Have you seen this yet?

[DCfive]

Looks strange but sounds very cool.Volvo IPS revealed (http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20041101132742mbynews.html)

[TooMuchFun]

Seen it ... looks cool and this technology has been around for a long time, mostly on large commercial level ships. While there is an up side re: power need per performance and for dockside maneuvering applications, especially if you have a twin engine setup; the BIG drawback (and my brother and a host of marine surveyors and service shops are doing cartwheels over in glee) is that there is little to no protection if you beach in the sand, hit something or etc. You'll now instead of shearing off a skeg or kicking a drive up as it breaks away, completely ruin props and drives with a much more expensive fix. Additionally, if you hit something at speed you will rip trench holes in your hull bottom or potentially the whole transom right off as most boats (looked at a few setups on some cruisers) have not built to ensure a contained hull in this event, or put in the proper reinforcement in case of such a mishap.

My .02 ... I would wait a couple/few years to see what happens with these installs.

TooMuchFun

[kevnmcd]

TMF - I would imagine that this is more for the larger ocean vessels. Â*I wouldn't expect people to be beaching those.

DC - Interesting.....I hadn't heard/seen those before. Â*Thanks for sharing.

[TooMuchFun]

Kevnmcd -- the ones I saw up close were installed in a Tiara Sovran 4000. Pretty pricey boat sold mostly out of south Fla. and definitely made for ocean cruising ... over 45' and all the amenities you could dream of. You never know what you're going to run into on the water though and I've seen all manner of these bigger boats crashed into all sorts of things where I grew up. If there is a possibility it will happen http://www.lasvegashotboats.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif ... If I were thinking about this type of boat purchase, I'd wait a few years til the technology was well tested and the safety protections were thought through ...

There's a long article on this boat and the Volvo technology in the Feb. issue of motorboating for those interested. Not a Hot Boat mag, but some good info ...

TooMuchFun

[DCfive]

I agree with you about waiting until some of the bugs have been worked out... That aside- The performance and efficiency asspects are the most intriguing. The numbers are amazing.

[DCfive]

They do address the safety issue in this article:

Increased safety
We now come to what looks like the IPS's Achilles heel: what happens if you hit an underwater obstruction. As you might expect, Volvo have given this aspect a great deal of thought. There are two entirely different scenarios: low speed contact with the bottom and a high-speed encounter with a submerged object.

Touching the bottom at low speed shouldn't be a problem as the skeg on the bottom extends below the propellers. The subsequent vertical force is transmitted into the robust GRP mounting ring inside the hull and assuming the engines are put into neutral promptly, no damage should result.

In the high-speed scenario, the leg and pod will shear off flush with the hull. The lower bearing carrier has been engineered specially to break at a point below the O-ring seal between the fixed and steerable parts of the drive. As the leg bends backwards, the vertical drive shaft simply pulls out of its spline. The inside of the transmission is now open to the ocean but no water can escape into the boat and the vital mounting joint between transmission and hull will remain not only intact but undamaged thanks to the energy absorption of the big twin O-rings.

[DCfive]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kevnmcd @ Feb. 06 2005, 12:51 pm)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">TMF - I would imagine that this is more for the larger ocean vessels. Â*I wouldn't expect people to be beaching those.

DC - Interesting.....I hadn't heard/seen those before. Â*Thanks for sharing.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
You're welcome http://www.lasvegashotboats.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

And I think average boat size is about 40'- 45'.