Tilt lock mechanism for marine propulsion device

In a tilt locking and shock absorbing arrangement for a marine outboard drive comprising a drive member supported for tilting movement relative to a hull of an associated watercraft about a substantially horizontally disposed tilt axis, a hydraulic assembly comprising a cylinder and a piston slidably supported in said cylinder and defining first and second chambers, a piston rod affixed to said piston and extending through one of said chambers, means for operatively interposing said hydraulic assembly between hull and said drive member for relative movement of said piston and said cylinder upon tilting movement of said drive member about said tilt axis, passage means extending between said first and second chambers, and defining a single fluid path therebetween valve means in said passage means for controlling the flow between said first chamber and said second chamber, said valve means comprising first check valve means in said passage means for permitting flow from said first chamber to said second chamber and for precluding flow from said second chamber to said first chamber, second check valve means in said passage means for permitting flow from said second chamber to said first chamber and for precluding flow from said first chamber to said second chamber, and control means for selectively opening one of said check valve means so that the other of said check valve means controls the flow through said passage means, the improvement comprising an accumulator having a first port comunicating solely with said first check valve means and a second port communicating solely with said second check valve means such that said fluid path includes said accumulator, said accumulator compensating for the changes in the volume of the fluid displaced from said one chamber by said piston rod.