Through-transom marine propulsion unit

Claim 1

A MARINE DRIVE FOR A VESSEL HAVING A STERN CLOSURE MEANS, A PRIME MOVER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID VESSEL FORWARD OF SAID STERN CLOSURE MEANS, AN OUTBOARD POWER LEG OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID VESSEL AND BEING DISPOSED REARWARD OF SAID STERN CLOSURE MEANS, PROPELLER MEANS DISPOSED AT A LOWER END OF SAID POWER LEG, POWER LEG SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING A PORTION POSITIONED ON THE AFT SIDE OF SAID STERN CLOSURE MEANS AND CONNECTED WITH SAID VESSEL, A FIRST MOUNTING MEANS COINCIDENT WITH A STEERING AXIS OF SAID OUTBOARD POWER LEG, A SECOND MOUNTING MEANS COINCIDENT WITH A TILT-UP AXIS OF SAID OUTBOARD POWER LEG, UNITARY INTERMEDIATE MEANS LOCATED ON THE AFT SIDE OF SAID STERN CLOSURE MEANS AND BEING OSCILLATABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID POWER LEG SUPPORTING MEANS BY ONE OF SAID MOUNTING MEANS, SAID UNITARY INTERMEDIATE MEANS BEING OSCILLATABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID POWER LEG BY THE OTHER OF SAID MOUNTING MEANS, A POWER TRANSMITTING MEANS PASSING THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID STERN CLOSURE MEANS AND DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID PRIME MOVER WITH SAID PROPELLER MEANS, SAID POWER TRANSMITTING MEANS COMPRISING A VERTICAL SHAFT MEANS IN SAID POWER LEG WHICH EXTENDS UPWARDLY IN THE POWER LEG NO HIGHER THAN A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE SAID TILT-UP AXIS SO THAT SAID POWER LEG IS MOVABLE TO A TILT-UP POSITION, SAID POWER TRANSMITTING MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING A UNIVERSALLY FLEXIBLE TORQUE TRANSMITTING MEANS DISPOSED ON OR NEAR EACH OF SAID AXES WHEREBY DURING STEERING OR TILT-UP OF SAID OUTBOARD POWER LEG, SAID POWER TRANSMITTING MEANS IS ARTICULATED THROUGH SAID UNIVERSALLY FLEXIBLE TORQUE TRANSMITTING MEANS THUS PROVIDING A TORQUE TRANSMITTING CONNECTION TO SAID PROPELLER DURING EITHER TILT-UP OR STEERING OF SAID POWER LEG.