Watercraft adjustable shaft spacing apparatus and related method of operation

A standoff box for a watercraft having an inboard engine, the standoff box comprising:

• a first housing defining an interior, the first housing including a transom facing wall, a first bottom wall and a first rearward wall, the transom facing wall defining an input shaft hole adapted to receive therethrough an input shaft extending from an inboard motor, the bottom wall defining a bottom wall hole;
• a second housing including a second forward wall, an upper wall, and a second rearward wall, the upper wall defining an upper wall hole;
• a transfer shaft rotatably mounted in the first housing, extending through the bottom wall hole, and extending into the second housing through the upper wall hole, the transfer shaft disposed transverse to the input shaft when the input shaft is received by the input shaft hole, the transfer shaft configured to rotate in response to rotation of the input shaft, the transfer shaft including a transfer shaft longitudinal axis;
• and
• wherein the second housing is movably disposed below the first housing such that the upper wall of the second housing moves away from the bottom wall of the first housing to a distal position when the second housing is lowered, and such that the upper wall moves toward the bottom wall of the first housing to a proximal position when the second housing is raised.

A watercraft comprising:

• a hull including a bow and a stern, with a transom located at the stern;
• a reference line projecting rearward from a lowermost portion of the transom;
• an engine disposed in the hull;
• an input shaft extending away from the engine;
• a first standoff box unit including an interior and a bottom wall, the first standoff box unit being joined with the transom;
• a second standoff box unit joined with and movable relative to the first standoff box unit;
• a transfer shaft rotatably mounted in the interior and rotatably coupled to the input shaft, the transfer shaft further extending into the second standoff box unit;
• a propeller shaft and a propeller, the propeller shaft configured to rotate upon rotation of the transfer shaft;
• wherein the second standoff box unit is operable in a raised mode, in which the second standoff box unit is disposed adjacent the first standoff box unit, and in a lowered mode, in which the second standoff box unit is distal from the first standoff box unit, while the watercraft is moving through a body of water, and while the propeller is rotating so as to move the propeller shaft relative to the reference line while maintaining the propeller shaft in a fixed angular relationship relative to the reference line.