Zeus pod drives - joystick & skyhook

mjf

mjf

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Finally managed to have a try with this clever system.

The last joystick I used was on a sea trial on a Rodman 41 fitted with IPS drives. performance was good but a tad jurky for my taste. I found manuevering in a calm smooth manner difficult compared to shafts.


I have now had the experience repeated this time on a` cummins mercruiser equipped Sealine F46.

Bloody hell its good! 6 knots sideways - smooth and very powerful. Instruments display what each pod is up to in real time and skyhook that at the press of a button hold the heading and maintains station using GPS input and other clever stuff. Not sure I would want to leave the helm in skyhook mode (in case of GPS signal glitch or elect malfunction) but just super for holding off a berth , fuel bay or whatever in wind , tide etc.


cannot recall being so impressed with anything. props face the 'right way' and no outdrive issues - engine drives via a short shaft to the gearbox and thence down throu the hull to the counter rotating props set at 90 degrees to the keel so no upward/downward thrust issue.

Anyone else tried this yet? Be interested to hear what other think.


Recommended.


Tks to Nick at Sealine S'hampton and James at Puerto Solento
 
Thanks mjf. I can't get excited about these things myself but I can see their appeal to newcomers or those who just like the joystick concept, so they have their place.

Anyway, I have seen IPS close up and disliked, as you do, the white foam created in just a simple manoeuvre. Are you saying the Zeus system manages to run the engines much more softly than IPS, so you don't get all the white foam? If yes, that would be nice.

You going to buy an F46? Do tell!

Also, can you advise what hull number Sealine are currently up to with the F46?
 
I was that impressed i bought a sealine sc47 the joy stick get some getting used to but sky hook is the best thing i have ever used on a boat, sat in guernsey harbour not long ago waiting for fuel for nearly 2 hours pressed sky hook and rad the paper watch all the othe boats we had gone with bobbing around and using plenty of bow thruster we sat next to a bouy and never moved facing the same way the whole time. The only complaint if the tide or wind really strong can still push you side ways i got caught out first time this happened.
Anything for an easy life when you have 3 kids on board!
 
mjf said:
Finally managed to have a try with this clever system.

The last joystick I used was on a sea trial on a Rodman 41 fitted with IPS drives. performance was good but a tad jurky for my taste. I found manuevering in a calm smooth manner difficult compared to shafts.


I have now had the experience repeated this time on a` cummins mercruiser equipped Sealine F46.

Bloody hell its good! 6 knots sideways - smooth and very powerful. Instruments display what each pod is up to in real time and skyhook that at the press of a button hold the heading and maintains station using GPS input and other clever stuff. Not sure I would want to leave the helm in skyhook mode (in case of GPS signal glitch or elect malfunction) but just super for holding off a berth , fuel bay or whatever in wind , tide etc.


cannot recall being so impressed with anything. props face the 'right way' and no outdrive issues - engine drives via a short shaft to the gearbox and thence down throu the hull to the counter rotating props set at 90 degrees to the keel so no upward/downward thrust issue.

Anyone else tried this yet? Be interested to hear what other think.


Recommended.


Tks to Nick at Sealine S'hampton and James at Puerto Solento
Click to expand...

I saw some people on a sales/demo jaunt at Peuto Solento (which really had the right weather for that misname) on Sunday. It was very impressive watching a big boat go sideways quite quickly and clearly in control. There was a lot less wind on Sunday than usual so even I managed to reverse into my berth without making as much of a mess as usual without bow thruster support ;)
 
I agree 100% with your observations having tested many IPS boats and they were all jerky with induced rolling when the pods were slewed, Zeus is light years ahead of IPS, very smooth and predictable and everything is included!
 
jfm - no white froth; it’s actually very interesting to watch the thrust as the pods vector differently. There is a switch that for docking reduces the power by 50% thus allowing for the smooth operation that was achieved. Also the bit I liked was being able to move say diagonally whilst also changing the heading by simply turning the joystick.

I am a fan of shafts and still feel that pods are a bit of an unknown quantity (even the cruise ship masters feel this still with their azipods) but this system has a lot of merit

The props face the 'right' way
Counter rotation etc and design features cause less drag and thus increase efficiency= less fuel burn
The control has 'feel'
Instrumentation is very good indeed
ER space saving is huge
No need for bow thruster
No need for separate auto pilot

I was rather hoping that Bluefin was going to open the future way - but I think its here now with this.

Christ I sound like a bloody advert. Sorry!

One thing - during the test run one engine cut out and we drifted a bit off the intended track. We used the throttles in normal mode once we restarted the engine to get out of trouble........So if all else fails the system can revert to shaft type mode - quite interesting to watch the wheel move to midships when this is activated as the pods move into fore/aft line.


I'm looking forward to actually trying the boat again at sea.

Unsure of hull numbers but Ancasta S'hampton will have a stock boat in the summer I am told.
 
I saw one of their applications engineers do a 'party piece' with a 43 footer...put the nose onto a buoy , then span the boat around it without leaving the bouy... show off! I had a go and found it awkward at first, but clicked on how to use it in about 5 minutes. In a nasty crosswind and a side current, it was easy to dock. (you just pressed a button and the boat stayed where it was whilst you tied up..) I reckon my 4 year old grandson could have docked it, it was that easy...still a bit beyond my mrs who has no idea about spatial relationships... ( ie 43' into 23' doesnt fit...)

Amazing what they can do with engines nowadays compared to even ten years ago...who would have thought you would need to buy a GPS antenna with an engine???
 
Reversing is the easy bit even with side wind or tide going completely sideways with heavy wind is the worst but again its about planning just the same as shaft drives but easyer.
 
I would agree with most of what you say MJF , however I think some of the problems encountered with IPS and the rocking motion, whitefroth etc is that people tend to be a bit ham fisted with IPS, you have to apply power in a more gentle fashion to get the best out of it, start with slower movement on the twist and joystick and once momentum is under way apply more. Nearly everyone that I have seen using it just gives it 'some' and then moan its a bit jerky, same as if you were whapping trottle and gear in and out on shafts or outdrives. The software on Zeus seems to allow more vigourous inputs but then seems to 'soften' out the inputs.

I would agree though Zeus is the better system, the big downside to Zeus is there is only a fraction of the back up of Volvo. Nearly every marina of worth Med or otherwise has a VP outlet nearby whereas CMD are spread much thiner. VP agents have nearly all had time with IPS and most with have fettled IPS over a few seasons now. At a guess not many CMD dealers will have had many units through the yard.
 
I think if the builders did an 'exhibition' or 'have a go' with this stuff they would sell a lot more to the punters..... I couldnt believe how easy it was to do a fairly complex docking compared to a similar boat with thrusters on (no I didnt bump it but had a narrow shave due to dodgy side current), although I think most of us would just go for the fuel saving...

What next, remote control docking whilst you sit in the bar with a beer??? :D
 
AndieMac said:
The next level already exists, for those who can afford it.....an employed skipper :)
Click to expand...
ROTFL, yeah, and the post-next level will be re-learning the skills required to helm a boat and enjoy again the pleasure of proper maneuvering, with no computerised support... :D
 
Conventional shaft joystick systems

Also available to make "life" easier with conventional shaft drives are the ZF marine's JOYSTICK MANOUVERING SYSTEM (JMS) & the soon to start production the Twin Disc Express Joystick System (EJS) ,both does the same movements as pods but needs a bowthruster!
 
I think you should be able to get one of those remote controllers for cars and plane models... scare the hell out of people when they see a boat bearing down on their mooring with no-one at the helm!:D
 
dieselboy said:
I think you should be able to get one of those remote controllers for cars and plane models... scare the hell out of people when they see a boat bearing down on their mooring with no-one at the helm!:D
Click to expand...

their's a chap at the same marine as me who as already done just that to is narrow boat!!:)
 
We first thank you for your information I have found, and 15-meter yacht in Malta of foreign zeus 2800 3500 pod system drives I want to do in malta Where can I get information about prices and the creeping in? If you come too easy to get information, thank you:)
 
take a look at the CMD website, that has some info. You may be able to find out who else other than Sealine has picked this up if you do a search.... I think I saw Azimut had a new boat with them as well...
 
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