Add to Cart. Inboards props are angled downward, diminishing the power directed toward forward motion. Exhaust fumes are emitted into the prop wash. They tasked ZF Marine to bring them a transmission that would mate with their Zeus pod, electronic controls and joystick steering. (Changing engine oil at least yearly is a good idea, too, even if you dont hit the hour limit.). Are they worth it? Sorry, but as an ex-Cummins and Merc dealer, I've lost all faith in the Zeus system. is ryan bingham related to ken curtis. Better fuel efficiency? Instead, Zeus pods came with traditional aft-facing props and the traditional exhaust-through-hub design. (Volvo Penta soon followed suit.). No more packing on the go, just pop in and enjoy. 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 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. 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. The biggest difference between IPS's and Zeus pods is the position of the propeller. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. I rarely say this but if your dead set on a pod option I would put Volvos in. Zeus and ZF have only a few thousand pods in use. Zeus ArcPods Lid pack filled with 50 paper lids for the Zeus ArcPods (sold separately). Sea Ray sells the 460 Sundancer with twin 550-horsepower Cummins diesels, with either V-drive or Zeus drives; the Zeus option adds $113,333 to the $1,004,768 price, according to Sea Ray. The new props dont ventilate, and their position alignment with the keel gave them a decided advantage by leveling the keel on the hole shot. On the Cummins side, only two Cummins dealers on the Chesapeake have been to Pod school. And joystick piloting? 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. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. 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. 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. The engines are in their normal spot, but then you jackshaft to pods, so you lose space in the lazarette, he says. Thats not me talkingits Bob Petzold, who has as much experience as almost anybody selling, servicing, and repairing pod drives. For those first 25 hours, we use a break-in lube, said David Fessenden, a marine applications engineer with Cummins Atlantic. Months later, Mercruiser and Cummins joined forces to deliver Zeus pod-drives to boaters. Will Pod-Drives Overtake Conventional Shafts and Struts? Today, pod-powered boats are common in any yacht yard, and qualified service and repair technicians are easy to find along the waterfront. Also demanding periodic attention are hydraulic steering, transmission, and lower-unit oils. Are the Zeus drives still being produced today? I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work out of warranty. Marlin Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. The sport-fishing world has seen builders such as Spencer and Winter Custom Yachts introduce several pod boats. But pods makers thought just a few years ago that one limiting factor of the pod market is speed. Pods require drive-oil changes every 250 hours or annually. 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. Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists Forums Cummins Marine Engines Zeus Pods: Good, Bad, Ugly?? You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. The lower units (gear housing) will need to be resealed and I expect to have to do this every 5 years or so. Hes president of Petzolds Marine Center (petzolds.com) in Portland, Connecticut, a dealer for both Sabre and Regal, two boatbuilders that moved into pods early in the game. Finally theres antifoulant for the drive. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them. You cant take the grate off to clean or paint in there. His solution is to spray Interlux Trilux 33 or Pettit Alumaspray Plus from aerosol cans inside the seawater intakes. FREE shipping on orders of $100.00 and above. Zeus ArcPods (Triple Pack) - Pod Power | Zeus 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. When you put a pod system in, you try to do more with less.. 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! are zeus pods still being manufactured - momotaro-kaigo.com The Arc GTS is no . Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. I did some work on them but really didnt have the time to become efficient. When a 42-foot pod boat can replace a 46-footer, savings add up fast. You can check these in your browser security settings. (I know you're supposed to replace each use for both the other companies, but it is possible to get more than one sesh out of each pod). Steering Joystick Piloting for Pods - Zeus | Mercury Marine We have a strong global network, says Robert Mirman of Cummins, who leads the charge for Zeus. Full details on shipping can be found here. are zeus pods still being manufactured - xarxacatala.cat Like was said before I mirror there thoughts. Re IPS: Volvo is well regarded for their innovations with IPS. I agree with Rob. Around here most mercury dealers wont take it on. In addition, I enjoy the added efficiencies Tony mentions above. We recommend consulting with a licensed physician before using a vaporizer. 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. Plus, when we haul the boat, well catch problems a diver wont see.. 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. Shafts, Props and a good ole thruster or 2 can have you handling your boat like a POD boat. No thrusters are required, saving more cash. Zincs every year, costing a few bucks, a new Cutless bearing every once in a while, and a couple of brushfuls of paint for the struts and rudders. By continuing to browse this website, you agree to the use of cookies. I am looking for one that has been treated well and run as close to the ideal as possible. If I could afford em, Id get em. Thats not chump change, but neither is it likely to produce heart palpitations in the owner of a million-dollar vessel. 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. For nearly a decade, pod propulsion looked like it would render inboards obsolete. They have shafts, they have props, and they can get more if they need them. When Volvo Penta took the industry by surprise with the IPS, it had patented the forward-facing counter-rotating propellers, patented new propellers for the design and also sent the exhaust out the back of the pod, not through the hub of the props. Not on the pods. (And when the struts rip out, they can take parts of the hull with them, something that probably wont happen with pods.) You must be at least 19 years from Canada and 21 years from USA to buy and/or use this website. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. 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. Grant Bentley captains Home Run, a 60-foot Spencer. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Great Product. Internal bonding issue and corrosion and a bunch of internal parts had to be changed. Some pods require draining. A little cheaper because it was in SoCal. Most studies show that maximum rpm only accounts for about 10 percent of the total running cycle of most boats and engines. Not a lot of guys know pods yet. Neither Health Canada nor the FDA have evaluated the vaporizers, blends and/or statements displayed on this website. And the Zeus pods also came with a joystick. I am considering buying a Meridian 441 flybridge motor yacht, which is 47 LOA and 31,000lbs. Inboard fans argue that the pod-drives lack torque. (Its not a bad idea to do the sameminus the sealsfor inboards.). 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. 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. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. 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. Goes without saying: Its got ZF Smart Command 5000 drive-by-wire. And once the numbers are crunched, are pods worth it? The counter-rotating propellers and large rubber grommets the engine is mounted on means reduced vibration and engine noise. The lids are essential and for one-time use only. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. We created Lids for you to reuse your Aluminum ArcPods. Over the years, Ive found online forums to be some of the most ready places for first-hand accounts of engine-related problems. There are many reasons why everyones not on the pod bandwagon. Were still trying to sort through the answer to that one. Im a pessimist, however, and because of this Id budget $3,000, quite an upcharge from just replacing zincs. (See How Fuel-Efficient Are Pods, Exactly?) The biggest savings might come when the pods aft-located engines add interior accommodations. 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. These come with various engine configurations but commonly, with QSB 425s which can be either shaft-drive or Zeus pods. KISS Keep It Simple Sailor. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. I had SeaVee owner Ariel Pared with me when we pulled away from the dock sideways, crabbing away briskly from our side-to moor. One issue that early pod adopters discovered, usually to their financial surprise, was the necessity of checking the shaft seals regularly, and replacing them on a scheduled basisevery five years is about right for most folks. That said, I have heard good things. But its also highly dependent on the application of the vessel. Pods have more parts, both mechanical and electronic, and conventional wisdom says that means more problems. Pod drives, including the Volvo Penta IPS, Cummins Zeus, ZF Marine POD 4000, and CAT Three60 POD 650 have taken the recreational boat market by storm during the recent past. 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. Sacrificial anode maintenance is both cheap and easily performed by the average inboard boat owner. Seaboard Marine delivers Guaranteed Better Than Factory Performance, Parts, Design, and Engineering for Cummins and other Marine Diesel applications. are zeus pods still being manufactured. Capt. If we can go straight to them and safely lift them into the boat, most tow boat operators are going to charge an hourly fee or a flat fee, and not claim salvage. He too is in love with the sport-fish mode and its maneuverability. are zeus pods still being manufactured - ouseagencia.com Check the status of an existing order here. 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. 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. Most pods require service after a short break-in period at 25 hours or so. Warranty concerns may shorten the list of service providers. Painting pods will cost a bit more too. 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. 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. The first pod-drive was invented in 1955 and went by the generic name azimuth thruster. They were either diesel- or electric-powered, and some were large enough for a man to walk around inside the machinery housing. If you arent happy with the local dealer, you can call the concierge and get a tech in Tennessee. When I troll, I can turn it on and the exhaust bypasses the pod and comes out just above the water. 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. And maneuverabilitywell, any good sportfishing captain can put his ride wherever he wantswithout a joystick. The first boatbuilders installing pod-drives in the early to mid-2000s werent putting them on sport-fish boats. Both throttle and steering. So how big is the pod market? For more information and/or quote, please complete the contact form below. That means a haulout to remove the break-in lube and replace it with the normal lubricant. 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. 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. Check the condition of the seals by inspecting the drained oil for water; the best way is to have the oil analyzed, said Petzold. Spencer Yachts builds an 87-footer with ZF pods, and Smith was integral to the development process. Because they operate independently, pod-drives can be controlled via joystick for superb maneuverability. Anderson acknowledges that pods have advantages in some areas and disadvantages in others. lost surfboards santa cruz. Having the ability to move sideways, spin and dock raises the comfort level, especially for an inexperienced boater who wants to weekend but doesnt want to train on an 18-foot vessel, Meissner says. Comfort Onboard comfort is improved too. The downside is that a boat with less horsepower is more easily burdened by loading the boat. Savings on a long haul might disappear when slowing to navigate a tricky channel or speeding up to avoid a storm. A Bonnier LLC Company. Zeus and the Cummins Inboard Joystick | Cummins Inc. For more information and/or quote, please complete the contact form below. 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. Ignore it and you can forget about that edge in fuel efficiency over inboards. Dont cheap out on anodes, Petzold advised. If one engine vibrates but the other doesnt while in neutral, the problem is likely in the always-turning jack shaft. Zeus service includes changing 0w30 SAE transmission oil, hydraulic steering oil and filters inside the hull as well as 90-weight gear oil outside the hull. 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. Most pods also require periodic removal and inspection of prop sets and seals, and re-greasing of the propshaftsfigure $250 per . We had a few bugs in my first IPS boat. As one broker told me, Its like automatic transmissions. 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. (A complete maintenance schedule, including annual and longer-term items, is in the owners manual, so pay attention to it.). ZF Marine entered the pod fray when its exclusivity agreement with Zeus expired. Zeus ArcPod Lids - Extend your use | Zeus But conventional wisdom no longer applies. Pivoting a boat is simply accomplished by twisting a joystick. The problem vs. Volvo is that the Zeus Cummins combinations are limited by Cummins engine sizes and that limits them on larger boats. Use Volvo or Cummins zincs too, which arent zinc at all. Interestingly, the most notable early prop-forward applications were in ice-breaking ships launched in 1990 an interesting defense to the argument that forward-facing props were too vulnerable to debris. Weight kills the speed on pod-drives, compared to shaft-drives, Smith says. Hes also found them to be extremely reliable. Our white marlin came in hot on the teasers we fished up close to the boat. The vaporizers displayed on this website are not intended for or made to prevent, treat or diagnose any illness. Volvo doesn't offer the option of in-water service. Whats another three grand, compared to the cost of a boat big enough and upscale enough for pod drives? Use of Cookies: ZF Friedrichshafen AG uses cookies to continuously improve the website and optimize its design. 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. The other companies give you a metal lid aluminum or steel, so you would only replace it to your liking when the taste gets yucky. Volvo Penta introduced the first pod-drive system in 2004. The pod-drives gave us the ability to manage the narrow locks and small marinas along that route without a bow thruster. They dont cavitate and they dont ventilate. The first American company to install the Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System was actually Tiara. But now that both Volvo Inboard Propulsion System and Cummins MerCruiser Zeus drives have been spinning beneath boats for more than five years, its time to assess the cost of ownership of pods versus conventional shafts. At first no one trusted them; now you can hardly sell a car without one.. Pods run quieter, cleaner, and more efficiently than traditional props. Definitely good value for the price and performance these offer. To get a good hole shot, Zeus countered with automatic trim tabs and matched the pods with tunnels to reduce draft. Can anyone speak to when there were evolutionary changes in the Zeus pods? In many ways, fishermen a nongendered term that embraces both sexes trust what weve learned over decades of personal experience and the experience of our mentors. The owner of the boat spent almost 40k on the drives themselves and they were just under 8 years old. Pods also expand morning fluid checks to include the lazarette. There are many factors that go into all of this, not the least of which are service and technical expertise to repair the systems, parts availability and costs for purchase and maintenance. Its a whole new world of boathandling out there, one all of us can enjoy. 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. If so, does anyone know whether they will continue to produce replacement drives/parts? Corrosion can cause expensive damage, and quickly, too. Then realized it was a conversation which I figured was private so I reposted here. 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. Much more service options down there. And, if you preferred to stand, Viking built the helm so you could control the pods with traditional dual levers.. Its docking. 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. 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. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. But who cares, really? Pods are designed to shear off without compromising hull integrity. 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. Zeus propeller shafts use a double-lip seal. (Do the same with outboards and stern drives.) 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. 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. Naval architects have also gotten better at maximizing the efficiencies of pods at all speeds. Sabre Yachts, for example, first offered pods in 2008 as an option over straight shafts in the 42-foot express cruiser. 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. (Have they also reduced the docking-related divorce rate among powerboating couples? are zeus pods still being manufactured - burkinaakili.net Ill be limiting my search to non-pod models going forward. 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. Controlling wind, waves and current. Featuring a patented design that provides the simplest solution for vaping on the go with your Zeus 3rd generation vaporizer. Are Pod Drives Dead? | Marlin Magazine What if you do hit something? he says. For a ballpark number, Im deferring to a well-researched article written by our late friend, Capt. Running the boat for too long on break-in oil can shorten the life of the pods innards. "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. 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).