I like the targa 44 but dread the thought of ips,

[hullabaloo]

Does an ips pod need new seals as a service item ?
if so how often?
what other periodic service cost is involved ?
thanks

 

[Nigelpickin]

Does an ips pod need new seals as a service item ?
if so how often?
what other periodic service cost is involved ?
thanks

This should be a useful link
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/932445/Volvo-Penta-Ips.html?page=83#manual
No is the answer btw.

This might also be of interest and the cost mentioned certainly reflect my experience across 5 years of IPS and Zeus boats.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.po...ow-to-make-the-pods-on-your-boat-last-forever

 

[kashurst]

I think some 44s came with outdrives, alternatively targa 47.

 

[mcanderson]

Nigel — thanks for that link. Lots of good info on things not just pods.

 

[hullabaloo]

I think some 44s came with outdrives, alternatively targa 47.

outdrives on t44 are like hens teeth, (not a lot around).
the t47 is out of my fuel range, I like to use the boat a lot and 90 lph is to much.

 

[[2068]]

outdrives on t44 are like hens teeth, (not a lot around).
the t47 is out of my fuel range, I like to use the boat a lot and 90 lph is to much.

Huh?

Twin D6-370 or IPS500 will be burning about 100l/h at a fast cruise.

In many ways a pod is better than outdrives - no external steering or trim rams, plus 370/400hp is quite close to what a DP/H drive can take without munching gears (mainly applies to earlier DP/H). Also a joystick on drives involves lots of whirring and thrashing of foamy water, whereas joystick on pods is much smoother.

Main thing pods don’t have is shallow water capability. Pods can be wallet busting if things do go wrong, but then again, the same applies to engines.

.

 

[rubberduck]

Just make sure they are serviced properly, the previous owner of our boat gave the job to a VP main dealer who cut corners (unknown to the owner), ended up costing BCU a few quid on one of the drives. I would imagine the dealer has been spoken to.

 

[hullabaloo]

This should be a useful link
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/932445/Volvo-Penta-Ips.html?page=83#manual
No is the answer btw.

This might also be of interest and the cost mentioned certainly reflect my experience across 5 years of IPS and Zeus boats.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.po...ow-to-make-the-pods-on-your-boat-last-forever

good links thank you,

it would seem by link 2 (not 1) , they need new seals every 5 years, i would be tempted to move that to 4 years for the safe side.
i am stating to feel better about ips.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Seals need to be inspected not replaced unless failing.
If you run the boat in accordance with the service schedule and don’t foul the gear, you should not need to replace for a long time.
There is some evidence that running IPS on rivers with shale beds can cause issues but I’ve spoken to several Loopers who happily transit the ICW with IPS boat.

I think that the 2.5k per year figure for engine servicing is the one that you need to consider, along with availability of a good engineer - if both of these are manageable then great

Do make sure to get a Volvo engineer to inspect the gear and paperwork when you get to the survey stage - if all the recalls and updated have been carried out (and there have been plenty), then the boat has probably been looked after well.

 

[Illusion]

outdrives on t44 are like hens teeth, (not a lot around).
the t47 is out of my fuel range, I like to use the boat a lot and 90 lph is to much.

I would check the overal sums carefully. We had a T44 on IPS and moved to a T47 in 2011. Yes its on larger engines D9 vs D6 and yes its a larger boat, so berthing will increase. However specifically on fuel burn (and we use our boat a lot) the additional cost is not so significant when you look at your overall cost of boating.
Keep in mind also your service costs, as these are significantly more expensive on an IPS 44 and certainly the saving we have now on not servicing IPS pods (and ours were trouble free!!) more than cover the extra fuel burn on the D9’s.

Of course there are other pros and cons to the two boats, which need to be considered. The T44 was a great boat, but the T47 for us offers just that little bit more.

 

[tetleys]

I too considered Targa 44 ips versus Targa 47 D9 on shafts , it quickly became a simple choice for me and three years and 400 hours later running a T47 I feel I made the right choice . The D9 is a more solid unit than D6 , shafts are so planted in the water and ultra simple , fuel burn rate in real life isn’t that much more than ips , berthing marginally more , and T47 is a better and more spacious layout . I think ips boats will become harder and harder to move on the older they get so resale also has to be considered.
IMHO the 47 is a real classic
Cheers
Tetleys

 

[henryf]

I am more old school than a very old school and so view anything other than shafts as technology for technology's sake and given that shafts cost less than a bag of crisps each year to service a waste of money.

HOWEVER, I do appreciate they come with some advantages particularly to more novice or less confident boaters. I also notice that there aren't rafts of horror stories relating to IPS lingering on forums like this very one. Out drive tales of woe are ten a penny but IPS much less common. It's temping to think of IPS as a new technology but I think I'm right in saying it was launched in 2005 and there are plenty of 10 year old IPS boats around now. The other benefit of course is the potential lack of intrusion into accommodation of IPS so builders looking to incorporate that must have full beam owners cabin do tend to make a beeline for the IPS parts bin.

Ultimately given the choice I would go shaft rather than IPS or out drive but I wonder if some of the reaction against IPS by old farts like me is unjustified.

Henry