Volvo Ips...

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

I would really appreciate opening a general discussion on same - installation photos - pros and cons - conversions - welded aluminum use per Coastal Craft and others - 3D models - all things Volvo IPS from - single to dual or triple installs - and to my favourite - quad installations - perhaps Volvo could be pursuaded 'by us' to provide some public access 3D files for designers and builders considering same for their propulsion considerations...

SH.

[Willallison]

Personally I'm yet to be convinced that this current crop of low to medium powered pod drives - IPS in particular, but also to a lesser extent Zeus - are really the great leap forward that their marketing departments would have us all believe.
Yes, they are more efficient (both in terms of performance and packaging) than conventional inboard / shaft drive installations. But no more so than sterndrives. Mercruiser have now brought the same kind of low speed manouvering advantages to their sterndrives, so that's no longer the deal-breaker that it was.
They're also hellishly expensive. If CMD and Volvo had put the same kind of development $'s into sterndrives there's no reason why we couldn't see legs capable of handling the same sort of power that pods do. Konrad have been doing it for years.
My main gripe however - and IPS is far worse in this respect than Zeus - is that they are so vulnerable to damage. Large ships and even some superyachts have used pod-type systems for years, and here they truly shine. But recreational boaters, have a habit of bumping into things. They also like to anchor close to the beach.
I just don't see the point......