Coming Soon...Mikelson Yachts is pleased to offer the M43 with the Cummins Zeus Pod Drives. Known for buiding the most capable sportfishers on the planet, Mikelson Yachts will soon be commissioning hull 43059 with the Cummins Zeus Engines.
The Mikelson 43 was uniquely designed by Tom Fexas with the engines below the cockpit. The advantages of this design have been clearly proven as there are now more than 50 Mikelson 43’s in operation. Better trim, better access, quieter operation, engine heat and odors do not penetrate the cabin…..these are just a few of the benefits. This design advantage makes the Mikelson 43 the only sportfish yacht widely found in today’s market, that will accept the pod drives as other sportfishers have mid-engines and the pod drives are designed for aft engine installations. At this time, we understand that many other sportfisher manufacturers are rushing new designs that will accommodate pod drives but it may take years before they will be available.
The Cummins Zeus and the Volvo Penta IPS are the two pod drives currently available and proven in the market today. Mikelson chose the Cummins Zeus pod drive because... more horsepower, more support and service, safer aft facing protected propellers, potentially better handling characteristics, purported to run smoother and quieter, etc. Mikelson has been using Cummins engines for nearly ten years and Cummins has always given Mikelson customers first rate service and support.
Cummins, as well as yachting magazines, have conducted tests on various yachts to determine the advantages of the Zeus system. The horizontal thrust combines with a dual propeller to increase speeds approximately 15% and to increase fuel efficiency approximately 30% over conventional drive systems. The increase in the speed of the Zeus will allow the Mikelson 43 to use a smaller engine size without sacrificing speed thereby increasing fuel efficiency even further. Yachts similar in size and weight using pod drives have accomplished cruising speeds up to 25 knot range burning as little fuel as a gallon per mile. If the Mikelson 43 is able to accomplish similar efficiencies, the Mikelson 43 will operate at efficiencies that are far better than any other convertible sportfisher in it’s class, saving as much as 10-15 gallons per hour at cruise!
There are other significant benefits. The Zeus system comes standard with power steering, autopilot, and a twisting joystick for simplified boat handling. The pod drives steer independently so that the Captain has the ability to twist the yacht or move the yacht sideways easily with the joystick. This feature far exceeds the benefits of a bow thruster and it allows the novice Captain to handle the yacht like a professional. The Zeus drives also provide a shallower draft as they are tunnel drives so the already shallow draft of the Mikelson 43 is reduced even further to an amazing 3’03”, approximately. The Zeus exhaust is run through the propeller hubs for additional quiet and reduced emissions. There are optional features available like the “Sky hook” which will hold the yachts precise position and heading at the push of a button regardless of wind or current.
No comments:
Post a Comment