Propulsion devices

Claim 1

In a water-borne vessel having a hull having a formed rear section including a downwardly facing channel which has an upwardly rearwardly inclined upper wall and which affords an intake duct through which water passes during travel of the vessel, a unit comprising a casing containing an impeller and defining a discharge duct, said unit being fastened to the formed section at the outlet of the intake duct with the two ducts intercommunicating and with the impeller located at the junction between the two ducts, said impeller having a driving shaft which projects forwardly of the vessel and passes through an opening in said formed section of the hull such that the forward end of the shaft is accessible from within the hull for coupling to a driving engine, and support and bearing means located at the junction between said ducts for rotatably supporting said impeller; the improvement in which said upper wall of said intake duct has a recess therein between two upwardly rearwardly inclined portions of said upper wall, said recess having a forward wall that is transverse to said shaft, said opening for said shaft extending through said forward wall, a forward bearing for said shaft, said forward bearing comprising a body that has a forward surface that abuts the rear surface of said forward wall about said opening, and a flange on the rear side of said bearing body, said flange being upwardly rearwardly inclined and having a rear surface that forms a continuation of said two portions of said upper wall of said intake duct thereby to close said recess without obstructing flow of water through the intake duct.