Sport Fishing

A marine power revolution looms on the horizon - and NASCAR driver Jeff Burton is getting in on it. Burton recently started to build a 47 Jarrett Bay to cruise and fish, and one of the primary reasons behind the purchase was that the boat came with pods. Even though Burton drives a racecar, he isn't a boat captain, and the thought of docking a bigger boat (he grew up doing most of his boating on lakes aboard smaller vessels) intimidates him just like it would anyone without a whole lot of big boating experience. (Check out my interview with him at www.marlinmag.com/jeffburtonproject) And that's why drive systems that make boat handling so intuitive, like Volvo's IPS and Mercury's Zeus drives, are going to change the face of boating. They already have, actually.

In the next issue of Marlin, Karl Anderson talks about another interesting bit of technology - one that isn't a pod type of system - but one that certainly owes its existence to them. Twin Disc and ZF, two heavyweights in the marine gear business, both recently introduced special systems that enable you to control a boat with conventional twin engines and transmissions, like one equipped with pods. Just imagine, you can now dock your 67 custom sport-fisher, loaded with conventional engines, props, shafts and rudders, with the twist of a joystick.

One of the main obstacles to anyone laying down the cash for a big boat is the cost of hiring an experienced captain to run it for you full time, especially if you don't have a lot of experience behind the wheel.

Now I haven't had the pleasure of driving a boat equipped with one of the new systems, but if they live up to the hype, then the big-boat world is going to open up to a lot of new people. I have, however, driven a couple of pod-equipped boats, and I have to tell you, I never felt so secure at the helm of a boat than I did with the pods. Anything that helps people get out and enjoy their boats more is sure to be a boon for builders, which means that everyone else in our industry should get a lift as well. I'm excited about the changes coming, and I can't wait to get out and try some of these new joystick-driven boats.

POSTED BY MarlinEdit AT 02:35

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