[rjr]

We are looking at a 2006 Sovran 44 with IPS 500s. Have seen info about early pod problems. Any insight would be appreciated.

[holiday3900]

We are looking at a 2006 Sovran 44 with IPS 500s. Have seen info about early pod problems. Any insight would be appreciated.

Bigboatben posted something in the forum about a year ago on this topic (search "sovran")....he is very knowledgeable and his posts were very helpful to us when we bought our 07 Sovran. His post included about 7 items...all things you might want to check/consider. BTW...if you are a freshwater boat, I've heard some of the items are less critical.

We bought our boat a year ago from the original owner and ran trouble free for the Summer. The IPS system on Volvo IPS 500s performed and operated well. Based on his list and consultation with our Volvo certified mechanic, over the Winter we did the following:
•We changed out the plastic pulley's for steel as recommended
•We changed the the sea strainers to the new type as recommended
•He recommended having drive seals changed out to a new style (a big $$ cost) but ours were inspected and they were perfect...boat has always been in Freshwater in MI, and only has 200 hours, so drive seals have a lot of life yet to go. I think this is a different story in saltwater.
•We had line cutters installed as a safety precaution
•We had the cooling system inspected and all fluids and belts changed as a precaution

All the above was about $3K, so IMO good investment for proper retrofit and peace of mind.

Take a search for that list, or PM Bigboatben. Cheers,
t

[rjr]

Thanx Holiday. I found the bigboatben post. Your info and his post both very helpful.