Marine vessel with internal combustion engine having an exhaust pipe.

Claim 1

A boat operated by an internal combustion engine comprising a boat body having a bow and a stern, said engine being mounted on said boat body, inlet means in said boat body for receiving water from outside the boat body, a flow passage means extending from said inlet means to the stern of the boat, said flow passage means having an outlet nozzle disposed at the stern of the boat through which the water exits from the flow passage means, a propeller disposed within said flow passage means, a hollow enclosure means mounted on said boat body and enclosing therein substantially the entire flow passage means, said hollow enclosure means having two generally upright side walls extending fore and aft and a top wall connected to said upright side walls such that said hollow enclosure means has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, said hollow enclosure means also having an opening at one end thereof located at the stern of the boat, said hollow enclosure means further having a forward transverse wall, a propeller drive shaft extending between said engine and said propeller, a propeller shaft enclosure means disposed about said shaft, said propeller shaft enclosure means being connected to said flow passage means and extending forward of said inlet means, said propeller shaft enclosure means extending through said forward transverse wall of said hollow enclosure means, said engine having an exhaust conduit connected to one of said side walls of said hollow enclosure means such that exhaust gases from the engine pass into said hollow enclosure means and exit the latter through said opening in said hollow enclosure means, said flow passage means being spaced from said upright side walls and also being spaced from said top wall, said flow passage means being thereby disposed within said hollow enclosure means such that under operating conditions of the boat, a pressure less than atmospheric pressure is provided within the hollow enclosure means to facilitate the exhaust of the engine exhaust gases from said exhaust conduit into said hollow enclosure means.