Swift Trawler 50
- Thread starter Leonel23
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Comodave
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Welcome aboard. The IPS pods can be a maintenance issue. A friend was crewing on a delivery of a ST50 from Maine to Florida. They had multiple trip interruptions, 5 times. And had to wait weeks for a Volvo technician to get there to work on it each time. The vessel owner finally gave up and told the dealer to deal with getting the boat to Florida. Volvo support in the US leaves a lot to be desired.
The IPS system works fantastic. Efficient, great maneuvering, low vibration. That’s the good. The problem is service and parts. Forget the expense. Everything is expensive. Finding a certified tech where you need one can be a problem. Also parts sometimes need to be air shipped from across the pond. These things can get frustrating if you are not in a comfortable port. Generally the Atlantic side has service and the lakes. The river may not be so easy. I would opt for conventional equipment . Shafts , props , rudder
The handling is the marketing / selling point but the list of positives is not enough to offset the negatives IMO.
I have a good friend with a Tiara w Volvo. & IPS. Had to haul & replace props twice while we traveled w them... once stbd side hit a log and took out a set of duoprops. The good news was the pod had no damage.
2nd time hit something submerged and again had to replace a set.
Props facing fwd and completely unprotected are a problem waiting to happen.
Volvo parts & service difficult as others have pointed out.
Gear Oil change in pods requires haul out.
I would consider a thruster if you think twins alone not maneuverable enough.
No pods for me.
I have a good friend with a Tiara w Volvo. & IPS. Had to haul & replace props twice while we traveled w them... once stbd side hit a log and took out a set of duoprops. The good news was the pod had no damage.
2nd time hit something submerged and again had to replace a set.
Props facing fwd and completely unprotected are a problem waiting to happen.
Volvo parts & service difficult as others have pointed out.
Gear Oil change in pods requires haul out.
I would consider a thruster if you think twins alone not maneuverable enough.
No pods for me.
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I can't speak to IPS since since I have a single inboard. As a buy with a single inboard, I find the IPS overrated at best, and at worst a horrible crutch that eventually cripples an inexperienced boater's learning curve.
The IPS and Volvo sail drives are ubiquitous and apparently popular in Scandinavia and the Baltic so service over there is not a problem there but is perhaps a bit spotty over here. The early Evinrudes had some problems that I can’t recall but the early Volvos had corrosion problems and used brass, bronze and steel parts in the lower units creating a chemical corrosive soup in an aluminum housing. As far as I know Volvo corrected this defect. I had one claim during my last year surveying where a small boat hit a submerged object at speed. It did not tear the mounting flange plate off but destroyed the lower unit. Big problem was the impact created serious fiberglass delamination that radiated out into the stringer tabbing making repairs costly. So be careful with these units.
Rick
Rick
Gdavid
Guru
A sail drive is protected from impact pretty well by the keel proceeding it, they also have the prop facing aft. For a intended purpose as doing the loop which includes shallow water and canals that are at times littered with debris, I would not want an exposed forward facing prop. I think it is the wrong tool for the job.
Comodave
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I would check into the maintenance costs of the IPS. I believe that every 4 years or so you have to reseal the drive and it is pretty expensive.
Symphony
Senior Member
having sailed both a 34' and a 60' boat on parts of the Loop - 50' is too large a vessel for the Great Loop considering you are in confined waters at all times.
also limits your marina choices as well as free dock choices as well as some anchorages.
50' is excellent for running outside from New England to Florida and Bahamas, a million times more comfortable than 40', safer too. huge tanks and thrusters make life easy.
also limits your marina choices as well as free dock choices as well as some anchorages.
50' is excellent for running outside from New England to Florida and Bahamas, a million times more comfortable than 40', safer too. huge tanks and thrusters make life easy.
mickand
Senior Member
I worked around boatyards in Florida for many years and boats with IPS were constantly there - not failures but 'strikes'. A marina owner that I know on the Erie Canal claims IPS repairs are a good income source. I traveled the Loop with an IPS Riviera a couple of years ago - he replaced 4 props between Chicago and the Gulf. I would go for conventional running gear - shafts.
Circumnavigator
Senior Member
We've cruised extensively in boats of 30, 37, 40, 42, 57, and 79 feet. After the trip this past summer, we've done 115 locks. We've done pieces of the Great Loop from Fort Lauderdale to Mackinac both via the Saint Lawrence and the Erie. There's no question that offshore, longer and heavier is more comfortable, but on a Great Loop, I'd go for something in the low 40s unless you're planning on taking more than two or three people.
I'm well established here as one who wants a single conventional screw with full skeg. Particularly inland you need to think about protecting the prop and rudder. As for maneuverability, I can put Fintry (79', 150 tons displacement) and Morning Light (Webbers Cove 42, 20 tons displacement) anywhere I want unless the wind is blowing more than 25 knots or there's more than a knot of stern current. They both have bow thrusters.
Jim
I'm well established here as one who wants a single conventional screw with full skeg. Particularly inland you need to think about protecting the prop and rudder. As for maneuverability, I can put Fintry (79', 150 tons displacement) and Morning Light (Webbers Cove 42, 20 tons displacement) anywhere I want unless the wind is blowing more than 25 knots or there's more than a knot of stern current. They both have bow thrusters.
Jim
Comodave
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A 50’ boat wouldn’t deter me as much as the IPS would. They would be a deal breaker for me. Going up the Hudson River we hit submerged things at least a dozen times. With the conventional props and deep keel we had no damage to the props.
ranger58sb
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You can change gear oil from inside on newer versions, including newer versions of IPS600. At least that's an improvement. (I shopped briefly on a boat with 3x IP600s, older versions that required hauling. Talked with a local Volvo dealer a lot.)
IIRC, IPS600 was or is being phased out, to be (or have been) replaced with IPS650. Still with D4s, I think.
-Chris
