World debut for Axis Drive diesel engine

As with the petrol version, the efficient high performance diesel engine has benefitted from having six former Cosworth Formula One engineers on the development team. The Cape Town production facility is gearing up for an enthusiastic response when the diesel units become available in January and a well known UK workboat builder is already in talks with Golden Arrow.

Not to be overlooked, the Southampton show was also the venue for the Caudwell Marine Axis Drive petrol engine being seen on the water for the first time in UK, fitted to a Ballistic 7.8m RIB

Mike Beachy Head, the originator of the concept, traveled from his base in South Africa to attend the launch event, where he said, ‘Our new engine is greener, cleaner and has higher fuel efficiency, better torque and better power to weight ratio than the equivalent stern drives or outboards. It is quite simply ground breaking technology.’

Like its petrol version the cooling system is closed, with no salt water entering the engine. The entire drive is constructed from surgical stainless steel, reducing friction and making it virtually corrosion proof.

Traditional stern drives systems are larger and heavier, relying on a universal joint that can be noisy, unreliable, and prone to corrosion and handling difficulties. Outboards eliminate some of these problems but create others, such as top-heaviness and are more vulnerable to damage due to being hung from the boat’s transom.

The Axis Drive is designed to pass through the boat’s transom close to the waterline, freeing up internal space without protruding excessively or raising the boat’s centre of gravity. A patented mid-section gearbox enables the drive to move in ‘yaw’ (steering left or right) and in ‘pitch’ (trim and tilt) without requiring a universal joint, or having to move the engine as with outboards.

The new diesel range comprises V6 and V8 turbo diesels from 270hp to 450hp. Importantly the weight is only slightly more than its petrol stable mate, weighing in at 38 kg for the V6 300 against the petrol’s 360kg. The engine can therefore be fitted to the same style of boat. Both engine and drive function are linked electronically to an advanced drive control unit that monitors performance and makes automatic adjustments to ensure maximum efficiency.

The company has such faith in the Axis Drive system that if the unit suffers a breakdown not caused by the operator’s negligence and cannot be repaired within 24 hours, Caudwell Marine will replace the unit within 48 hours at no cost.