Page 18: of Marine News Magazine (June 2019)

17 19

INSIGHTS our customers will only be happy if they can use the engine

The CXO300 is said to have a 100% higher peak torque at the crankshaft than the leading gasoline 300hp out- to go out to sea reliably. We have put in place stringent cus- boards, which enables the craft to move more weight tomer service milestones throughout our service network to more ef? ciently, and reach peak torque and top power try to offer a quicker service and more pleasant experience. more quickly. For the non-engineer, can you explain that concept in layman’s terms?

Diesels have a perception of being slow, producing

I’ll try my best. Boat speed depends on how much blade black smoke on take-off. How does the CXO300 com- surface your propeller has and how quickly it’s spinning. pare in that regard?

This results in thrust that pushes the boat. Now if we con-

That is funny, being a marine person myself I’ve seen such sider that the bigger the propeller or the faster it spins (with- engines and people approach me all the time assuming that out slipping) the more hp we need, it then all comes down it will smoke, and it’ll be slow. I can guarantee the CXO300 to: what does the power curve look like? Now this is when is no smokier than a modern high-performance diesel V8 in we get a bit geeky. Hp is a function of engine speed and car. The EPA emissions requirements on diesel engines are torque, the higher the speed or the torque, the higher the much more stringent than those on gas engines, therefore not hp, which translates into thrust onto the transom through only do we need to provide a very clean combustion for the the prop. A typical gas outboard will have very low torque pleasure of the operators but also because it is required by and will spin up to 6000rpm, therefore you don’t get any the EPA. As for the speed the reason people believe a diesel- real hp, and thrust, until the engine is spinning at high rpm powered vehicle will be slower than a gas-powered vessel is and consuming high levels of fuel. Diesel on the other hand because they don’t understand the role that the torque plays. has very high torque throughout the whole power curve and The misconception comes from the automotive world where therefore delivers high levels of hp and thrust at low engine sports cars are predominately equipped with gas engines. speed and continues to add thrust as the rpm’s rise because While that makes sense for a vehicle with wheels on a hard the torque to stays high throughout the whole range.

and smooth surface, hence there is very little relative friction, a vessel is constantly going uphill since it needs to displace

Have you generated any sales as yet? If so, how the water. What will determine the speed of a vehicle will be many? And where, geographically and sector-wise the speed that the shaft is spinning, and the torque required (US / EU / Asia / etc), are these orders coming from?

Our order books of? cially opened in November 2018 to get the vehicle moving. The CXO300 prop speed, with the lower 1.22 gear ratio, provides a similar prop speed as a stan- and we have received a substantial amount of orders, with dard gas outboard which is 3300 rpm, therefore there is no around 50% coming from the US and the balance from reason why the vessel with a CXO300 should not reach simi-

EU and Asia. Our production schedule for 2019 is cur- lar peak speeds as it would with a 300hp gas outboard. The rently full, so if you wish to order a CXO300 now, you will only difference is that it will do so much quicker because the expect delivery in Q2 2020. higher torque will get the vessel over the hump much quicker.

What steps have you taken to make sure that your

MarineNews readers can also learn more by viewing a recent Cox customers receive an effective after-sales service?

MR TV interview with Joel Reed. Click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_

After sales is one of the three pillars upon which we have continue=3&v=eXyzNdrMrik to see the video.

built our business model. The whole reason the outboard market has taken over boat propulsion is as a result of ease of service and overhaul. Therefore, if our after sales service is not as good as our product, our offering will just crumble;

June 2019

MN 18