Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists › Forums › General Discussion › 2011 Zeus Pod Drives Any Good?

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  • May 27, 2023 at 4:16 pm #149146

    Bart Franey
    Participant
    Vessel Name: TBD
    Engines: Cummins QSB 5.9 Zeus Pod Drives
    Location: FL
    Country: United States

    I’m considering the purchase of a 2011 Sabre 40 sedan with Cummins QSB 5.9 Zeus Drives, bow thruster, and skyhook controls, 905 engine hours. The boat is located in Florida and has been used exclusively in salt water; the boat would be berthed in the St. Petersburg area. Previous boat was a DeFever 49 CPMY with twin Perkins 135s straight shaft drive with Vetus bow thruster.

    What am I getting into with these pod drives that are now 12 years old? Maintenance, reliability, tech service in the Tampa Bay area, available parts, etc.Ā 

    Thanks for your advice.

    Bart

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  • May 28, 2023 at 4:17 pm #149177

    Richard Dodson
    Participant
    Vessel Name: SWAY
    Engines: 6CTA 8.3 480
    Location: Kent Narrows, MD
    Country: USA

    No Pods

    Too unreliable and try finding someone competent to work on them. Hit something with an inboard nowhere near the hassle and expense you would have with pods.Ā 

    May 28, 2023 at 7:54 am #149162

    Rob Schepis
    Forum Moderator
    Vessel Name: Tenacious
    Engines: 6BTA 5.9 330's - "Seaboard Style"
    Location: Long Island, NY
    Country: USA

    Your concerns are a valid one as that is a complete “180” from the simplicity of your straight drive twin screw Perkins that you are used to.Ā  Even if you have bottomless pockets for all the deferred maintenance, routine maintenance and breakdown/repairs, it is the “downtime” and the fact that you may become quite dependent on others with that setup which can all lead to piles of frustration.Ā  I’m old school and go by K.I.S.S. so this would never be a route I would take, but that’s just me.Ā  Here’s one prior thread that had some positive feedback from an owner.

    Zeus Pods: Good, Bad, Ugly??

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