Mounting for Boat Drive

Abstract

A boat drive for a boat having a boat hull with a bottom. The boat drive includes an underwater pod; an electric motor disposed in the underwater pod, the electric motor driving, via a drive shaft, a propeller attached to the underwater pod; and an electrical supply line for supplying energy to the electric motor. The boat drive further includes an inner tube connected to the underwater pod and displaceably disposed in an outer tube, wherein the electrical supply line is routed through the inner tube. The boat drive further includes a mounting body attachable to the bottom of the boat hull, wherein the outer tube is passed through the mounting body. At least one annular sealing element is disposed between the inner and outer tubes, wherein the at least one annular sealing element seals the inner tube and the outer tube in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the inner tube.

Claims

1. A boat drive for a boat having a boat hull with a bottom, the boat drive comprising: an underwater pod; an electric motor disposed in the underwater pod, the electric motor driving, via a drive shaft, a propeller attached to the underwater pod; an electrical supply line for supplying energy to the electric motor; an inner tube connected to the underwater pod and displaceably disposed in an outer tube, wherein the electrical supply line is routed through the inner tube; a mounting body attachable to the bottom of the boat hull, wherein the outer tube is passed through the mounting body; at least one annular sealing element disposed between the inner and outer tubes, wherein the at least one annular sealing element seals the inner tube and the outer tube in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the inner tube.

2. The boat drive of claim 1, wherein the at least one annular sealing element is an O-ring.

3. The boat drive of claim 1, wherein the at least one annular sealing element comprises two or more sealing elements.

4. The boat drive of claim 3, wherein the at least one annular sealing element comprises four sealing elements.

5. The boat drive of claim 3, wherein the outer tube comprises a first end piece and a second end piece, and at least one of the sealing elements is in contact with the first end piece and at least one of the sealing elements is in contact with the second end piece.

6. The boat drive of claim 5, wherein the first end piece and the second end piece comprise in each case a third, a fourth, a fifth, an eighth or a tenth part of the length of the outer tube.

7. The boat drive of claim 1, further comprising a securing element attaching the underwater pod to the mounting body.

8. The boat drive of claim 1, wherein the electrical supply line includes a plug connection.

9. The boat drive of claim 1, further comprising a spacer disposed between the underwater pod and the inner tube.

10. The boat drive of claim 1, wherein the mounting body is attached in a waterproof manner to the bottom of the boat hull.

11. The boat drive of claim 10, wherein the mounting body is at least in part disposed inside the boat hull.

12. The boat drive of claim 10, wherein the mounting body is at least partially disposed outside the boat hull.

13. The boat drive of claim 10, wherein the mounting body is attached to the bottom of the boat hull by means of screwed connections, and the mounting body and the bottom of the boat hull are sealed by means of a sealing agent.

14. The boat drive of claim 10, wherein the outer tube is closed by a closing element which is sealed by the at least one annular sealing element.

15. The boat drive of claim 10, wherein the underwater pod together with the inner tube is mounted so as to pivot relative to the mounting body and the outer tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a side plan view of a boat drive according to at least one embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of a boat drive according to at least one embodiment; and

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a bottom perspective view of a boat drive according to at least one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The above described drawing figures illustrate the described invention in at least one embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. While the disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail at least one embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the disclosure to the embodiment illustrated. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a boat drive consists of a first part 1 fixedly attached to the boat, and a second detachable part 2. The first part 1 is screwed to the bottom 3 of the boat hull. In the bottom 3 a central hole, through which the outer tube (see below) can pass, and for example two additional holes are drilled. Bolts are passed through the additional holes in order to attach a mounting body 5 to the bottom 3. Any gap between the mounting body 5 and the bottom 3 is sealed with sealing agent and/or adhesive. An adaptable part, formed for example from plastic, can also be provided.

[0035] In at least one embodiment, the mounting body 5 is disposed outside the boat hull. It is however equally possible to provide the mounting body in the interior of the boat hull, and to pass the bolts or screws for attaching the mounting body from the interior of the boat outwards through the bottom 3.

[0036] An outer tube 6 is attached to the mounting body 5 and passes through the bottom 3 via the central drilled hole described above. The outer tube 6 is attached in a waterproof manner to the mounting body 5. For example, the outer tube 6 is attached to the mounting body 5 by means of a welded, screwed or bonded connection. In every case, after attachment of the mounting body 5 to the bottom 3, the interior of the outer tube 6 is the only connection between the interior of the boat and the exterior of the boat hull. Aside from this, the interior of the boat and the exterior of the boat hull are separated from each other in a waterproof manner.

[0037] The second part of the boat drive comprises an underwater pod 7, in which an electric motor (not shown) is disposed. The electric motor drives a drive shaft 8, to which, outside the underwater pod 7, a propeller is attached. For reasons of clarity the propeller is also not shown.

[0038] A spacer 9 is connected to the underwater pod 7. The spacer 9 has a continuous hollow space with which an inner tube 10 is connected, or into which an inner tube 10 is inserted. In the outer wall of the underwater pod 7, an aperture is provided which creates a connection between the interior of the underwater pod 7 and the interior of the inner tube 10. The underwater pod 7, the spacer 9 and the inner tube 10 are otherwise connected with each other in a waterproof manner.

[0039] One or more electrically conductive cables 11 are attached to the electric motor. The cables 11 can be disconnected by means of a plug connection 12.

[0040] The first and second parts 1, 2 of the boat drive are connected to each other in that the inner tube 10 is inserted in the outer tube 6. The sealing between the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 is achieved by means of O-rings 13, 14. After the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 are put together, O-rings 13, 14 are disposed between the two tubes 10, 6, and are compressed in a radial direction. By this means the gap between the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 is sealed.

[0041] It is expedient to provide one or more grooves, each of which accommodates one O-ring, around the circumference of the inner tube 10 and/or the outer tube 6, either on the outside of the inner tube 10 or on the inside of the outer tube 6.

[0042] The inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 are preferably sealed against each other, in each case at their end which faces towards the underwater pod, by means of one or two O-rings 13. In addition, the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 are preferably sealed against each other, in each case at their end which faces away from the underwater pod, by means of one or two O-rings 14. The term “ends” refers here in particular to the third, fourth, fifth, eighth or tenth part of the length of the inner tube 10 and/or the outer tube 6 in each case.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows the boat drive according to at least one embodiment in the assembled state. For the purposes of repair or inspection of the underwater pod 7, the electric motor, the propeller, or another element or component that is disposed in the underwater pod, the second part 2 of the boat drive can be detached from the boat.

[0044] For this purpose, both screws 16 are released. The plug connection 12 is also released and the electric cable 11 is disconnected. The second part 2 of the boat drive thereby remains inserted in the outer tube 2 only, and can simply be pulled out downwards.

[0045] The assembly of the boat drive accordingly takes place in the reverse sequence. First the inner tube 10 is inserted in the outer tube 6. Due to the radial sealing by means of the O-rings 13,14 according to the invention, it is not necessary to keep the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 in a precise position relative to each other in an axial direction. The seal between the inner tube 10 and the outer tube 6 exists over a wide range, namely as long as at least one of the O-rings 13, 14 is disposed between the two tubes 10, 6.

[0046] After the two parts 1, 2 have been pushed together, it is only necessary in addition to secure the lower, second part 2 of the boat drive against falling out. For this purpose the screws 16 are screwed into the mounting body 5. Electrical connection of the electric motor is achieved by connecting the plug connection 12.

[0047] Both assembly and disassembly of the boat drive are easy to accomplish, and can also be carried out by a non-specialist. In particular, no danger of leakage exists following disassembly and subsequent reassembly of the boat drive.

[0048] The enablements described in detail above are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the invention and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

[0049] The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

[0050] Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

[0051] The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.