BOATS & GEAR
PRODUCT ROUNDUP
An outboard with smooth moves ZF Marine introduces new two-speed outboard transmission By Brian Hagenbuch
F Marine recently rolled out the first two-speed transmission for outboards, the result of a four-year collaboration with outboard masters Mercury Marine. The new transmission is part of the recently revealed V12 Verado Outboard, and ZF is touting it as a “game changer.” “This project emphasizes our leading position in propulsion technology and successful collaboration with our long-standing partner Mercury Marine. The collaboration was defined with the objective of developing the most powerful and innovative engine in the market, and the trust in ZF Marine as the right partner,” said Federico Decio, ZF’s vice president of Industrial Technology. ZF has used two-speed transmissions before, but never applied them to
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outboards, where they “perfectly match engine characteristics to different operative modes.” And regardless of operative modes, the two speeds help maximize propulsion demands by matching engine power and propeller demand. “In this particular case, the twospeed transmission delivers maximum torque and acceleration in the first gear, and then silently shifts to the second gear for cruising efficiency and thrilling top speed. Shifting is almost imperceptible,” ZF said in a press release. Proportional valves drive the transmission’s wet clutch and shifting, making for the smooth shifting while providing optimal low speed capabilities, perfect for trolling, docking and maneuvering in general. An available joystick system increases precision and
Switch hitting with slinkies Integrity Machining dials in perfect balance for blackcod haulers By Brian Hagenbuch
hen much of the West Coast blackcod fleet switched from longlining with hooks to slinky pots, their old hauling systems were not quite working out for them. They needed just a little more power to their hauler without the expense of completely changing the vessel’s hydraulic system. Washington-based Integrity Machining had the answer for them. Integrity Sales Engineer Brad Tibbs said in some cases his team simply doubled the amount of oil in the hydraulic system. “For example, most boats have 20 gallons for oil, and you have to put 40 gallons of oil in. That allows us to quadruple the amount of power that longline puller has,” Tibbs said.
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Tibbs added this can be too much power if skippers want to switch back to hooks, noting that it can snap lines if skippers turn their heads. But the engineers at Integrity had a solution for that as well. “We added an additional pressure relief valve to limit the amount of power that the hauler had, so when someone is fishing with hooks, they can dial it way back down to around 1,100 PSI, and that is perfect for hooks,” Tibbs said. Then when switching back to slinky pots, that valve can be bumped back up to a pulling power around 1,900 PSI, which provides ample force for pulling slinky pots. Integrity provides several sizes of the Nordic brand haulers, although Tibbs said most of the conversions have been on 58-foot limit seiners with
Two speeds are better than one.
smoothness. Tim Reid, the vice president of Product Development for Mercury Marine, explained that acceleration is fast and smooth with the two-speed transmission. “First gear is 20 percent lower than second gear, which generates high propeller torque, and the ability to accelerate the boat and get it on plane quickly. The engine continues to deliver power and accelerations through its power shift, all the way to rated speed,” Reid said. ZF MARINE www.zf.com
24-inch haulers. His new project, however, is to help usher smaller boats into the slinky pot revolution, which has him working on juicing up Enough power, but not too much. 17-inch haulers so they are able to pull in soft pots. “Right now it’s the big boats that are changing over, but there are a lot of smaller boats that have quota to catch, and I’ve seen a lot of interest in there in using slinky pots as well,” Tibbs said. Integrity also offers several kinds of 10-inch and 12-inch longline haulers in davit-style, bulkhead or hanging models. INTEGRITY MACHINING www.integrityseattle.com
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