The bolt on shaft system (BOSS), which is fully enclosed from engine to propeller, is generating considerable interest from commercial workboat builders due to the efficiency gains it delivers in these days of soaring fuel prices.

Other advantages include reduced installation time, no driveline vibration and almost no driveline noise, reduced drag and improved performance. It is claimed that installation and alignment can be achieved in hours compared to the days that can be devoted to a traditional shaft system. There are no shaft seals, cutless bearings, flexible couplings or stuffing boxes. The system does not rely on complex electronic control systems and the major overhaul interval is 10,000 hours.

H4 Marine will also be launching the Durahub system at Seawork as well as entering it in the Innovations Showcase. Providing a solution to trailer bearing wear and maintenance issues for any workboat operator regularly moving their vessel by road, the innovative Australian product was developed for water launched trailers which can suffer rapid bearing wear and failure due to salt water ingress. Durahub delivers simple and effective protection for trailer bearings by enabling oil and grease to lubricate the bearings and providing an acrylic window through which users can see if the oil level has dropped or if water has entered the bearing and contaminated the grease or oil. Designed for use with oil as the bearing lubricant, Durahub is the only dust cap sealing and pressurising system which allows the operator to see what is happening with the lubricant. Oil is the better lubricant for oil seals and also offers better heat conduction than grease, allowing bearings to run cooler and thus last longer.

Durahub is a new approach to the problem of wheel bearings in salt water, allowing the air in the bearing to contract as the trailer enters the water. In other systems, water and dirt is sucked into the bearing, starting the corrosion process which leads to bearing failure. With Durahub, the bearings run in oil which is visible from outside and a diaphragm allows for the rapid change in pressure as a warm bearing enters the water or is exposed to dense road spray from surface water.

H4's Neil Young, who has experienced the consequences bearing failure firsthand when seizure and heat sheared off the shaft on a trailer he was towing, will be on hand at Seawork to tell that story and may be able to offer early discounts to visitors prepared to offer feedback on fitting and use.