Nothing ruins the peace and quiet of a day on the water more than engine vibration and the noise it creates. You can go hoarse just trying to have a normal conversation. Your arms can begin to feel numb just holding onto the wheel. It's difficult to find a comfortable place to simply relax.

Boatbuilders spend a lot of time and money trying to baffle, muffle, or otherwise soundproof their boats - often with limited results.

At Aquadrive, we know that the best way to cut engine noise and vibration is to stop it before it starts. Our anti-vibration systems go right to the source - the engine, propeller and prop shaft - to cut vibration and noise by as much as 50 percent.

In 1977, Swedish engineer and boat owner Anders Sandström chanced upon a solution to engine noise with an innovation so effective at reducing noise and vibration that today many of the world's most celebrated boatbuilders wouldn't put an engine in their boats without it.

Whether you're buying a new boat or plan to upgrade your current one, Aquadrive will give you what you want from your time on the water: peace, quiet and performance.

Push the boat, not the engine

Sandström's discovery came as he struggled to couple the propeller shaft to his new engine and gearbox. After some tinkering, he recognized that there was no need to connect the propeller shaft directly to the engine in a straight line. Using a couple of constant velocity (CV) joints, he could connect the shaft first to the boat and then, at an angle, to the engine. He created a separation between the engine and the prop shaft. For the first time, the propeller pushed the boat, not the engine. Sandstorm fixed his problem and then discovered something much more startling - a quieter boat.

Cut noise and vibration

Hear the Aquadrive Difference: Watch a short slideshow detailing and allowing you to hear the sound difference.

View the slideshow

Much of the noise and vibration on a boat comes from the engine, propeller, and propeller shaft. In a traditional configuration, engine mounts must be extremely firm and rigid to handle the load of the propeller shaft pushing against the engine.

Unfortunately, tight mounts do very little to absorb noise and vibration. In fact, they broadcast nearly all of the engine vibration right into the hull. Sandström found that when the hull itself takes the load of the shaft, the engine no longer needs hard mounts. He installed softer mounts that absorbed nearly all of the engine vibration. It's like mounting the engine on shock absorbers.

How quiet are boats with Aquadrive? As much as 50 percent quieter - or quiet enough that the FBI and U.S. Navy both use Aquadrive in vessels that require stealth and speed(and increased reliability).

Other Aquadrive benefits
Less wear and tear. By reducing vibration, Aquadrive reduces the amount of damage that even miniscule misalignments can cause to the gearbox , shaft seal and cutles bearing. Engine movements and hull flexing won't affect the critical alignment of engine to shaft.

More space. With Aquadrive, the engine to the propeller shaft doesn't have to be perfectly aligned to the propeller shaft allowing design flexability.

Available for any boat
Sandström's employer - Scatra AB - was so impressed with his Aquadrive concept that they developed and adapted it to fit virtually any type of engine on any size boat. Today, Aquadrive systems are a standard feature on the world's most famous boats from Hinckley picnic boats, to Grand Banks trawlers, and J-Sailboats. Retrofitting your sail or powerboat with Aquadrive is easy.