Craig
Well-Known Member
- Feb 8, 2007
- 1,044
- Boat Info
- Boatless
- Engines
- Boatless
Never ever would I buy pod boat. Merc or Volvo.
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Never ever would I buy pod boat. Merc or Volvo.
Your loss. I’d argue more consumer dollars have been wasted on sterndrive corrosion damage than Zeus pods.
Your loss. I’d argue more consumer dollars have been wasted on sterndrive corrosion damage than Zeus pods.
I would consider volvo... I wouldn't consider zeus i don't see how this system will continue to be developed. It at least seems that volvo's penta system is being continually developed/improved .
I agree that Volvo IPS drives seem to be doing better than their Mercruiser counterpart.
The reality check is that Sea Ray largest 2020 boat only uses Bravo III stern drives. So given Sea Ray and Mercruiser are owned by Brunswick.....it would seem the age of pod drives (and inboards) for at least Sea Ray boats is over.
I don't know of a single 2020 boat manufacturer that is using Zeus drives which gives me the impression that the product line is finished.
I would be seriously concerned if I owned a boat with Zeus pods. Hopefully Volvo sees it as a business opportunity.
The standard power package for Sabre is now Volvo IPS of various hp rating. The only model in the lineup with Cummins Zeus as an option is the 42, all of the others just have Volvo IPS of different horsepower as options.
You raise an interesting point....If on the Sabre the drives are interchangeable ......I wonder if that might be a long term option to replace the Zeus drives with Volvo IPS.
A couple of my mechanic friends with experience on both say it could be done if Volvo made an adapter for Cummins. As it stands now you would need to change the engines as well which would be ridiculous. It just seems like a business opportunity for Volvo depending on how many Zeus boats are out there.
It would make financial sense for example on a $500k plus boat to change the drives if the IPS conversion was less than $100k. It certainly could improve the resale value.
The biggest obstacle in my mind might be software. The Volvo EVC system is an integrated power train drive by wire set up, i.e. throttle, shift, and steering integrated together.
I have had boats for 40 years, from ski, to Cigarette to 3 Searays. My current boat is a 2013 54 Sundancer with Pods. First boat i had with pods. i was old school wanted to drive the boat with shifters but once started using the pods love them. i did have a pod go out at 400 hours. bottom line i replaced both pods, even though one was still good, at a total cost of $35,000. not a big deal all. you got a million to $1.5 million dollar boat. what the hell is $35,000 every 5-10 years anyhow!
i learned a couple of things
1. make sure change the pod oil annually. (more if heavy use). the proper way is to drain the pod from the bottom. lot of mechanics drain the pods from on top in the engine room. that method can leave dirt in the bottom.
2. old pods had multiple seals with the pod. the new pods the seals are all built in one piece. so no water leaks which is the usual death of a pod. my long time mechanic told me, "change your pod oil you should never have problems with your new pods, ever"
my experience with guys that have pod boats and have problems is they typically don't spend the money to change the oil in the pods. if the oil is changed and there is any milky color to the oil, you can fix the problem at that time without losing the pods.
i am a very happy pod boat owner, and when i hear guys complain about pods, i'd guess more than half have no idea what they are talking about and are repeating what others have said.
signed very happy pod owner
I have had boats for 40 years, from ski, to Cigarette to 3 Searays. My current boat is a 2013 54 Sundancer with Pods. First boat i had with pods. i was old school wanted to drive the boat with shifters but once started using the pods love them. i did have a pod go out at 400 hours. bottom line i replaced both pods, even though one was still good, at a total cost of $35,000. not a big deal all. you got a million to $1.5 million dollar boat. what the hell is $35,000 every 5-10 years anyhow!
i learned a couple of things
1. make sure change the pod oil annually. (more if heavy use). the proper way is to drain the pod from the bottom. lot of mechanics drain the pods from on top in the engine room. that method can leave dirt in the bottom.
2. old pods had multiple seals with the pod. the new pods the seals are all built in one piece. so no water leaks which is the usual death of a pod. my long time mechanic told me, "change your pod oil you should never have problems with your new pods, ever"
my experience with guys that have pod boats and have problems is they typically don't spend the money to change the oil in the pods. if the oil is changed and there is any milky color to the oil, you can fix the problem at that time without losing the pods.
i am a very happy pod boat owner, and when i hear guys complain about pods, i'd guess more than half have no idea what they are talking about and are repeating what others have said.
signed very happy pod owner
one other consideration for those contemplating swapping pod designs. The Volvo pods have forward facing props and the engine is pushed further back in the engine room. Not sure SeaRay designs could accommodate the IPS setup.