Gearcases for marine drives and methods of making gearcases for marine drives having reduced noise output

Abstract

A gearcase for a marine drive, the gearcase having a housing made of a first material, a driveshaft extending into the housing, a propulsor shaft extending from the housing, a gearset rotationally coupling the driveshaft to the propulsor shaft such that rotation of the driveshaft causes rotation of the propulsor shaft, and a stiffening insert made of a second material that is stiffer than the first material, the stiffening insert reinforcing the housing in a manner that limits gear misalignment that would otherwise occur based on gear forces and applied loads on the gearset. Stiffening inserts and methods of manufacturing a gearcase having a stiffening insert are also provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.