Volvo Penta IPS

Pulling It Off The Volvo IPS can be installed on any new boat. For now, it’s available on models from Cruisers Yachts, Four Winns, Regal and Tiara.

Drop the sailor´s cap and put on some racing goggles. With its new Inboard Performance System (IPS), Volvo Penta is boosting the comfort and white-knuckle fun of yachting. Volvo engineers built
forward-facing propellers-like those in prop-driven airplanes-and stacked them side-by-side directly beneath the engines. Instead of pushing on water that´s already been chopped up by the engine, the blades pull on undisturbed drink, increasing efficiency and thrust. The IPS should be able to squeeze out 30 percent more horsepower; in tests, Volvo reported, it´s 20 percent faster. But it´s not all about speed. The entire propulsion system can turn like a rudder, so parking your 45-footer in a slinky slip won´t be nerve-wracking. Progressive electronic steering-a first in boating-will make it easy to turn the wheel at low speed, hard at high speed. And boaters will have a more civilized ride, thanks to vibration-dampening seals swaddling the drive unit, and submerged exhaust outlets that reduce rumbling. The good life just got better.