Those anodes shouldnt dissolve like zincs do, but both systems should be checked annually. I guess you could say I'm a power user that vapes around 1-2 grams a day and after almost a week of use, I'm still on my first ArcPod. 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. This is our premium store warranty and only select units are covered under this program. (And when the struts rip out, they can take parts of the hull with them, something that probably wont happen with pods.) But this was a first for the recreational segment of the marine industry, and there was a lot of buzz and excitement. Pods run quieter, cleaner, and more efficiently than traditional props. 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. In short, I love my Cummins 6.7 units and I am getting happier each day with the Zeus pods as I learn them and how to care for them. 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. Pods, on the other hand, need annual TLC, and this means skilled work. And if they dont want them, I cant talk them into it.. Weight kills the speed on pod-drives, compared to shaft-drives, Smith says. While Buckley gets an impressive 50 mph with his pods, quad outboards would likely get another 5 to 10 mph. Cummins QSC 8.3 Zeus pods long term support - Engines | YachtForums: We is ryan bingham related to ken curtis. "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. In standard shaft and prop boats, props lose their bite in close-quarters maneuvering, Smith says. Simply pop in a pod and enjoy your herbs. Although hes well versed in the care and maintenance of inboards, Anderson was still anxious to run a pod boat. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Some could be rotated 180 degrees and run adequately facing either fore or aft. Exhaust fumes are emitted into the prop wash. 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. Theoretically. Sabre Yachts, for example, first offered pods in 2008 as an option over straight shafts in the 42-foot express cruiser. Add to Cart. Months later, Mercruiser and Cummins joined forces to deliver Zeus pod-drives to boaters. Over time, fishing line will damage the seal, and it can score the shaft, too. Some captains claim that the pods are too tall, requiring a higher deck to cover them. The biggest difference between IPS's and Zeus pods is the position of the propeller. 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 Its like a carnival ride. Use Volvo or Cummins zincs too, which arent zinc at all. 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. (A complete maintenance schedule, including annual and longer-term items, is in the owners manual, so pay attention to it.). Volvo doesnt offer the option of in-water service. 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. What does a shaft-type propulsion system really need? Can anyone speak to when there were evolutionary changes in the Zeus pods? Cummins expert Rob Mirman gives an overview of the Cummins Zeus pod drive system at the 2013 Miami International Boat Show. 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. Cummins Zeus Pod Drive System for Recreational Marine Using a fresh arcpod lid enables you to visibly see which one of your pods is used and which ones have been depleted. Pods: Fad or Future? | Marlin Magazine The sport-fishing world has seen builders such as Spencer and Winter Custom Yachts introduce several pod boats. However, I think the best application I have run to date was a 39-foot SeaVee with pod-drives. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. 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. Shafts, Props and a good ole thruster or 2 can have you handling your boat like a POD boat. Spencer Yachts was one of the first to embrace pod-drives, including Volvo Pentas IPS and ZF Marines pod-drive system with Caterpillar engines. Diamond Steel > Blog > Uncategorized > are zeus pods still being manufactured. The maneuverability of the boat is what sells it, especially in close quarters, he says. Volvo Penta introduced the first pod-drive system in 2004. If you arent happy with the local dealer, you can call the concierge and get a tech in Tennessee. Zeus propeller shafts use a double-lip seal. We didnt have to touch it until we got back to San Diego.). 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. 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. That boat was an agile-handling rig for sure. 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. Petzold uses Propspeed, or some other antifouling paint formulated for underwater metals. Using a ZF transmission, it could mate any marine engine (Yanmar and Caterpillar have been popular partners) to its pods. Nor did I want to. Sorry, but as an ex-Cummins and Merc dealer, I've lost all faith in the Zeus system. Plus, when we haul the boat, well catch problems a diver wont see.. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Thats opened up more opportunities and options for OEMS.. 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. While it is possible to reuse lids to reduce your consumption cost, they will impact the flavor negatively, same way as a disposable cup will impact the flavour of your coffee negatively if reused. 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. 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. Dont cheap out on anodes, Petzold advised. 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. I want to comment on how well Mercury backs their products. 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. Thats not chump change, but neither is it likely to produce heart palpitations in the owner of a million-dollar vessel. With the pods, there is only a very slight, nearly unnoticeable change in the amount of flavor in the vapor, but it's a very small trade-off for the level of convenience that they deliver. Today, 250s are middle of the road: Triple and quad 300s are common, and 400s built for everyday use are available, too. 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. how to say hello we are blackpink in korean; hawaii energy issues. It turns out that if I went with the new Cummins 550s and straight shafts, the IPS is a little cheaper., Sport-fish mode. 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. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Like most everything, making the decision to go conventional or pod is a personal choice. pathfinder kingmaker river's justice . 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). Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Its like a orange and all they work on is apples. 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. I liked the ZF right away. The biggest fear boaters have is not about running out in the open water. Buckley dismisses the fear of forward-facing props. Oh boy, the lids. 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. Goes without saying: Its got ZF Smart Command 5000 drive-by-wire. Our white marlin came in hot on the teasers we fished up close to the boat. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. SeaVee no longer builds inboard boats, but that was a neat one. 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. 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. (See How Fuel-Efficient Are Pods, Exactly?) The biggest savings might come when the pods aft-located engines add interior accommodations. Im all about new technology. After that, it wasnt up for discussion any longer: The marlin didnt mind the pods at all. Change the fluids annually, or every 250 hours of operation. He ran the boat down to sell it down there. Its hard to tell if sport fishermen will take to it. There support network is much better and to me is a better product. I was always an outboard guy, he says. Thats not me talkingits Bob Petzold, who has as much experience as almost anybody selling, servicing, and repairing pod drives. Zeus Pod Drive Transmissions. Okay, the motors cost about $80,000 and $90,000, respectively. Zeus ArcPods are finally here! Yes, BM, thanks for all the info and posting your actual experiences always adds a lot of value to any discussion. Once offshore, I spun the boat in a complete 360-degree rotation on its own axis in less than 14 seconds. 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. We recommend consulting with a licensed physician before using a vaporizer. 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. The biggest thing marketed to promote the system was its efficiency compared to a regular shaft and prop system, as well as joystick maneuverability. I am considering buying a Meridian 441 flybridge motor yacht, which is 47 LOA and 31,000lbs. Everyone fears the unknown, especially boaters, many of whom still consider pod drives something alien. The problem vs. Volvo is that the Zeus Cummins combinations are limited by Cummins engine sizes and that limits them on larger boats. 2023 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved. Pivoting a boat is simply accomplished by twisting a joystick. 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. Zeus Pods | Sabre Yachts Martin Meissner of ZF Marine says engine makers still dont have a handle on the potential volume. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. When pods shear off, their recovery might cost a huge percentage of their value. (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.) Learn more about the 3rd Generation of Vaporizers is here: https://bit.ly/3xm5ASYThe patented Zeus ArcPod is a sin. We are not early adopters. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. 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. Make sure theyre specifically trained, or at least have several years of experience, Siebert said. And once the numbers are crunched, are pods worth it? 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. 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. Another benefit comes from counter-rotating props on the pods. So how big is the pod market? Around here most mercury dealers wont take it on. You can also change some of your preferences. Each pod turns independently of the other, giving remarkable maneuverability. 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. We back it up with a concierge service. 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. Full details on our program can be found here.