On a Trans-Atlantic ocean racing yacht, performance, safety and dependability are critical to success. Every component must be designed for compactness, light weight, low maintenance and complete reliability.

The canting and extending keel system on the Maximus is one of the largest and most complex ever built for any ocean racing yacht. It must move 12 tons of ballast weight from side to side in a short period of time (around 10 seconds), requiring a large amount of hydraulic power. 

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Two large hydraulic pumps supply the power for the keel, winch and propulsion systems. Power for these pumps is provided by a 250 hp turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel engine generating an engine speed of 4,000 rpm. 

Originally the boat's designers looked for a mechanical gearbox system to get power to the hydraulic pumps. However, they could not find one that met weight and size targets. Instead, using Gates design software and consulting with Gates engineers, they designed a system using a Gates Poly Chain GT belt drive. This system let them package the pumps in a tight space, reduce the engine speed to 2,500 rpm to drive the pumps efficiently, and easily manage the maximum output from the diesel engine.

Testimonial From Bill Buckley (one of the boat's owners and designer of a lot of the systems on board),

"The performance of the system has been amazing. We've clocked over 1000 hours in a very short time, and the system has worked flawlessly and required absolutely no maintenance whatsoever."

Imagine what a Gates belt drive system could do for your application.

 The Performance Choice for Synchronous Belt Drive Systems

Register for… A free belt preventive maintenance seminar. Learn how to increase production uptime and avoid costly belt drive failures during a seminar at your plant. A free plant survey. Switching to Poly Chain GT belt drive systems can increase productivity and save you money. Want us to prove it? We’ll come to your plant—at no cost—and show you how. Calculate your savings. How much can you save in the first year by switching to a Gates Poly Chain GT belt drive system?

Gates Poly Chain GT belt drive systems are designed to reduce lifetime power transmission costs by saving space, weight and maintenance on high-torque synchronous drives. Schedule a free engineer-to-engineer review of your drive designs.   Design Flex® belt drive design software More time for the work that drives you