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AssigneesThomas F. Adams, Douglas W. Janisch, William L. Sirois
InventorsThomas F. Adams, Douglas W. Janisch, William L. Sirois
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This is a motor boat gimbal controlled propelling and steering device extending through the boat wall or transom. In one form the power thrust is substantially in direct line with the motor shaft of the inboard motor, the motor being at about the same angle as the propeller shaft, and, in another form, a horizontal inboard motor is connected by a pair of bevel gears at a slight angle to the propeller shaft. The propeller shaft and propeller are used to steer the boat, the propeller shaft being connected to the motor shaft through a gimbal by a universal joint sealed within a tubular accordion boot so that it may swing horizontally for steering purposes and may also swing vertically to a position to at least just clear the bottom hull line and propel the boat in water just enough to float the boat. A conventional surfacing type of propeller is used to provide the optimum effect, particularly in shallow water. The propeller end of the propeller shaft is supported through a bearing box secured on the bottom of an anti-cavitation plate having a vertical fin thereabove/and below secured thereto, and a hydraulic pressure piston and cylinder are used as a trim control to vertically position the propeller, the cylinder being connected to the fin at one end and to the top of a gimbal support frame which in turn is secured externally to the boat wall or transom. A propeller shaft bearing box is horizontally pivoted to a gimbal ring, which ring is vertically pivoted in the gimbal support frame. A tiller is secured on the gimbal ring vertical pivot shaft for swinging the propeller shaft horizontally for steering, and the propeller shaft trim control lifting and depressing control pressure cylinder is connected to the propeller bearing boxes and to the tiller shaft for lifting the propeller to above the hull line.
A unitary direct in-line propelling and steering assembly (10) for an inboard motor (34) of a power boat, said assembly comprising a gimbal support frame (12) to be secured externally to the boat wall or transom (14), a vertically extending gimbal ring (54), pivot shaft means (50, 58) vertically pivoting said ring (54) in said gimbal support frame (12), a propeller shaft thrust bearing box (60), means for pivoting said thrust bearing box (60) on horizontal pivot means (59), in said vertical gimbal ring (54) for vertically swinging said thrust bearing box (60) in said gimbal ring (54), a single propeller shaft (30) journaled through said thrust bearing box (60), a single flexible coupler (90, 92, 94) secured directly on the forward end (62) of said single propeller shaft (30) for connecting said single propeller shaft (30) through an opening (26) in said gimbal support frame (12) and through an aligned opening (28) in the boat transom (14) for connection to the inboard boat motor (34), a second bearing box (72), a common means (66) for mounting said second bearing box (72) spaced from and secured to said first thrust bearing box (60), said single propeller shaft (30) being also journaled through said second bearing box (72) adjacent its propeller rear end, a propeller (68) secured directly on said single propeller shaft (30) rear end, said bearing boxes (60, 72) and said common mounting means (66) maintaining said single propeller shaft (30) in alignment with said single coupler (90, 92, 94), lifting and depressing control means (74, 78, 80, 82, 84, 85, 86, 88) secured to said bearing boxes common mounting means (66) for vertically swinging said single propeller shaft (30), and a tiller (48) secured to said gimbal ring pivot shaft (50) for horizontally swinging said bearing boxes (60, 72), said common mounting means (66), and said single propeller shaft (30) journaled therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.