Pod drives in the real world

Maxwell - We only use the joystick for docking and close quarter maneuvering, for example narrow fairway with wind/current. While you could use joystick for No Wake Zones, etc., I don't really see a benefit. We did use the joystick sometimes to hold position in a river while we waited for a lock. We waited between two tugs at a Mississippi River lock for over two hours. We used the joystick at times and the throttles/wheel at other times.

The Loop trip is fun. I'd definitely recommend it. We plan on finishing it this fall. We need to go from Fort Myers, FL to Grand Harbor Marina at the junction of the Tenn River and the Tenn-Tom Waterway to complete our Loop.

Reel Ansty - The first owner (gotta love new buyers that add lots of toys) thought it would be fun to watch the pod drives so he installed a camera and light in the hull directly above each pod. The cameras are connected to our Raymarine E120s. The cameras give me to the oppty to inspect the front prop. I probably turn them on once every month or two. In the picture you posted here, I used my camera to take a picture of the E120 while the diver inspected the props.
 
I'd like to revive this thread as I am perhaps getting closer to a decision on a boat with Zeus POD drives. The information posted here by POD owners was very helpful in getting me to this point. I recently ran the boat and the drives perform as advertised - very impressive. The "Skyhook" feature (holding position by GPS) was also very impressive. I know the system had some bugs initially but it seems that they have been worked out and it is a great tool to be used with proper diligence, of course.

I am curious to hear from POD owners about any maintenance issues you may have encountered.

-Now that you have had them a while, have you experienced any corrosion issues?
-Have you had any systemic failures while operating where you were unable to steer your boat?
-There are obviously some elements of POD drive maintenance unique to the system. Would you mind sharing a few? Does a mechanic qualified specifically with your type of POD system have to perform the winterization on the drives?
-Any forums for Zeus owners (I haven't found one through typical searches)?

Anything further you've experienced or care to share would be appreciated. The earlier posts in this topic really provided some great reading that you don't see in the magazines or hear from the dealers.

Thanks so much!
 
I have run a 44 SR with Zeus a fair amount this summer (Lake Michigan). The one thing that I do like better about it than IPS is that you do not have to push a button to engage the joystick. It is automatically live. The think that I don't like is the fact that Zeus is only available on a small handful of boat brands of which I have very little interest in.

The only problem he has had with the boat is an annoying exhaust temp sensor that had to be fixed numerous times and a water pump. Both were engine issues and had nothing to do with the drives. Cummins stood behind, fixed and more than compensated him for everything.

quote:
Originally posted by sierra

Anything further you've experienced or care to share would be appreciated. The earlier posts in this topic really provided some great reading that you don't see in the magazines or hear from the dealers.

Thanks so much!

Click to expand...
 
All great posts. I did not see any comments though on the cost difference between shearing off a pod, and shearing off a strut or losing a shaft. Many time a hard hit with a typical shaft drive will sink the boat! To my way of thinking, that will always be more costly than a pod sheared off.
 
ZF just came out with a single POD drive for smaller boats. They are trying to target
the smaller single engine boats.
 
ZF Marine 2800 Series POD Drive ZF recently announced the introduction of a pod drive system with docking joystick control for single-engine applications up to 480-hp. This new product could be revolutionary for the marine industry because it will bring the ease of joystick docking to tens of thousands of boaters worldwide who prefer single engine propulsion. The new ZF system incorporates both its proven pod drives with its own bow thruster and black box software to control the system.

From a ZF Press Release, October 28, 2010--

ZF Marine LLC, the North American division of the global ZF Marine Group introduced a revolutionary new approach to POD drive and joystick control technology in small pleasure craft applications. Now joystick control is available to an even larger segment of the pleasure boat market.

In conjunction with SeaVee boats, ZF Marine has developed a complete propulsion system solution around a center console sportfishing application that will offer joystick control and maneuverability while employing the pleasure craft industry’s first single POD driveline.

The ZF bow thruster is a heavy-duty unit that is designed to operate far longer than conventional electric thrusters.

Three Basic Components

The heart of the propulsion package from ZF Marine incorporates 3 main components:

1. The ZF 2800 Series POD drive rated at 480-bhp. This POD has been redesigned to offer 180 degrees of total movement (90 degrees of rotation to both port and starboard from the centerline).

2. The ZF 185 AC Thruster that introduced to the market at last year’s Fort Lauderdale boat show. The ZF 185 Thruster was designed to offer proportional thrust, 30 minute continuous duty cycle, and smooth, quiet operation thanks to a patented thruster tube design.

3. ZF Marine’s proven SmartCommand™ controls with Joystick Maneuvering System (JMS).

Vessel control...simplifed

The JMS system is engaged when the Easidock™ feature is activated via a button touch on the SmartCommand™ control head. During normal “at sea” operation the 2800 POD drive is restricted to 30 degrees of movement in either direction from center. This restriction of movement is released in Easidock™ mode and the POD now has full 180 degree movement.

The ZF 185 AC Thruster is also brought online at this time. As the vessel operator directs the joystick in any direction or combination of directions the JMS system incorporates POD thrust and varying amounts of thrust from the bow thruster. Proportional control of the thruster means smooth engagement, and only as much thrust as needed to move the vessel in the desired direction. Proportional thrust, combined with an electronic compass tied to the main JMS control unit, means there is no vessel yaw during sideways movement.

ZF Marine’s patented iAnchor™ station-keeping functionality is also included in the Single Pod System. With the press of a button, iAnchor™ will compensate for wind and current, holding the vessel’s position to as little as a 3-foot radius.
 
Hey Sierra, I just bought a 2008 Four Winns 378 Vista with IPS...it arrived, got blocked, and stored for the winter without ever even getting it wet after our sea trial and survey! :-( So I will not be able to report until next season! Man it is going to be a long winter...waiting for next summer.
 
Hi Sierra,

We have about 760 hours on our boat (2007 Volvo Penta IPS) and have not had any corrosion issues.

We have had to dock twice on one engine. Once of an engine impeller and once for an alternator - electronic control unit issue. When operating on one engine you are basically driving a big single engine stern drive boat. You won't want to do it everyday but it is definitely workable.

Pod drive maintenance for us has only been oil changes. We use a Volvo Penta mechanic but I don't think you'd need one for basic service.

We live in Florida so winter lay up isn't an issue we've dealt with. I looked at Operator's Manual and it looks like basic winterization procedures. Only thing recommended for pod drives is change oil and filter.

Terry
 
The following is an excerpt from a thread on a brand-specific forum about a pod-shearing incident, copied with permission. Posted with the relevance to this thread in mind, not to resurrect a debate about relying on electronic charts.

quote:
We were bringing our new boat home in early July and went aground in Bayshore Long Island, just off of Fire Island. We were in 19'-0 of water following the channel on our plotter and went to 2'-6 of water in a split of a second. According to the locals hurricane Sandy had changed all of the channels and the electronic charts had not been updated yet. When we got to dry dock by tow we found several other boats had run aground in the same place. We did shear the pods off, noted the spot on the plotter where we went aground and went back to retrieve the pods, which we did. Since it was a new boat Mercury strongly suggested putting new pods on due to the salt water and sand. It took approximately 4hrs to reinstall the new pods.

The other interesting note was that the other boats that went aground were shaft driven and when they hit it punched the struts up through the bottom of the boat, severe structural damage. When we went aground it did shear the pods off and took very little bottom paint off, the fiberglass was not marked.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like they hit the Captree Shoal which has gotten bigger since Sandy.

As a pod owner, I was very nervous in the begginning but as I have been out more and more my nerves have lessened.
I do love the pods. They run very efficient and I can easily manuever the boat in tight situations I would never of done before.

To me the biggest Cons is having so much expensive equipment hanging under my boat. But I guess a sheered pod is better than a boat with strut sticking up thru it!

That article actually just made my day! Thanks!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Britanic

Boat at or marina lost his a few weeks back in little egg

Click to expand...

Bob all I can say is welcome to Little Egg boating this has been a great thread to follow. CuuentSea, Dave can you imagine driving your IPS boat down here? I think the drives are great but it's something I doubt I will be able to afford.
Bill
 
Sounds like the ones that got sheared were Zeus, not IPS, as the poster mentions working with Mecury.
 
I couldn't afford one and in the waters I operate I'd be forever repairing/replacing them anyway. I'll stick with something I can fix...
 
Sounds like all the damaged gear was an operator malfunction. Why do so many people insist on going so fast in shallow and unfamiliar water??????
 
The pod debate is reminiscent of the stick shift vs auto transmission debate and as costs come down will probably be won by pods. I'm like stick shift drivers, comfortable with either.

The only remaining issue I see is the use of three or four pods and engines on larger boats becoming so common. personally I would like to reduce the number of engines in my life not increase them.
 
But due to the increase in horsepower and efficiency they are smaller engines.
My boat runs 2 D4's which are 4 cylinder diesels giving me 800hp.
To get the same horsepower and speed in the shaft boat they use D6's giving 740hp.

I think when you get up to a boat that can handle triples, you can afford the maintenance!

As for people hitting shallow water with pods, I know of 2 boats with shafts that hit that same spot off Captree. Seatow had to pump both boats out as they had severe running gear damage and the struts punctured the fiberglass.

As for people going fast in shallow water, look at this chart and you can see why most don't even see it coming. You should not look where your boat is, but where it's heading. I always zoom out to see the next set of buoys.

Seatow_zps3c6f3a9c.jpg
 
lets see. There was a big storm and lots of the bottom changed. New charts aren't available yet and there is a lot of debris in the water so lets take our expensive boats. pods or not, out and run fast to find the problem spots. Is that GSB boating these days??
 
It was for the first few months of the season. One of the reasons I was a dock mary for April, May and June.
But even then I dinged a prop in 14' of water July 4th.
So you make a good point but with that said, this particular spot has been the scene of many groundings and it is clearly out of the channel. Anyone who cuts a channel is taking a chance.
 
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