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.
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