are zeus pods still being manufacturednicole alexander bio

One drive had a. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 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. Stephen Smith is the southwest sales representative for Caterpillar. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. The lids are essential and for one-time use only. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them. By turning one engine pod at a sharper angle than the other in a turn, they could narrow its radius. The maneuverability of the boat is what sells it, especially in close quarters, he says. Use of Cookies: ZF Friedrichshafen AG uses cookies to continuously improve the website and optimize its design. Once offshore, I spun the boat in a complete 360-degree rotation on its own axis in less than 14 seconds. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. 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. The pod version of the 42 Sabre, for instance, adds a queen bed and more stowage to the guest stateroom, as well as the option for a washer and dryer. 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. If one engine vibrates but the other doesnt while in neutral, the problem is likely in the always-turning jack shaft. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Another benefit comes from counter-rotating props on the pods. 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. 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. are zeus pods still being manufactured. Zeus offers dramatically improved high-speed handling and delivers up to: 30% improved fuel economy 15% faster cruise speed Theres no free lunch, so there must be a hidden cost that no ones factored in.. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work out of warranty. (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.). Sounds like another good option to me. 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. You need go no farther than your marina to hear a list of suspects. They bite hard and wont let the engine spin up.. Youre going to ruin more with a straight shaft than with IPS.. We raised several white marlin, and caught a couple for our junior anglers that were fishing with us for the day. Naval architects have also gotten better at maximizing the efficiencies of pods at all speeds. Inboards props are angled downward, diminishing the power directed toward forward motion. Hes also got a lot of applications engineering in his background. But conventional wisdom no longer applies. All told, figure $500 per engine annually, plus haul-out fees. 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. Thanks to all.just the practical advice I was looking for. 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. But I usually run at 32 miles per hour and get 1.5 mpg, he says. Controlling wind, waves and current. Zeus ArcPods Lid pack filled with 50 paper lids for the Zeus ArcPods (sold separately). are zeus pods still being manufactured. Instead of having to jog throttles and shift levers to effect a maneuver, simply push, pull or twist the joystick and the boat follows the -directions, pivoting in place or crabbing sideways say, into a slip thats just long enough to fit your vessel. Re IPS: Volvo is well regarded for their innovations with IPS. Anderson acknowledges that pods have advantages in some areas and disadvantages in others. Down sides were in the San Francisco Bay Area there is only one person that can work on them. The biggest difference between IPS's and Zeus pods is the position of the propeller. ZF also built far larger pods that could handle far more horsepower. Thats not chump change, but neither is it likely to produce heart palpitations in the owner of a million-dollar vessel. The first American company to install the Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System was actually Tiara. 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. Whats going on here? Being new to power boating, I selected this configuration for ease of docking and it has been fabulous. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Add to Cart. After that, it wasnt up for discussion any longer: The marlin didnt mind the pods at all. Martin Meissner of ZF Marine says engine makers still dont have a handle on the potential volume. Some pods require draining. Can anyone speak to when there were evolutionary changes in the Zeus pods? 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. Thats a hard question to answer, due to the past 15 months, Meissner says, referring to the economic recession. The vaporizers displayed on this website are not intended for or made to prevent, treat or diagnose any illness. Hang around a boatyard, and youll hear at least one horror story about some unfortunate soul who was stranded, or worse, because his pods failed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Volvo Penta introduced the first pod-drive system in 2004. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. If that aint enough, Seven Marine builds a 557- or 627-horsepower small-block V-8 configured as an outboard motor. Today, pod-powered boats are common in any yacht yard, and qualified service and repair technicians are easy to find along the waterfront. The engines are in their normal spot, but then you jackshaft to pods, so you lose space in the lazarette, he says. 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. If one engine vibrates in gear and the other doesnt, its probably caused by fouled or damaged props. The lower units (gear housing) will need to be resealed and I expect to have to do this every 5 years or so. Its more maneuverable than an outboard, and you dont have any engines on the back.. 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. Whether you have pods or conventional props, if your anodes have short life spans, have a pro check for stray current, problems with the marinas shore power, etc. Plus factors and quiet fuel efficient. How to Manage Boat Finances During a Recession, Gamefisherman 43 Express on the Drawing Board, Marlin Expeditions Offers Light-Tackle Paradise in Guatemala. I rarely say this but if your dead set on a pod option I would put Volvos in. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. 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 IMO, Zeus, or any POD drive, would not even be a close 2nd. 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. 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 recommend consulting with a licensed physician before using a vaporizer. The transom stays clean and nobody is complaining of fumes.. And joystick piloting? 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. However, most sport-fishers rarely operate at wide-open throttle. Wouldnt accommodations be the more relevant yardstick? Copyright 2023 Marlin Magazine. 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. The boat never missed a beat, much to Pareds elation. Internal bonding issue and corrosion and a bunch of internal parts had to be changed. Volvo uses SAE 75w140 oil for both the transmission and lower unit. Mark their location any way you can, with a waypoint or a buoy, said Steve Little, president ofTowBoatU.S. A couple of tanks of fuel? 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. The counter-rotating propellers and large rubber grommets the engine is mounted on means reduced vibration and engine noise. Zeus ArcPods - The 3rd Generation of Vaporizers is Here! Pods are more prevalent in the pleasure-yacht category than in sport fishing. 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. 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. Read the owners manual.) Lets have a look. 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. Like most everything, making the decision to go conventional or pod is a personal choice. Weight kills the speed on pod-drives, compared to shaft-drives, Smith says. The downside is that a boat with less horsepower is more easily burdened by loading the boat. To get a good hole shot, Zeus countered with automatic trim tabs and matched the pods with tunnels to reduce draft. I am looking for one that has been treated well and run as close to the ideal as possible. But how do you compare boats? Zeus Pods need to be placed within a specific distance from the transom for a lot of performance reasons and because they include the automatic trim tabs as part of their standard offering. Spencer Yachts was one of the first to embrace pod-drives, including Volvo Pentas IPS and ZF Marines pod-drive system with Caterpillar engines. 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 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.. Around here most mercury dealers wont take it on. The problem vs. Volvo is that the Zeus Cummins combinations are limited by Cummins engine sizes and that limits them on larger boats. Best of the old and the new.maybe. Warranty concerns may shorten the list of service providers. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Im a pessimist, however, and because of this Id budget $3,000, quite an upcharge from just replacing zincs. Maybe.) The most remarkable performance advantage was one that sent every propulsion and boatbuilding engineer to the drawing board to imitate: the joystick control system. 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 vessel's electronics, propulsion and onboard systems. When you put a pod system in, you try to do more with less.. The drive can be simultaneously connected to electric propulsion too. Plan on replacing the anodes at least annually, using the correct alloy: Most pods use aluminum anodes, not zinc. The transmission and steering units are quite robust and I dont expect any serviceability issues from them. If I could afford em, Id get em. 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. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 2875 Jupiter Park Drive Suite 1700, Jupiter, FL 33458, All the Benefits of a Garmin Yacht System, 5 Romantic Destinations for the perfect Valentines Day, A Buyers Guide to the Intellian v240MT Satellite Antenna, Extended Warranty for Your Marine Leisure Products, Follow These Best Practices for Safe Boating, Essential Navigation Equipment and Tech for Your New Yacht, Keep Your Yacht Secure with a State-of-the-Art Security System, 3 Pieces of Tech Every Yacht Owner Should Invest In. Goes without saying: Its got ZF Smart Command 5000 drive-by-wire. While Buckley gets an impressive 50 mph with his pods, quad outboards would likely get another 5 to 10 mph. 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. 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. In standard shaft and prop boats, props lose their bite in close-quarters maneuvering, Smith says. It gets all the bubbles out of the wake, he says. For nearly a decade, pod propulsion looked like it would render inboards obsolete. Cabos sport-fisher benefits from Cummins Mercruiser Diesels Zeus drive. But now thats all gone away. We are not early adopters. Not a lot of guys know pods yet. Petzold uses Propspeed, or some other antifouling paint formulated for underwater metals. 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. 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. The biggest thing marketed to promote the system was its efficiency compared to a regular shaft and prop system, as well as joystick maneuverability. At Volvo Pentas IPS rollout in Mallorca de Palma, identical inboard and pod-drive boats were pitted against each other. Theoretically. I also feel they will continue to loose market share to Volvo. A Bonnier LLC Company. Dont cheap out on anodes, Petzold advised. He gives even higher praise to the Clean Wake exhaust feature. But this was a first for the recreational segment of the marine industry, and there was a lot of buzz and excitement. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. . Over the years, Ive found online forums to be some of the most ready places for first-hand accounts of engine-related problems. Trawlers dont benefit much from pods. 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. Although hes well versed in the care and maintenance of inboards, Anderson was still anxious to run a pod boat. And often, pods do have less torque than shaft-driven boats. KISS Keep It Simple Sailor. I have personally ruled out any boat with PODS, IPS or ZEUS, for those 2 main reasons. The props themselves are patented. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Great contribution Blue Magnolia..that rings true and honest. I liked the ZF right away. But how much more, and how complex is pod maintenance? With quad outboards, Id get about 0.7 miles per gallon. 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. And hitting something hard at speed would strip the pods off the bottom as neat as you please. Zirk fittings require grease in U-joints and at both ends of jack shafts that connect engines to drives. The downside is pod drives are way more complex than conventional propulsion systems; consequently, pod-powered boats cost more to buy and maintain. The Arc GTS is no . Parts for them now have to go through mercury. To determine which, run the throttle up slowly on one engine and then the other. (And when the struts rip out, they can take parts of the hull with them, something that probably wont happen with pods.) Its also hard to put a price on joystick control, which completely changes dockside handling. Volvo has one zinc hidden, but accessible, on the drive itself. Finally theres antifoulant for the drive. I am liking the Searay 44 Sedan Bridge of the ~2009 vintage as those have QSC500s with conventional drives. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. If you dont like the look of outboards, hide em, like Pursuit does in its SC 365i Sport Coupe, with twin outboards concealed by a transom hatch. 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. Todd Anderson recently ran a 50 Viking powered by ZF 4000 pods. Plus, when we haul the boat, well catch problems a diver wont see.. 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.. He too is in love with the sport-fish mode and its maneuverability. Use Volvo or Cummins zincs too, which arent zinc at all. No thrusters are required, saving more cash. Using a ZF transmission, it could mate any marine engine (Yanmar and Caterpillar have been popular partners) to its pods. Grant Bentley captains Home Run, a 60-foot Spencer. All my personal experience to date is with 6BTA 370s in a conventional shaft drive arrangement. I had SeaVee owner Ariel Pared with me when we pulled away from the dock sideways, crabbing away briskly from our side-to moor. A failed shaft seal lets water into the pod, with unfortunate and expensive results. 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. ZF 63A with 4BT, flywheel torsion coupler issue??? Boat will operate 75% of the time in displacement/9kt mode, if that is relevant. If you seem to be going through zincs quickly, call an electrician, Fessenden warned. Its like a carnival ride. Its the joystick maneuvering system that sells it. Some really nice high tech features that most will never use. (Changing engine oil at least yearly is a good idea, too, even if you dont hit the hour limit.). But pods makers thought just a few years ago that one limiting factor of the pod market is speed. Thats not me talkingits Bob Petzold, who has as much experience as almost anybody selling, servicing, and repairing pod drives. Long term cost of ownership based on 5- 10+ years of use, cruising long distances at economical wine & cheese hull speeds, ease of service (or just getting service or support) any time/any place. Pull into any port in the world, and theres probably a guy there who can fix it. His experience tells him a similar grounding with conventional shafts would have been much worse, perhaps even damaging rudder or strut supports badly enough to flood the boat. Reply To: Cummins QSB Low Battery ECM Voltage, Marine Age the REAL age of a Marine Diesel Engine, Propellers Move Boats, Engines Just Turn Them, Everything you Need to Know About Marine Exhaust Systems, Continuous Duty A Different Perspective, This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated. Unless I lived/boated in the same area where existed the Mecca of Zeus Service Centers (wherever that may be) I would steer clear (no pun intended) . Most new boats developed in the 35- to 45-foot class were pods. 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. Units that under our Hassle-Free Warranty program are covered directly by TVAPE and do not require you to deal directly with the manufacturer. 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. It seems that the Zeus pods have evolved over the years and later systems are more reliable than earlier ones. Smooth, incremental low-speed control. I'll also add that I REALLY like pods for the fuel efficiency (25-40% better) and maneuverability in a twin engine application. how to say hello we are blackpink in korean; hawaii energy issues. Theyre a whole different animal, Siebert said. 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. Im all about new technology. 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. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Obviously, you have run over fish to get a bite, but we proved that pod-drives were no fearsome thing. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

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