Z-drive water jet propulsion unit

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A BOAT HULL OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A BOTTOM AND A TRANSOM PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE REAR OF SAID BOTTOM, A WATER JET PROPULSION UNIT INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AND A ROTOR ROTATABLY MOUNTED THEREIN COMMUNICATED WITH SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING MEANS REMOVABLY MOUNTING SAID HOUSING FROM AND REARWARDLY OF SAID TRANSOM WITH THE PORTION OF SAID HOUSING DEFINING SAID INLET OPENING IN SUBSTANTIAL HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE LOWER SURFACES OF THE BOTTOM OF SAID HULL AND IMMEDIATELY TO THE REAR OF SAID TRANSOM, SAID OUTLET OPENING REARWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING AND DISPOSED SLIGHTLY ABOVE A HORIZONTAL PLANE CONTAINING SAID INLET SAID HOUSING INCLUDING AN UPRIGHT EXTENSION AT ITS FORWARD END HAVING AN UPRIGHT DRIVE SHAFT JOURNALED THEREIN, MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID ROTOR, SAID UPRIGHT EXTENSION INCLUDING A FORWARDLY PROJECTING AND LATERALLY DIRECTED EXTENSION AT ITS UPPER END HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL INPUT SHAFT JOURNALED THEREIN DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID FORWARD END OF SAID HORIZONTAL EXTENSION BEING REMOVABLY INSERTED AND SECURED THROUGH SAID TRANSOM AND THE FORWARD END OF SAID INPUT SHAFT BEING ADAPTED FOR REMOVABLE DRIVING CONNECTION WITH THE OUTPUT SHAFT OF AN INBOARD ENGINE SECURED IN SAID BOAT, SAID MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID ROTOR INCLUDING TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY DRIVING SAID ROTOR IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A HOLLOW HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED EXTENSION PROJECTING REARWARDLY OF THE LOWER END OF SAID UPRIGHT EXTENSION AND OPEN AT ITS REAR END DEFINING SAID OUTLET, THE LOWER END OF SAID UPRIGHT EXTENSION BEING OPEN AND DEFINING SAID INLET AND INCLUDING REARWARDLY AND UPWARDLY INCLINED FORE AND AFT EXTENDING TRANSVERSE PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING SAID INLET WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE FORWARD END OF SAID HORIZONTAL EXTENSION, SAID ROTOR BEING MOUNTED IN SAID HORIZONTAL EXTENSION FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLELING SAID BOTTOM.