Steering and reversing assembly for water jet boats

Claim 1

A STEERING AND REVERSING ASSEMBLY FOR WATER JET BOATS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A WATER JET OUTLET, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOUSING HAVING A LONGITUDNAL FIRST PASSAGE FORMED THERETHROUGH AND INCLUDING MEANS ADAPTED TO SEALINGLY COMMUNICATE THE FRONT END OF SAID HOUSING WITH SAID OUTLET, THE REAR END OF SAID PASSAGE DEFINING AN UPSTANDING GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CAVITY IN SAID PASSAGE, A STEERING BODY SNUGLY AND ROTATABLY DISPOSED IN SAID CAVITY BLOCKING THE REAR END OF SAID PASSAGE AND HAVING A GENERALLY DIAMETRIC SECOND PASSAGE FORMED THERETHROUGH FORMING AN OSCILLATABLE CONTINUATION OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE AND INCLUDING A FORWARD END COMMUNICATED WITH THE FORWARD END OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE, SAID STEERING BODY PROJECTING OUTWARDLY OF THE REAR END OF SAID HOUSING, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS WHOSE UPPER MARGINAL PORTIONS ARE INTERCONNECTED BY MEANS OF A TOP WALL, SAID TOP WALL HAVING A PARTIAL CIRCULAR OPENING FORMED THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH THE REAR EDGE PORTION OF SAID TOP WALL, SAID STEERING BODY INCLUDING A TOP WALL HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR PORTION JOURNALED IN SAID OPENING, AN ARCUATE WATER JET DEFLECTION AND REVERSING BODY, MEANS PIVOTALLY SECURING SAID REVERSING BODY TO SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF AND DISPOSED SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE REAR END OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE AND ALONG A LINE DISPOSED IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERLINE OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE, SAID REVERSING BODY BEING GENERALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR IN RADIAL CROSS-SECTION AND BEING SWINGABLE FROM A RAISED INOPERATIVE POSITION DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF AND ABOVE THE REAR MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID STEERING BODY AND A LOWERED POSITION WITH SAID REVERSING BODY POSITIONED BEHIND AND IN HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID STEERING BODY, SAID REVERSING BODY, WHEN IN SAID LOWER POSITION, INCLUDING AN EXTENDED LOWER LIP DISPOSED SLIGHTLY BELOW THE LOWER PORTION OF THE REAR END OF SAID STEERING BODY AND ALSO A CENTRALLY DISPOSED ARCUATE UPPER LIP ROTATABLY RECEIVING AND DISPOSED IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REAR MARGINAL PORTION OF THE CIRCULAR PORTION OF SAID TOP WALL OF SAID STEERING BODY PROJECTING OUTWARDLY OF THE REAR OF SAID HOUSING.