft. 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. When you back down an inboard, the rudder posts start vibrating, and the boat sounds like its coming apart. Disappointing, but then again whens the last time you worked on your car? The props themselves are patented. Being new to power boating, I selected this configuration for ease of docking and it has been fabulous. I love these things, they are super convenient to load, insert, and clean. All rights reserved. Pods are more prevalent in the pleasure-yacht category than in sport fishing. Bottom Line. (Do the same with outboards and stern drives.) 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. All in all saves a lot of cleaning hassle and maintenance costs- cleaning is primarily focused on the mouthpiece and associated parts with a quick wipe of the chamber. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. The Arc GTS is no . 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. By using a vaporizer, you understand that inhalation is inadvisable as it may be harmful, and use of a vaporizer is done at your own risk. Finger pointing is worse in any situation when it is out of warranty, then you are left on a deserted island. 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 . Viking offers four versions of its 42, all with pods, and according to company director of communications Peter Frederiksen, they sell well. maritime ships for sale near vienna; octagon mirror feng shui; does zwift work with proform That means a haulout to remove the break-in lube and replace it with the normal lubricant. Partly because of their angle of attack and partly because of their slightly forward position under the hull, pods gave more speed, better acceleration and more miles per gallon on the same horsepower. Not cool to open two threads on similar subjects, yup, definitely my bad, rookie mistake, thought I was posting in the forum the first time around. The problem vs. Volvo is that the Zeus Cummins combinations are limited by Cummins engine sizes and that limits them on larger boats. 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. 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. Some had forward-facing propellers.
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