Drive shaft supporting structure for a small boat, and personal watercraft incorporating same

A personal watercraft, comprising:

• a boat body having a hull and a deck, the hull constituting a lower part of the boat body and the deck covering the hull, wherein the hull has a downwardly directed recess formed in a rear bottom surface thereof, defining a water introduction channel at a front part of the recess, the water introduction channel configured and arranged to permit water entry into the recess during operation of the boat, the water introduction channel having a wall with an opening formed therein communicating with an interior portion of the hull,
• a pump which is operatively attached to a rear part of the water introduction channel,
• an engine provided in the boat body forward of the water introduction channel, and
• a drive shaft extending rearwardly from the engine in the boat body, the drive shaft passing through the opening provided on the wall of the water introduction channel, the drive shaft being operatively connected to the pump,
• a drive shaft supporting structure disposed in the hull and comprising:
• a shaft-supporting member for supporting the drive shaft in a manner so as to permit rotation thereof, and
• a cylindrical sleeve arranged between the shaft-supporting member and the opening, the sleeve having a hollow interior passage through which the drive shaft extends,
• wherein the cylindrical sleeve and the shaft-supporting member are mounted inside of the hull, and
• wherein a front end portion of the cylindrical sleeve is connected to the shaft-supporting member, and a rear end portion of the cylindrical sleeve is connected to the opening.

A method of assembling a drive shaft supporting structure to a hull of a boat, the boat comprising a boat body having a hull and a deck, the hull constituting a lower part of the boat body and the deck covering the hull, wherein the hull has a downwardly directed recess formed in a rear bottom surface thereof, defining a water introduction channel at a front part of the recess, the water introduction channel configured and arranged to introduce water into the recess during operation of the boat, the water introduction channel having a wall with an opening formed therein communicating with an interior portion of the hull,

• a pump which is stored in the hull in a rear part of the recess,
• an engine provided in the boat body forward of the water introduction channel, and
• a drive shaft extending rearwardly from the engine in the boat body, the drive shaft passing through the opening provided on the wall of the water introduction channel, the drive shaft being operatively connected to the pump,
• wherein the method of assembling the drive shaft supporting structure to the hull comprises the steps of:
• attaching a shaft-supporting member to a front end of a cylindrical sleeve to form a supportive unitary subassembly, and
• attaching the supportive unitary subassembly to an internal surface of the hull from a location inside of the hull so that a hollow interior of the cylindrical sleeve faces, and communicates with, the hull opening.