ABS Hovercraft were the first to introduce water cooled engines (cooled via radiators). Water-cooled engines offer more power than air cooled variants of a similar size and capacity. This allows better craft performance at high craft operating weights with more demanding sea states and a better and more consistent cooling in tropical conditions.

The ABS M10 hovercraft is unique in offering a walk-in-engine-room allowing excellent unrestricted access to all machinery from inside the craft, even during operation. Using air cooled engines meant that cooling and combustion air needed to flow through the whole engine compartment. This would bring in sand, salt and moisture which made the engine compartment unsightly and damp.

This salt water environment is unavoidable with air cooled engines and can cause excessive corrosion to any and all metals including any aluminium craft structure. With water cooled engines, the engine room can now be totally enclosed giving a better working environment.