Amphibious vehicle

Claim 1

AN AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A BUOYANT HULL MEMBER DEFINING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BODY, THE HULL MEMBER HAVING SPACED APART LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS, THE HULL MEMBER DEFINING A WELL HAVING A FLOOR DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE, A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE WHEELS DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF THE HULL MEMBER, A MOTOR DISPOSED INSIDE THE HULL MEMBER ADJACENT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, THE MOTOR HAVING A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF THE MOTOR, TWO OF THE PLURALITY OF WHEELS BEING SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, AXLE MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID TWO WHEELS AND EXTENDING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE HULL MEMBER AND BEING SEALED IN WATER-TIGHT RELATION TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE HULL MEMBER, A DIFFERENTIAL DISPOSED BETWEEN THE AXLE MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO, A TRANSMISSION UNIT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE DIFFERENTIAL AND DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF THE DIFFERENTIAL WITHIN THE HULL MEMBER, FIRST DRIVE SHAFT MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE MOTOR SHAFT AND THE TRANSMISSION AND INCLUDING FIRST SELECTIVELY OPERABLE MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE TRANSMISSION TO THE MOTOR SHAFT, A PAIR OF ROTATABLE PROPELLER SHAFTS EXTENDING EXTERIORLY OF THE HULL MEMBER, EACH PROPELLER SHAFT HAVING AN OUTBOARD END DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF THE HULL MEMBER WELL ABOVE THE PLANE OF THE WELL FLOOR, EACH PROPELLER SHAFT FURTHER HAVING AN INBOARD END DISPOSED INTERIORLY OF THE HULL MEMBER WITHIN THE WELL, A PROPELLER SECURED TO THE OUTBOARD END OF EACH PROPELLER SHAFT FOR ROTATION WITH SAID SHAFT, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN EACH PROPELLER SHAFT AND THE MOTOR SHAFT FOR ROTATION OF THE PROPELLER SHAFTS IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF THE MOTOR SHAFT AND INCLUDING SECOND SELECTIVELY OPERABLE MEANS FOR RELEASABLY COUPLING THE PROPELLER SHAFTS TO THE MOTOR SHAFT.