A sealing system for sealing a shaft located under water includes a bush mountable on the shaft and fixed to the shaft, a housing fixed with respect to the bush and surrounding a first portion of the bush, a lubricant chamber and an air chamber in the housing and open to the bush, the lubricant chamber being sealed with respect to the air chamber by a seal ring, a mechanical seal outside the housing and surrounding a second portion of the bush, an air supply line and an air discharge line connected to the air chamber, and a quantity of lubricating oil in the lubricant chamber, the lubricating oil being in fluid communication with a lubricant tank via at least one oil line, wherein an air pressure in the air chamber is greater than an oil pressure in the lubricant chamber.

A modular, weight-shift controlled watercraft device is disclosed which includes a wireless handheld throttle controller comprising a body configured to avoid water intrusion, a throttle control interface configured to receive an input controlling a speed of the watercraft, a memory storing an operator profile setting, a wireless transmitter configured to communicate wirelessly with a microcontroller of the watercraft, a processor configured to communicate control information to the microcontroller of the watercraft via the wireless transmitter.

A drive device for a vessel includes an electric motor, driving a rotatable drive shaft; an elongate drive device housing, encapsulating the electric motor and the drive shaft; and a propeller, detachably mounted to the rotatable drive shaft. The drive device housing has an upper connection device. The upper connection device is symmetrical about a transverse axis, enabling the drive device housing to be mounted to a structure onboard the vessel in either of two longitudinal directions. The drive device and the hull of the vessel are separated from each other by using an isolation plate with a central isolation sleeve. The electric motor drives the drive shaft via an interconnected gear device encapsulated in the drive device housing or integrated as a part of the drive device housing and are arranged pivotably with respect to the tilt device housing.

A watercraft includes a hull having a lengthwise-extending keel and a transom extending perpendicularly to the keel about an aft end of the hull. An electrically-powered propulsion pod is engaged with the hull on opposite sides of the keel. A single control unit is in communication with the propulsion pods, wherein the single control unit is arranged to interact with the propulsion pods to control steering, direction, and velocity of the hull. An associated method of forming a watercraft is also provided.

A novel rotatable hull that generally includes a hull that is capable of rotating around an attachment point where it is connected to a vessel. In preferred embodiments, an outdoor motor mounted to the rotatable hull will turn to vector thrust and apply a moment to rotate the hull around a nominally vertical axis where the hull connects to the vessel. The invention also is directed to a vessel, which employs a plurality of rotatable hulls. A plurality of rotatable hulls can be arranged into a tripod, square or other stable geometric configuration and connected by a structure to form a vessel that can move in any direction along the plane of the surface of the water with or without changing the yaw axis orientation of the connecting structure. This may be useful in applications such as catching objects that are descending from the sky.

A turbine system that harnesses energy from natural atmospheric wind and water currents for power generation and storage in a power storage mode, and in a reverse switched operation, sources current to the turbine system from storage power to function in a propulsion mode to propel an associated structure (e.g., boat, aircraft).

A method and an arrangement for sealing a propeller shaft located under water. The propeller shaft is arranged at a pod of a ship and an air chamber is provided circumferentially around the propeller shaft. The method includes supplying compressed air from a compressed air source to the air chamber, discharging compressed air from the air chamber in an air return line and colleting liquid present in the compressed air discharged from the air chamber in an intermediate leakage tank that is provided in the air return line. The method includes closing the air return line upstream of the intermediate leakage tank, and supplying compressed air to the intermediate leakage tank to effect flowing of liquid present in the intermediate leakage tank to a leakage tank.

A novel rotatable hull that generally includes a hull that is capable of rotating around an attachment point where it is connected to a vessel. In preferred embodiments, an outdoor motor mounted to the rotatable hull will turn to vector thrust and apply a moment to rotate the hull around a nominally vertical axis where the hull connects to the vessel. The invention also is directed to a vessel, which employs a plurality of rotatable hulls. A plurality of rotatable hulls can be arranged into a tripod, square or other stable geometric configuration and connected by a structure to form a vessel that can move in any direction along the plane of the surface of the water with or without changing the yaw axis orientation of the connecting structure. This may be useful in applications such as catching objects that are descending from the sky.

A self-righting unmanned vehicle, comprising: a cavity 1, located at a first side of the hull of the unmanned vehicle; a sealed cavity 2, located at a second side of the hull of the unmanned vehicle and provided, in parallel to the cavity 1, in a head region of the hull; and a first propeller 3, provided in a tail intersection region of a normal waterline A with an inversion waterline B of the unmanned vehicle, and rotating in a reverse direction when the unmanned vehicle is in an overturned state. The self-righting unmanned vehicle improves the self-righting efficiency of the unmanned vehicle.

A novel rotatable hull that generally includes a hull that is capable of rotating around an attachment point where it is connected to a vessel. In preferred embodiments, an outdoor motor mounted to the rotatable hull will turn to vector thrust and apply a moment to rotate the hull around a nominally vertical axis where the hull connects to the vessel. The invention also is directed to a vessel, which employs a plurality of rotatable hulls. A plurality of rotatable hulls can be arranged into a tripod, square or other stable geometric configuration and connected by a structure to form a vessel that can move in any direction along the plane of the surface of the water with or without changing the yaw axis orientation of the connecting structure. This may be useful in applications such as catching objects that are descending from the sky.