Browsing: IPS

Boat Reviews
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Award-Winning Azimut S7: Lots of Innovation, Performance and Luxurious Italian Style. See the Video

The new, highly creative 70-foot, four-cabin Azimut S7 won the “European Power Boat of the Year” for over 45-foot yachts at the Dusseldorf show in January, recognizing its innovative features inside and out. Azimut used a lot of carbon in the S7, particularly in the superstructure, to keep the weight – and the CG – down, while triple Volvo IPS1050 pod drives propel the luxury-filled Italian-built cruiser to a 36-knot top speed. The exterior styling, by Stafano Reghii, gives the boat an aggressive low profile with a raked front windshield, aft-set flybridge, and diamond-shaped deckhouse windows that showcase the play…

Boat Reviews
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New Prestige 630S Will Launch in Miami, a 30-Knot Cruiser with Contemporary French Flair

The new, aggressively styled Prestige 630S with a light-filled interior and proud French pedigree will be launched in the U.S. at the Miami Yacht Show on Collins Avenue, starting Feb. 15. The newest in Prestige’s SportYacht lineup, the 630S has three cabins (plus a captain’s quarters) and a 24-knot cruising speed powered by twin 725-hp Volvos with IPS950 pod drives. Inside, the 630S has a clean, contemporary, European-styled salon, with luxurious settees and a dining table where guests can enjoy 360-degree views from windows all around. In addition, a large sliding glass sunroof lets in more light and fresh air…

Boat Reviews
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New Legacy 42 IPS: A Classic Mark Ellis Design with State-of-the-Art Performance

The Legacy 42 IPS is a classic Down East cruiser with two cabins and one head and a traditional look that will never go out of style. Legacy originally introduced the 42, designed by Mark Ellis, about ten years ago; now, under new ownership by Tartan Yachts in Ohio, Legacy is reintroducing it with Volvo’s pod drives, a proven hull shape, advanced composites and a luxurious interior. The modified-V hull carries an 18-degree deadrise at the transom and has wide chines for stability. Driven by twin Volvo 400 IPS engines (310-hp), the 42 cruises at 28 knots, burning about 19…

Boat Reviews
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New Sabre 45 Salon Express: Made in Maine, Delivered in March

One of the reasons that Sabre Yachts has built, and maintained, a leadership position in the power cruising market is that the Maine-based company keeps introducing new models, in good times and bad. Now it has just delivered hull number one of the 45 Salon Express to its new owner in Florida. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and 48-foot models, is an all-new design with two staterooms, two full heads, and the built-in-Maine lines and craftsmanship that help define all Sabres. The master stateroom is forward, with an island bed and several lockers and drawers for storage…

Cruising Life
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Volvo Launches New Joystick for Twin Inboard Boats with Shafts, Wins Innovation Award

We all know about Volvo’s revolutionary IPS pod drives, and how they make docking and controlling a boat easy, and actually fun. But now Volvo is going one step further, introducing its new Volvo Penta Joystick for Inboard system, also controlled by a joystick, that makes docking and boat control just as easy for conventional twin shaft-driven inboard boats. The Joystick for Inboards is indeed new and different: It just won a prestigious Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show. The new system has the first joystick for twin inboard shaft installations with integrated rudder, engine and bow thruster…

Engine Room
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Volvo Penta IPS 15: Lighter, More Efficient, More Maneuverable

I tested the very first Volvo IPS drive back in 2005, when the engine company put two of their pod drives in a Tiara 38 to see how they would work on a recreational boat. Pods, of course, had been used for years on commercial ships, but this was the first on an American production boat. With two Volvo engineers, I cruised from Sandusky, Ohio, on Lake Erie, up to St. Ignace, Michigan, next to the Mackinaw Bridge at the top of Lake Huron. The test, of course, was a home run. At the helm, we turned a joystick to…

Engine Room
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Volvo’s New Engines, IPS Drives and Joysticks for Cruising Boats

Volvo Penta has good news for cruising powerboat owners. It just introduced a new D8 diesel engine for boats in the 45- to 55-foot range, larger IPS pod drives for that engine, and new joystick controls for traditional shaft drives, all under the company’s theme of “Easy Boating.” The new D8 diesel is designed for both IPS and inboard shaft drives, giving cruising powerboat owners a broader selection of power systems. The D8 is an eight-liter, six-cylinder, inline diesel; it’s new to the recreational boating market, although it’s been used in Volvo trucks and buses for the past three years.…

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