Volvo IPS - CMD Zeus

They've got more than that. Details to follow...

Yanmar Drive Leg Product

And I was led to believe by a rep from Yanmar that they will soon have a system as well.....any hints or details??

Four drives. Eight props. Twenty-four blades. So many reasons...

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/general-yachting-discussion/5860-fast-three-letter-word.html

Having now spent some time with both the Zeus system as well as the IPS, I must admit that I liked the Zeus drive system a bit more. The joystick did not require holding down a button to activate it, the system was unbelievably responsive and the VesselView display was phenomenal. While the IPS is still a great system, I must admit that I'm like most others in that I like my props sheltered a bit behind the drive.

On a sidenote- A local 44' vessel with twin Zeus drives bottomed out snapping off the breakaway skegs and damaging 3 of the 4 props. Total came to $12k!!!

there has been some testing done with a 45ft yacht (we are building) and zeus. the yacht was doing 7mph and hitting a concrete barrier with the drive on purpose.. the same at 30 mph.. damagage? it sheered the drive off as designed. divers went down, got the drive and bolted it back on after removing the broken screws.. no further damage to the vessel or drive.. no oil-leak.. try to do thid with a ips and you loose your boat..

i also think the zeus handles much better..

Stefan

My understanding is that's exactly how IPS is designed to react also. Does anyone have any real-world test data on IPS hits?

You are right NYCAP, this is how IPS was designed. http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/7332-post1.html

With the props facing forward, there could be more damage to the drive than on Zeus, so I should call my insurer before the diver. But the whole idea is that there should be no damage to the yacht.

When I go to Volvo Penta in a couple of weeks, I will ask them how this has come out in reality.

or Yellowfin?

They seem to be able to the same tricks as IPS or Zeus?
I havn't seen any boat builders fitting them yet, maybe its early days bu they look interesting and you can have any engine you choose, or retro fit I believe.
http://www.yellowfin.com/VSDTechnology.asp

Today you can have almost any boat doing the same trick, using joysticks. The Mercruiser Axius is already there, Volvo Penta Aquamatic is soon there, most waterjets have it since many years.

The Yellowfin project looks a little similar to this Swedish high-flying idea? http://www.stormfagel.se/Company1.htm

I've not had the pleasure to try Zeus yet. Loved IPS; not so much Axius. With Axius I had a hard time backing a boat into the current using the stick, and there is a lot of slapping in and out of gear which can't be good. I've also heard about some brain problems.
I find it hard to believe that an individual boat owner ran the zeus drives into a concrete barrier at 7mph and 30mph, but if it happened there must be video. I'd be real curious to see it. Likewise from Volvo IPS. As for prop damage, I wondered at first also, but I think it's more perception than reality. The blades are exposed either way. Plus, if the fuel savings are true it would more than cover the cost of the one prop I've lost in the past 20 years.

Stormfågeln

Interesting, does look very much like yellow fin and for up to 50m vessels.

It is interesting though that we are also seeing increasing interest from users and builders in shaft systems that improve efficiency, is it possible that the increase in fuel costs is helping some parts of the industry develop an understanding of what makes a more efficient vessel?

I don´t know Skiffy, but my experience is that it is not easy to sell new ideas if they are not marketed by an established company, like Volvo or Mercruiser. After all, fuel costs are just a part of the package and people seems to be more concerned about reliability, after-sales service and second hand value.

our very first 46 hull we produced, was shipped to Cummins, who used it for a testing platform.
cummins itself did the test at 7 and at 30 mph.

stefan

I do very much like the IPS but again not the fiddly controls.

The nicest controls I've ever seen were on the 'Octopussy'.

On the jetdrive control you had an individual control for fore and aft transmission and power on each drive but then you could twist the control port and starboard independently to point the jet-nozzles where you wanted.

No computers, just point and squirt. The best was watching her leave a very crowded San Remo Boatshow. The skipper just pointed each jet either side and gently 'blew' the yachts stern-to eitherside of him apart and just moved out.
Very cool.

has Zeus actually shipped out yet? Volvo seems to have a good head start on the technology, dont 'they?

as an owner, i'd like to know the replacement costs of the drives AND of some of the ECUs and primary components before making a decision... Cool is nice, but if you have to spend thousands of dollars to replace a bad ecu a few years down the line... yikes.

the peace of mind brought by pod technology is nice though... nice to know that the props, struts and rudders won't damage the hull...

Stefan,
I'm just a skeptical type person. Why would Cummins be sitting on such a valuable advertising tool and why wouldn't Volvo duplicate the test. I know that both units are meant to break away and seal the hull in the event of a catastrophic hit. I'm sure they've both worked it out on the computers, but does anyone know of either company smashing one into a concrete barrier, and where is the video? Also, "no further damage to the drive" after hitting a concrete barrier at 30 mph?

zeus has been out now for at least 1 1/2 years as far as i know.
we still had some set-up option and programming issues.. as it is with each new products, but it has been working so far pretty good.
our new , smaller yacht will be with mercruiser axius.. i just hope, it handles as same as good.
as for the test.. you find a write-up on several cmd reports, but i could not find the video online.. they showed it at our company once.

one advantage i see on the zeus is, that if you hit a object, it will definately damage your props on the ips. the zeus has a large trimtab just above the props, so when the unit get's sheered off, the tap stays with the drive and protects the hull as well as the props from damage.


hope that info helps

soon after one of it's first appearance at a show, a demo driven by factory engineers (was it cruisers or tiara?) with IPS ran up a sandbar at high speed on the ICW. some broken bones i think, and some damage but the hull wasn't breached. the incident was widely reported back then 2 or 3 years ago.

I just get a a little nervous at the thought of computers running my steering gear thru servo motors/pumps... i know an hydraulic line can fail too but not as darmatically as having one set of props turned 30 degrees.