Once again this year, Volvo has come out with an innovative advancement. This time, they had wake surfers in mind, whose numbers seem to grow every year. Volvo introduced a new drive made up of two counter-rotating propellers that face forward instead of backward, unlike traditional sterndrives. The set-up is similar to what you find on the IPS system used in bigger vessels.
What are the advantages? The first is safety. Since the props are set back, there is less chance of injury when practicing water sports. But the main advantage of this configuration is that you can artificially create the perfect wake for surfing. By increasing the angle of the drive using the trim control, you plunge the rear of the boat into the water to create a bigger wake. There’s no need to fill rear water reservoirs to increase the boat’s weight or to use trim tabs. It all comes from the drive unit. This technology can easily turn a classic boat into a surf model.