Volvo IPS improvements

From what I have been reading over the years pods can have a very limited life (certainly not decades) and replacing them is part of the "pay to play" equation. If the idea of shelling out a sizable chunk of cash in the course of "regular maintenance" is not appealing, I recommend straight shafts. Props, struts and shafts are $$ as they are. I would not own them on a limited budget.

Why are you looking at IPS? If you're looking in that size range I assume you have experience in boat handling. I like IPS, but I view them as something to bring people into boating. Once over 50' I agree with Ocarvan that with their maintenance it's a case of diminishing return and would recommend shafts, especially if you use your boat a lot.

Not sure they are meant to "bring people into boating"...... They provide a level of manoeurability that is unequaled. There is a reason they build tugs with them. But, there is a (large) price to pay for this, and most of us do fine without it, on the water and in our wallet. Same reason most of us don't have $50,000 sound systems on board.

If IPS is your preference, definitely go for newer version. Older units required haul out to change fluid. Newer models can be serviced from the the engine space. I can't speak to longevity but I can say performance with IPS is a plus.

You may also want to contact your insurance company to compare the same boat with shafts vs IPS. I wouldn't be surprised if insurance premium were higher with IPS; only because they are very expensive to repair or replace if severely damaged.

I wonder if a really hard grounding at speed will leave them behind and a sizable hole, or two, in the hull.

Don't mix the sacred with the profane.
Azimuthing propulsion on displacement vessels has been around for ages, but comparing the products of Thrustmaster and the likes to IPS is akin to compare, well, a tug with a pleasure boat.
The reasons why the former needs steerable thrust make the reasons for IPS in the latter laughable, in comparison.

they are supposed to shear off without allowing water in.

Key words.... "supposed to".... Anyone know the test pilot?

I was a Volvo dealer for many years, still prefer a shaft and rudder.

A hard grounding runs the gamut from expensive to devastating. With shaft drive you may bend a prop or you may rip the shafts, shaft logs, struts and rudders out of the boat. In which case you sink. With IPS you may bend a prop, damage the lower unit inside or out or rip the drive unit off. In which case it's designed to seal itself. Pick your poison. The amount of fuel savings and speed increase with IPS is debatable. Where IPS shine is around the dock. It makes maneuvering easy. Where shaft drive shines is in the cost of annual maintenance. That's why I credit IPS with being good for bringing new boaters in and making them comfortable with a bigger boat. That's also why I put the cutoff at around 45'. Once someone is looking at over 50' I expect the buyer to have enough experience to be comfortable docking their vessel. Since experienced boaters tend to avoid hard groundings it then comes down to the cost of the IPS and its annual maintenance.

Very sensible summary NYCAP, I couldn't agree more.

Not sure when what upgrades were done but I think you'll find that older IPS units have either been upgraded or not exhibited problems, and that can generally be verified through maintenance records. So I wouldn't put the year as a deal breaker. I think Fish (who responded before) or AMG would have the best info on when upgrades were initiated. Maybe send them a PM about it.

I very much doubt that anyone will be able to confirm you some specific dates defining the border between the good, the bad and the ugly.
Changing/updating/improving engine components is something that the manufacturers do constantly, also behind the scenes, so to speak.
You can even find two identical engines, both built in the same year, but possibly in different factories and/or with different parts, eventually proving more or less reliable.
In the case of VP for instance, even if I can't remember exactly which engine model was involved, they used either Bosch or Denso injectors+HP pumps. Theoretically identical engines, but after several years the Denso ones became an owner's nightmare, while the Bosch ones were fine.
Anyway, you are in a lucky position now, not having an IPS boat yet: just avoid them all, it's that simple!

You want version D or newer, which I believe is 2012 or newer. A, B, and C had more issues. The steering/sealing ring, prop shaft and carrier seales were upgraded on version D. Older versions the strainer would leak. Stick to D 2012 and newer.

I had 2014 version E and still had lots of issues. Not a motor to buy IMHO.

While this report is nearly 11 years old, it is an interesting deep dive into the failure of the IPS fusible link that resulted in a rapid sinking.

https://turvallisuustutkinta.fi/mat...tutkintaselostus/c32010m_tutkintaselostus.pdf

No boat is unsinkable and no pleasure boat should be expected to survive being run up on rocks at nearly full speed, but this one particular instance where only the pods struck the submerged obstacle, yet did not shear highlights the importance of a solid hull with sound structural members. My question, were I considering a boat with pods, would be whether a surveyor would be able to detect similar structural inadequacies without destructive testing, or if that's even a concern within the year range I were looking at.

Sounds like that skipper was trying very hard to destroy his boat. What do you think would happen to a conventional drive if you hit a rock with its running gear at WOT? Good chance you'd pull the running gear and the rudders out of the boat, and maybe the bottom off. I think what most buyers have to ask themselves is how often they intend to run full bore into rocks. If the answer is even once maybe they should stay on land. If the IPS drive breaks off and seals your boat you're probably getting back in the water a lot faster than if the running gear gets ripped out no matter which drive system you're using. There is no perfect system, and antidotal evidence can be found to bolster any view. (I know of a boat right here on Great South Bay that tore its running gear out of the boat and sank it after hitting the sand bottom there.) IPS isn't marketed as an indestructible system. It's marketed as making close quarters maneuvering easy. Their self-sealing technology is amazing to me even if it doesn't work 100% of the time.

Agree, I was answering the OP's question.

Now for me, I like several boats but they only come with IPS, no matter what I would never purchase one with IPS or Zeus. That may limit my boat purchase, but not interested in spending 100k for new pod if the trans and clutches go bad from water.