Outboard motor and weed guard therefor

In combination with an outboard motor of the type including a depending support portion provided with a horizontally elongated marine propeller drive housing at its lower end, said depending support portion positioned between a forward and rearward end of said housing, said housing having a front to rear extending shaft journalled therein and a marine propeller mounted on the rear end of said shaft, a weed guard mounted on said rear end of said housing and surrounding and enclosing said propeller, said weed guard comprising a tubular section at its front end and surrounding and embracing said rear end of said housing for detachably securing said tubular section to said housing, said guard also including a rearwardly and radially outwardly diverging tapered wall defining an outer rear edge, said tapered wall comprising a series of radially extending spokes which are relatively thin in circumferential direction as compared to their axial width, whereby water can pass from a front to rear direction readily through said tapered wall, said tapered wall extending radially outwardly and rearwardly at an angle of approximately 120.degree. from the longitudinal front to rear axis of said housing, said guide also including a cylindrical portion integrally connected with said tapered wall at said rear edge, said cylindrical portion disposed radially outwardly from and surrounding said propeller and extending rearwardly past said propeller, said cylindrical portion being perforated so as to be substantially open to permit the passage of water readily therethrough, said tubular section, said tapered wall and said cylindrical portion being an integrally cast and single piece, a removable rear end plate attached to the rear end of said cylindrical portion and extending across said cylindrical portion in a transverse direction, said plate being formed by a series of concentric rings defining a series of arcuate slots circumferentially spaced around and between each adjacent pair of concentric rings, said concentric rings being relatively narrow in a radial direction as compared to their axial length to thereby provide rigidity to said end plate whereby said plate is substantially open to permit free passage of water therethrough, and a rudder extending radially outwardly from said drive housing and terminating at approximately the same radial distance as said cylindrical portion, whereby weeds and the like can slide off said rudder and past said guard.

In combination with an outboard motor of the type including a depending support portion provided with a horizontally elongated marine propeller drive housing at its lower end, said depending support portion positioned between a forward and rearward end of said housing, said housing having a front to rear extending shaft journalled therein and a marine propeller mounted on the rear end of said shaft, a weed guard mounted on said rear end of said housing and surrounding and enclosing said propeller, said weed guard comprising a tubular section at its front end and surrounding and embracing said rear end of said housing for detachably securing said tubular section to said housing, said guard also including a rearwardly and radially outwardly diverging tapered wall defining an outer rear edge, said tapered wall comprising a series of radially extending spokes which are relatively thin in circumferential direction as compared to their axial width, whereby water can pass from a front to rear direction readily through said tapered wall, said guide also including a cylindrical portion integrally connected with said tapered wall at said rear edge, said cylindrical portion disposed radially outwardly from and surrounding said propeller and extending rearwardly past said propeller, said cylindrical portion being perforated so as to be substantially open to permit the passage of water readily therethrough, said tubular section, said tapered wall and said cylindrical portion being an integrally cast and single piece, and a removable rear end plate attached to the rear end of said cylindrical portion and extending across said cylindrical portion in a transverse direction, said plate being formed by a series of concentric rings defining a series of arcuate slots circumferentially spaced around and between each adjacent pair of concentric rings whereby said plate is substantially open to permit free passage of water therethrough.