Boat Drive Systems Explained 

Thank you, I never understood all the difference. Very good information.

Other level content, all this variety. Knowing HOW things work makes them all the more desirable. Thanks Nick

THANK YOU, Nick!!! Well presented. Easy to see the basic differences. Enough detail for the Gear Heads. Another Aquaholic "nugget" of useful and important information. From ease of servicing and longevity, all the way to "joy stick" docking (and the associated costs). As you mentioned the best system is the one that fits the situational needs of the boater.

Good to see you explain this to people who might not know. You should check if they let you take them out to show how docking works. If you have the gopro on your head people will actually see what to look out for. Kinda like the refueling tutorial you did a while back.

Absobloodylutely Brilliant!!! Thanks Nick a few more of these and we can stop asking Google what you are talking about...well done!!!

Excellent episode.

This video was great. Now I can understand a bit more when you're talking about the engines in your videos. According to this, I'd say shaft drive for sailing around the world. Which is what I'm hoping to do one day.

Great to have this in one video. Well done!

Re : the shaft-drive boat. That's it? It seems so rudimentary but, no doubt, gets the job done. I love all your videos but this one was, by far, the most educational. I always wondered what drove this boats forward. Very complete and totally fascinating.

As someone who doesn't have a mechanical mind (I always skip through the engine walk-throughs), I found this very interesting and educational. Thanks Nick!

Thankyou Nick for my Sunday morning special from Aquaholic. Very informative. Have a great time filming.

Thank you very much for this video Nick. 👍 As a very long time subscriber (who has not gone boating, (YET!)), I have always wondered why different boats have different drive systems on them and this video has made it a wee bit clearer for me. 👌🏻👍🏻😀

Great video and information. Your enthusiasm for all things boating is so genuine and showing! It’s truly the reason your videos are so great! Keep it up Nick!

The technical side of Aquaholics. Really interesting Nick. I have to say I love the idea of joystick controls. In my mind sounds a lot easier to manoeuvre. IPS for me.

Very informative Nick to someone like myself with only limited knowledge of the boating scene although it has increased hugely through watching your excellent videos. As usual well presented without being boring. 👍✔

Awesome! Excellent overview Nick. Have read on various blogs IPS drives have not been well received here in the US. Possibly due to perception of a slow supply chain of parts and local mechanical knowledge. That said your overview was spot on. As always you dumb down technical things for us rank amateur types. 400k subscribers seems to be with in your reach. Bravo!

Nice overview. I would like to add the waterjet option like Williams are using or even some fast ferries

Nice overview, Nick! Any chances of doing a Part 2 with waterjets, diesel outboards, pontoons, electric drives and hybrids too?

Fantastic! You're always so clear in your explanations. Not overly simplifying while not making it too technical. Thank you so much!

Really enjoyed this and I've learnt a lot from watching it. Thanks again Nick, and hope the house works aren't causing too much stress for you both.

Nice episode, Nick! Thanks for sharing!

The Devils Egg Whisks. Fabulous. 2nd time through on this video. Always appreciate your perspective Nick. Hopefully someday soon I can apply some of your shared knowledge. Cheers!

Thank you Nick. You sure are a wealth of knowledge. I hope everyone appreciates your information.

Hi Nick. That was a very interesting tour. A comparison of propulsion, weight distribution in regards to engine mounting, service requirements and costs. An awesome video thanks 😊

Professor Nick, the possessor of all knowledge nautical.

Fabulous info, clearly explained. Thank you...!

So interesting because you explain it so clearly.

Pretty clear explanation of the different drive systems available. I spent a lot of time driving outboards and loved them! It's amazing what a modest amount of horsepower can do for a small boat. I must admit that the IPS drives are a rather odd but fascinating type of drive. I've not seen them in the US, only on the internet. As for the outdrives, driven one many years ago and it could really push through the water. I can confirm that the maintenance can get expensive as well as a bit of work involved.

This was unusual, unexpected, but extremely useful! Great video, cheers Nick!

Really enjoyed this overview. Very informative.

Thank you. Very informative as all your videos are. Great job.

excellent program Nick...well documented.👍🏼

Thanks again for a very informative and well-presented video. Seeing you being such enthousiastic when walking along all these beauties is such a pleasure! Keep going Nick - and greetz to Marianne!

Thank you so much for doing this video Nick!

Excellent video. Thank you!

The first commercially available outdrives appeared round about 1960. They were developed by Jim Wynne (an engineer and also a legendary powerboat racer) and Charlie Strang. There's some debate about exactly who did what, and when, but outdrives mated to Volvo (Wynne) and Mercury (Strang) engines appeared at about the same time. Wynne worked with Strang at Mercury to develop the first drives but then branched out on his own. I certainly remember my father selling powerboats with outdrives on, imported from the US, in the very early sixties.

As a fan of outboards (while our Draco was on stearn drive), thank you for this interesting comparrison.

That blue hull at 11:48 is absolutely gorgeous.

Thanks Nick. Interesting stuff as ever!

And Thank you Nick for this nice explanation of the all various driving engines that is very useful and nice learning what a good show of this Sunday thanks again

Hi Nick Very good overview of powered. Drive systems. Thank you

Very well done, Nick. There is a reason I'm addicted to your videos. Since most boats are basically similar, as far as layout is concerned, could you do more technical videos? Such as the different types of toilets and how they work, what do you do if the gray or black water tanks fill and you are at sea. Things of that nature. I'm just as excited to follow your home remodel.

Well done Nick and thank you. Very informative.

Thanks for that it’s good to have a different perspective explained 👍

Luv it, great explanation. Informative and well done

Great video very informative thanks Nick

That was very interesting. I love features like this.

good stuff as always , nice seeing the older boats in the yard too

Fantastic video!! I’d love more videos like this please

Genuinely fascinating, I never knew any of this.

Very informative. Ill have to watch this about 10 times to get it all. Lol. Thank you Nick.

Thanks for this Nick. Very informative as always. Only type we did not see is the jet boat that uses water for propulsion (as you see on tenders and some of the big high speed ferries, like the Dublin Swift). As you say, the type needed is down to your own requirements and budget. Brilliant video Nick 😊

My wife said 'lets watch something romantic together this evening', so this has come at the perfect time!!! atb snack

Well presented. Thanks. Will love to see some mjps or kamewa waterjets also.

Here in the colonies there outboards as large as 600 HP in triples, quads and quints. Each outboard costs approximately $73,000 per. Cheers

Great idea to do a video on the propulsion systems that we generally come across in your tours 👍❤️🇬🇧

I bet that little outboard rib you briefly showed is a rocket! I love the look of a big outboard boat. SeaRay has the SLX 400 Outboard that looks absolutely killer with a triple motor config. They had a version with three 450hp racing outboards that I would have loved to own.

Very interesting Nick👍🏻👍🏻

Thank you Sir for another great video.

Hi nick well done a great film very informative to watch i didn't know much about pods but do now....thankyou....

That was VERY interesting Nick. I’ve had experience with all but the pod drives and I also prefer the I/O drives. 👍🏻😉🇨🇦😁

Good vlog Nick. In Canada & US due to the many fresh water lakes & rivers the use of outboards are most popular especially for sports & fishing boats. I/O’s are used on boats in the +19ft range as most ppl don’t sleep on these boats & they are easily trailerable along with outboards. Most shaft-drives & pods you will find on the coasts as saltwater is an issued even with zincs. The Great Lakes being huge also will find shaft-drives & pods even though they are fresh water as one needs size if travelling long distances on those inland lakes that have access to the Atlantic Ocean.

Kid. In. Sweet. Shop! Lovely video - and I finally understand the basics of the IPS system! X

Great video! Please make more like this

awesome, the BASIC stuff sometimes is the best. cheers

Very informative. Thank you.

Glass of wine ready, it's Nick's Sunday Lunchtime Boat School :D Always wondered how the water didn't come in - now I know it's the rubber bellows.

Nice video, thanks Nick. I do like an educational video, great for those of us here who don't necessarily know that much about boats :-) On the outboard engine front though - have you seen the 600hp Mercury engine? It's a massive V12, really impressive, they even just turn the lower section of the engine rather than the whole engine assembly. Lots of video channels of Miami inlets showing huge boats with 4 or even 5 outboard engines, crazy!

Thanks for all the great info. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Very interesting video well done

Interesting stuff Nick thanks… I thought I knew the difference between the different propulsions but I had no idea Pod Drives pointed forward?!?! Every day is a school day! 😃👍🏻

Very informative Nick. Thankyou

Great explanation for the layman to understand, thank you for a wonderful video!

Good job, and well explained ✌🏻😎

great! i was also so interested to find out about the outdrive in the style of an IPS (for water sports) (it’s called forward drive, really interesting invention by volvo)

Superb, informative and nice to watch, thank you good sir

Very interesting and informative, thank you Nick

Now THIS answered a lot of questions for a NOOB like me. Thx a lot. 😊

Wow... 🤔 Thank You Very Much 🙏❤️ it was a very informative explanation, easy to understand... You are very knowledgeable and I love Your Videos... and of course the effort You put in each of them... Keep up the Good Work 🙏❤️

Another very nice video. Very informative and thank you

Thanks Nick. Really useful video. Something a bit different.

Hi Nick, think you’ll find that shaft drive is a bit older than you were implying! Some chap called I.K. Brunel used it first on the SS Great Britain in 1843, mind you his was only 1000 horse power.

Very good video nick, you should do another one about different shapes of hull, and maybe one about steel hulls and alluminium hulls.

Simple and good explanation for understanding boat drive systems I just hoped there will be a surface drive Enjoyed watching!

Great information maet🤙

Very interesting nick 👍👍👍👍👍

Thanks. I asked for this a long time ago.

Thanks so much. Explains a lot!

I love these videos that educate us novices

Thank you for that explanation I have often wondered what is the best way forward as regards propulsion , and as you rightly say it depends. Definitely a no straight forward answer , but very enlightening all the same . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍

Very nice little Video Nick … interesting to hear about the IPS system and a bit worrying to hear it relies on computers !! Maintenance could be a nightmare 😱 Anyway Don’t forget the most efficient system is Surface drives … Shame more companies are not using them … also then jet drives … Hope you can find a couple of boats with those systems on !! 👍😎👏❤️🛥

Thanks, enjoyed this.

Hi Nick. I'm new to your channel, after seeing your trip on John Brennan's Stormforce. Your reviews (and camera control) are excellent and informative. I hope you enjoyed your time in Ireland. Hopefully you'll hop over the border to West Cork on your next visit. Great work

Great explanations. I saw a three engine azimut with one pod missing, IPS do have a problem with seals failing. The outdrives have to be rebuilt as they seals wear and it is about $10k per drive. Volvo actually changed from stainless to bronze bushings to help this. Outboards are great, but they have about 1/3 the life of diesels. Mercury has a V12 600HP monster. One day you need to talk,about surface drives and jet drives.

semplicity always the best way on the sea, btw beautiful video :)

Excellent summation! Amazing how many lack this basic knowledge, but since this video, they no longer have any excuse. Lol

You may want to add that almost every type of drive can now be equipped with a joystick: shaft drives may also need thrusters. I enjoy your videos here in the US and BTW I love Sunseekers.

For someone who literally skips through the mechanical things this was very interesting thanks nick 👍

Great review. One point that is made about IPS is that they are quieter because the exhaust comes out the back of the pod. Have you noticed this?

I just loved the unhinged nerding at the end :D Thanks