(57) A marine outdrive apparatus is disclosed for attachment to the transom (20) of a
boat having an inboard engine. The marine outdrive includes a tubular support casing
(22) securable to and extendable rearwardly of the boat's transom (20) and having
a ball socket at its rear end. The ball socket receives a ball (32) at the front end
of a tubular, propeller shaft carrier (30) having a conical outer surface. A drive
shaft (38) connectable to the inboard engine is jour- nailed in the support casing
(22). A propeller shaft (40) is journalled in the propeller shaft carrier (30) and
has a propeller (44) mounted thereon at the rear end of the propeller shaft carrier
(30). A universal joint (46) couples the two shafts together, the centre of such joint
(46) substantially coinciding with the point about which the ball (32) pivots within
the socket. Hydraulic steering cylinders (108. 110) are attached to the propeller
shaft carrier (30) to pivot the latter about a steering axis extending through the
pivot point of the ball (32). A hydraulic trim cylinder (140) extends between the
transom (20) and the propeller shaft carrier (30) to swing the propeller shaft carrier
(30) about a laterally extending trim axis extending through the pivot point of the
ball (32). The upper end of the trim cylinder (140) is pivotally mounted on the transom
(20) at a location above and vertically aligned with the pivot point of the ball (32)
or at a location above and forwardly of such pivot point. Improved fins (90, 92) are
provided on the propeller shaft carrier (30) near the propeller (44) to stabilize
the boat. The drive shaft (38) of the inboard motor can be directly connected to the
joint (46) or offset from the joint (46) and coupled thereto by a vertically extending
transmission (430).
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