Dual electric motor stern drive with forward rudder control

A watercraft comprising:

• a hull having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline;
• a steering device to enable a user to steer the watercraft;
• a forward rudder extending from the hull along the longitudinal centerline and forward of the transverse centerline;
• first and second aft propulsion units each including an electric motor drivingly coupled to a prop, the aft propulsion units being mounted to the hull at symmetrical locations with respect to the longitudinal centerline, each aft propulsion unit being configured to produce at least a thrust component generally parallel with the longitudinal centerline and a thrust component generally transverse to the longitudinal centerline;
• and
• a system controller coupled to the steering device and configured to control operation of the aft propulsion units and forward rudder to steer the watercraft.

A watercraft comprising:

• a hull having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline;
• a directionally controllable forward rudder assembly including a rudder extending from the hull forward of the transverse centerline, wherein the rudder is retractable;
• first and second aft electric propulsion units, each propulsion unit including an electric motor drivingly coupled to a prop, the propulsion units being configured to produce a desired resultant thrust by rotation of the props;
• and
• a control system coupled to the rudder assembly and to the propulsion units, the control system applying position control signals to the rudder assembly to position the rudder in a desired orientation and applying drive signals to the propulsion units to drive the electric motors at desired speeds.

A steering control system for a watercraft, the watercraft including a hull having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline, the system comprising:

• a forward rudder extending from the hull along the longitudinal centerline and forward of the transverse centerline, wherein the rudder is retractable into a housing provided in the hull;
• first and second aft propulsion units mounted to the hull at symmetrical locations with respect to the longitudinal centerline, each aft propulsion unit being configured to produce at least a thrust component parallel with the longitudinal centerline;
• and
• a system controller coupled to the aft propulsion units and configured to control operation of the propulsion units to produce a resultant thrust for navigating the watercraft.

A watercraft comprising:

• a hull having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline;
• a forward rudder extending from the hull along the longitudinal centerline and forward of the transverse centerline, wherein the rudder is retractable into a housing provided in the hull;
• first and second aft propulsion units each including an electric motor drivingly coupled to a prop, the aft propulsion units being mounted to the hull at symmetrical locations with respect to the longitudinal centerline, each aft propulsion unit being configured to produce at least a thrust component generally parallel with the longitudinal centerline and a thrust component generally transverse to the longitudinal centerline;
• and
• a system controller coupled to the aft propulsion units and configured to control operation of the propulsion units to produce a resultant thrust for navigating the watercraft.