The advent of pod drives for recreational motor yachts has taken place over a relatively short period in time. Sabre offers six models in the current motor yacht range and all models are available with pod drives; in fact only two of the six, the Sabre 54 Salon Express and Fly Bridge, can be offered with straight shafts. Our transition from shaft driven to pod driven models is almost complete. For those who are still not convinced here's an explanation of the benefits.
 
Commercial vessels such as tugs and cruise ships have been using pods for some time. For the tug boat operator, the ability to direct thrust in any direction as required, is a huge benefit. Pods are far more efficient than conventional drives when operating in close quarters. For the cruise ship operator there are several benefits including not requiring tugs to get on and off a dock. A cruise ship can also hover on a specific location while guests disembark to go ashore for lunch or to enjoy a sandy beach. No anchor required.

And so just as grand prix race car technology finds it's way down to the cars we drive and super yacht technologies come to every person's motor yacht , so too have pods come from commercial to recreational use. I am often asked which benefit I find most appealing from the consumers perspective and I would rank the benefits as follows:

1.    The joystick provides amazing close quarters handling and docking in marinas where current and wind make boat handing a worrisome event in an otherwise calm and peaceful day.
2.    Vibration and sound levels are dramatically reduced because exhaust gasses are expelled through the foot of the pod. Typical sound levels are about 10Db lower than a comparable shaft driven model.  
3.    Because the propellers are pushing in the same axis that the boat is moving, they are much more efficient and so fuel costs are considerably lower. This efficiency gain can vary from model to model and in most cases we have no direct comparison because our boats only come with pods. It is fair to say that we have seen gains from 10 to 30% depending on the model. With fuel prices where they are today that's a nice savings
4.    Last but not least the station hold feature is huge. Volvo's name for this feature Sabre 38 Helm Station5  is DPS or Digital Positioning System and Cummins~Zeus calls theirs Skyhook. Both systems hold the compass heading and the latitude and longitude of the vessel within a few feet, regardless of wind and current.

They also include a built in autopilot. Imagine waiting for a fuel dock or a bridge or even picking up a mooring ball. So simple with a station hold feature. Sabre installs the Volvo IPS in the 38 and 54 foot models and Cummins~Zeus in the 42 and 48. In the next few years other engine builders will come to market with their own pods. Caterpillar and Yanmar have both installed test systems. Pods are here to stay as are the benefits to the consumer.  
 
www.sabreyachts.com