Stern drives and methods of installing stern drives
AssigneeBrunswick Corporation
InventorsAndrew S. Waisanen, David J. Belter, John A. Groeschel, Samuel B. Dix, Steve Mattson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stern drive for a marine vessel, the stern drive having a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water, a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly, and a mounting assembly configured to couple the drive assembly to the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel. The mounting assembly has a vibration dampening member which isolates vibrations of the drive assembly and the powerhead relative to the transom. The powerhead, and the mounting assembly are installed on the marine vessel as a single component from outside the transom.
Claims25
A stern drive for a marine vessel having a transom, the stern drive comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water;
- a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly;
- and
- a mounting assembly configured to suspend the drive assembly on the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel, the mounting assembly including a mounting member configured to rigidly attach to the transom and a vibration dampening member configured to isolate vibrations of the drive assembly and the powerhead relative to the mounting member,
- wherein the drive assembly and the powerhead are coupled to the mounting member by the vibration dampening member.
A stern drive for a marine vessel having a transom, the stern drive comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water:
- a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly;
- and
- a mounting assembly configured to suspend the drive assembly on the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel, the mounting assembly including a vibration dampening member configured to isolate vibrations of the drive assembly and the powerhead relative to the transom,
- wherein the stern drive has a center of gravity which is aligned with the transom.
A stern drive for a marine vessel having a transom, the stern drive comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water:
- a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly;
- and
- a mounting assembly configured to suspend the drive assembly on the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel, wherein the stern drive is further configured so that the drive assembly, the powerhead, and the mounting assembly are installed on the marine vessel as a single component from outside the transom,
- wherein the stern drive has a center of gravity which is aligned with the transom.
A stern drive for a marine vessel having a transom, the stern drive comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water:
- a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly;
- and
- a mounting assembly configured to couple the drive assembly to the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel, wherein the stern drive is further configured so that the drive assembly, the powerhead, and the mounting assembly are installed on the marine vessel as a single component from outside the transom,
- wherein the mounting assembly comprises a rigid mounting ring fastened to the transom and a vibration dampening member configured to isolate vibrations of the drive assembly and the powerhead relative to the transom, wherein the vibration dampening member couples the rigid mounting ring to the drive assembly and the powerhead.
A method of installing a stern drive on a marine vessel, the marine vessel comprising a transom defining a mounting hole, the method comprising:
- assembling as a single component a drive assembly configured to generate a thrust force in water, a powerhead configured to power the drive assembly, and a mounting assembly configured to couple the drive assembly to the transom outside of the marine vessel and to suspend the powerhead on the transom inside of the marine vessel;
- from outside the marine vessel, inserting the powerhead into the marine vessel via the mounting hole until the mounting assembly engages the transom;
- and
- fastening the mounting assembly to the transom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.