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  • #38443

    Paul Greenhalgh
    Participant
    Vessel Name: ADELAIDE
    Engines: QSB6.7 480
    Location: Sydney
    Country: AUSTRALIA

    I am considering buying a Meridian 441 flybridge ‘motor yacht’, which is 47’ LOA and 31,000lbs. These come with various engine configurations but commonly, with QSB 425’s which can be either shaft-drive or Zeus pods. All my personal experience to date is with 6BTA 370’s in a conventional shaft drive arrangement.

    I am after some of Seaboard’s famous frank and honest advice: should I run away from pod drives….or go for them if they have a solid maintenance track record which I need to commit to maintaining….or go for them without hesitation because they really are the better technology? Boat will operate 75% of the time in displacement/9kt mode, if that is relevant. Looking at other online sources, people seem to be in Love or Hate camps….what are the facts please?

Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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  • #161018

    Mark Rinker
    Participant

    Mercruiser Zeus Pod Owners Group

    Lots of helpful information found here

    Mercruiser Zeus Pod Owners Group

     

    The most important upgrade for Cummins QSB / Zeus owners is the Seaboard Marine water pumps and impellers!!!    Keeps the temperatures down and extends the life of the steering seals.    Cool water flow is key!

    #38534

    john
    Participant

    I see the cummins split from Zeus around here was not a good thing myself. They have the only tech here that will work on them. Parts for them now have to go through mercury. Around here most mercury dealers won’t take it on. It’s like a orange and all they work on is apples. I also feel they will continue to loose market share to Volvo. There support network is much better and to me is a better product.

    #38515

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

    Yes, BM, thanks for all the info and posting your actual experiences — always adds a lot of value to any discussion.

    #38512

    Paul Greenhalgh
    Participant
    Vessel Name: ADELAIDE
    Engines: QSB6.7 480
    Location: Sydney
    Country: AUSTRALIA

    Great contribution Blue Magnolia…..that rings true and honest.

    #38508

    bdunigan
    Participant

    Zeus Pods

    I have a 2013 Sabre 42 with the Cummins/Zeus pod units. I am on the East Coast. Being new to power boating, I selected this configuration for ease of docking and it has been fabulous.

    The pods combine transmission, steering, and propulsion that would otherwise entail separate trans, shaft/prop, thrusters, and rudders. Yes, you need to be concerned about steering and propulsion fluids (lower unit) but you are not dealing with shaft irregularities, cutlass bearing maintenance, and thruster maintenance. That said, the pods are a bit more in annual maintenance. The transmission and steering units are quite robust and I don’t expect any serviceability issues from them. The lower units (gear housing) will need to be resealed and I expect to have to do this every 5 years or so.

    If you get to know these pods and keep regular checks on fluid levels, they will treat you well. Initially, I too was surprised at the lack of trained techs in my area but once I realized you can use Mercury techs that have been to Mercury Diesel school, more options opened up. As Mercury continues to grow its diesel business, Zeus support will grow. On the Cummins side, only two Cummins dealers on the Chesapeake have been to Pod school.

    I want to comment on how well Mercury backs their products. My experience is that they will work with their Cummins/Mercury dealers to lend a hand in unusual situations. I often hear stories about Mercury paying for expensive replacement parts when their Zeus units need work ‘out of warranty’.

    In short, I love my Cummins 6.7 units and I am getting happier each day with the Zeus pods as I learn them and how to care for them. In addition, I enjoy the added efficiencies Tony mentions above.

    Re IPS: Volvo is well regarded for their innovations with IPS. Sabre seems to be moving more and more towards the IPS units over Cummins especially since Cummins and Mercury parted paths several years ago (both still support Zeus drives). I opted to avoid Volvo as my experience with them as a car dealer was poor. Arrogant factory leadership, poor parts fill, and high parts prices scared me off. That said, I have heard good things.

    In sum, with today’s technology, the best combination might be a shaft boat, bow and stern thrusters, and the Cummins power plant with electronic joy stick controls. Best of the old and the new….maybe. Nonetheless, pods are not going away and I hope more marine techs will learn them.

    #38469

    Paul Greenhalgh
    Participant
    Vessel Name: ADELAIDE
    Engines: QSB6.7 480
    Location: Sydney
    Country: AUSTRALIA

    Thanks to all….just the practical advice I was looking for. I’ll be limiting my search to non-pod models going forward.

    #38467

    john
    Participant

    I worked on a boat with Zeus pods for about three years. Like was said before I mirror there thoughts. Plus factors and quiet fuel efficient. Docking is super easy with joy stick controls. Some really nice high tech features that most will never use.
    Down sides were in the San Francisco Bay Area there is only one person that can work on them. I did some work on them but really didn’t have the time to become efficient. Nor did I want to. To me the unit as a whole is way to complex than it needs to be. Four different fluids just to service them. The owner of the boat spent almost 40k on the drives themselves and they were just under 8 years old. One drive had a. Internal bonding issue and corrosion and a bunch of internal parts had to be changed. The other issue was when the owner sold the boat they did a oil sample and found water and both lower units had to be resealed and a main shaft had to be changed. A little cheaper because it was in SoCal. He ran the boat down to sell it down there. Much more service options down there. I rarely say this but if your dead set on a pod option I would put Volvo’s in.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    #38466

    Steve Lewis
    Participant
    Vessel Name: Just Us
    Engines: Cummins 480CE
    Location: Marblehead, OH
    Country: USA

    Paul,

    I agree with Rob. From a long term maintenance perspective you are better off with a conventional drive line. As you will find by reading the articles on this forum about prop load and engine life, the resulting need to swap out your props with the Pods is expensive when compared to regular shafts and props. Those meridians are not as over propped as other boats in the Brunswick family, based on my reading of boattest.com performance tests, but you will need to change out the prop set eventually and that means 4 different props for the ZEUS. Each pod has 2 props and they are different. Blades, pitch etc… Read some of the posting by Tom Bartolomei about what he has been doing with his Sabre to tune the prop sets on his pods.

    I am looking for a larger boat in the same size range as you. I have personally ruled out any boat with PODS, IPS or ZEUS, for those 2 main reasons. Ongoing maint costs and difficulty of changing/replacing props over time. The pods require yearly maint that is beyond what regular trans, shaft and prop systems require. Rob makes a very good point about service network and availability of skill in your intended cruising area.

    I am liking the Searay 44 Sedan Bridge of the ~2009 vintage as those have QSC500’s with conventional drives. I am looking for one that has been treated well and run as close to the ideal as possible.

    KISS – Keep It Simple Sailor. Shafts, Props and a good ole thruster or 2 can have you handling your boat like a POD boat.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
    #38464

    Tony Athens
    Moderator
    Vessel Name: Local Banks
    Engines: QSB 6.7 550 HP
    Location: Oxnard, CA
    Country: USA

    Zeus Pods?

    Short term fun, handling / high end features, and higher speeds vs. shaft drives at the same total (no too heavy) weight– Mostly yes to these parameters, ZEUS would come in 1st.

    Long term cost of ownership based on 5- 10+ years of use, cruising long distances at economical “wine & cheese” hull speeds, ease of service (or just getting service or support) any time/any place. ……. IMO, Zeus, or any POD drive, would not even be a close 2nd.

    Tony

    #38445

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

    Unless I lived/boated in the same area where existed the Mecca of Zeus Service Centers (wherever that may be) I would steer clear (no pun intended) …. Especially if you plan on going on extended trips — Pretty much wherever you ventured you would have always found someone to get you out of trouble with your 6BTA 370’s and conventional drive line but if things go wrong your odds of getting the help you need and having anything left in your wallet (or hairs left in your head) could be less than favorable. Yes they are neat and intriguing as to handling, fuel economy and socialability but all at the price of a steep servicing regiment, a potential for high costs and high stress trying to get the proper qualified servicing or repairs and more computer technology to troubleshoot and stay on top of as to firmware updates, gremlins, etc.

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