Abstract:
An adjustable engine mount for a pontoon boat makes it possible to adjust the relative position of an outboard engine relative to the waterline of the boat. The mount has an elongated, tapered, four-sided body which is attached to the bottom of the hull of the boat by a pair of spaced apart, elongated mounting rails. The body is a substantially U-shaped, continuously changing cross section with an engine-mounting wall located adjacent the stern of the boat. The bow end of the body is pivotably attached to the mounting rails. The stem ends of the rails have a plurality of vertically disposed bolt holes. The vertical position of the body can be adjusted by selecting which vertically disposed bolt holes in the rails to use.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention pertains to mounts for outboard engines. More particularly, the invention pertains to adjustable mounts intended for use with pontoon boats. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Pontoon boats include a pair of elongated pontoons which support a platform spanning between the pontoons. An outboard engine or outboard motor (terms used interchangeably) is supported from the platform at a position intermediate the pontoons at a rear of the boat. 
     An engine mount is connected to an underside of the platform. The engine mount comprises an elongated hollow body or trough which extends longitudinally and rearwardly of the rear end (stern end) of the platform. The body is exposed to the water beneath the boat. The engine mount is substantially closed except for a top opening at a rear of the boat. A fuel tank is held within the body, accessed through the top opening. The outboard motor is bolted to the rear wall of the body. The prior known mount is non-adjustably fixed to the platform. No range of vertical adjustment for the outboard engine is provided by the mount. 
     The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a vertical adjustability at the engine mount such that outboard engines could be optimized for depth below waterline. Additionally, the present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a vertical adjustability at the engine mount so that a variety of commercially available outboard engines can be attached to the boat, and the boat tuned to the engine by adjusting the depth of the motor beneath the waterline. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An adjustable engine mount is provided that includes a tapered, elongated body which is couplable to, and vertically adjustable relative to, the hull of a watercraft. The body has a first, smaller end oriented toward the bow of the watercraft and a second, wider end positioned adjacent to the stem of the craft. An engine-mounting wall or mounting plate is attached to the second end of the body. An outboard motor or outboard engine can be attached to the mounting plate. By vertically adjusting the body with respect to the hull, the elevation of the outboard motor with respect to the watercraft or with respect to the waterline, can be adjusted. The adjustment can be utilized to optimize performance of an outboard motor. The adjustment provides flexibility for the use of different model outboard motors on the watercraft. 
     In one aspect of the invention, the body is substantially hollow and extends rearwardly from a back edge of the watercraft, defining a top opening. An elongated fuel tank can be placed within the body to be connected by a fuel line to the outboard motor. By having an elevation-adjustable body, access for installing and removing the fuel tank is improved. The body can be lowered to provide more clearance for maneuvering the fuel tank partially beneath the back edge of the watercraft. 
     In another aspect, the body can be formed with a multi-sided, generally U-shaped cross section. The planar sides are tapered and extend smoothly without protrusions between the ends. 
     Two exterior elongated rails or supports, rigidly coupled to the craft, extend axially therealong and provide support for the body. The body is attached to the rails at a plurality of longitudinal positions between the bow end and stem end of the craft. 
     In another aspect, the rails, at the stem end, can include a plurality of spaced apart bolt holes or, alternately, protrusions. The stern end of the body can be releasably locked into a selected vertical position by using bolts that extend through the holes, or alternately by using holes which receive the protrusions. 
     An engine can be coupled to the mounting plate. The mounting plate will in turn support the engine at the vertical position relative to the craft. 
     In yet another aspect, the body can be formed with four planar tapered sides. Two of the sides extend generally parallel to one another along and beneath the craft. In this embodiment, the mounting plate extends between the parallel sides generally perpendicular thereto. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the braces can include a bottom flange having a downturned lip which acts as a splash guard to help prevent water from splashing into the engine mount body. 
     Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a watercraft utilizing the engine mount of the present invention, wherein an outboard motor is not shown for clarity of view of the engine mount; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1, with an outboard motor installed; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a body portion of the engine mount of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an elevational view of one of two retainer plates, to be attached to portions of the body portion shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of two braces which are each attached to a region of the body portion of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the engine mount of FIG. 1, separated from the watercraft; and 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of a stern end of the mount separated from the watercraft, as shown in FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, rear perspective view of the watercraft shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a watercraft  20 . The watercraft  20  includes a platform  26  supported on parallel pontoons  30 ,  32 . For simplicity, the platform is shown as a plain floor surrounded by a railing, but the platform could be adapted to provide seating for people, or storage for cargo, or structure for a houseboat, as only a few examples. Mounted to the platform  26 , between the pontoons  30 ,  32 , is an elongated engine mount  36 . The engine mount  36  includes a trough-like hollow body  40 , closed at a rear end (stem end) by an engine-mounting wall or plate  44 . An outboard motor is coupled to the wall  44  as described below. The body  40  is connected intermittently along its length to support rails  50 ,  52 . The support rails  50 ,  52  are connected intermittently along lengths thereof to an underside of the platform  26 . The engine mount  36  extends rearwardly of a back edge  56  of the platform  26 , defining a top opening  58 . 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the engine mount  36  beneath the watercraft  20 . The rail  52  is connected to the body  40  by five bolted connections  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68 ,  70 . An end plate  74  substantially closes a front end (bow end) of the mount body  40 . A motor plate  80  supports an outboard motor  82 . The motor plate  80  is bolted to the engine-mounting wall  44  using bolts  83 . The mounting wall  44  includes a top channel portion  45  which reinforces the top free edge of the wall  44  and also provides a guiding retainer for a fuel line, control cables or other like devices. Two inside reinforcing channels  44   a ,  44   b  are disposed facing against the inside surface of the mounting wall  44 . The lower channel  44   a  is welded to the body  40 . The upper channel  44   b  can be held to the wall  44  by the bolts  83  which penetrate through the wall  44  and a respective channel  44   a ,  44   b . The channels  44   a ,  44   b  provide additional strength to the wall  44 . 
     The bolted connection  62  includes a bolt  62   a  penetrating a circular hole  62   b . The connections  64 ,  66  include bolt  64   a ,  66   a  each penetrating through a slot  64   b ,  66   b  respectively, which allows for rotation of the body  40  about the bolted connection  62  during adjustment. Although three connections  62 ,  64 ,  66  are shown, it is also encompassed by the invention to use a different number of connections such as one or more than three, depending on the requirements of a particular design. 
     The bolted connections  68 ,  70 , include bolts  68   a ,  70   a , that penetrate through two holes selected from a plurality of holes  69 , spaced at different elevations. The holes  69  are arranged along a circle having its center point at the connection  62 . With the connections  62 ,  64 ,  66  loosened, and before the bolts  68   a ,  70   a  are installed, by pivoting the body  40  about the connection  62 , different holes  69  can be selected to change or adjust the elevation of the mounting wall  44 . In this regard the elevation of the motor  82  can be changed as shown dashed in FIG.  2 . 
     After adjustment, all the connections  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68 ,  70  can be tightened. Although two bolts  69   a ,  70   a  are shown, a different number of bolts can be used such as one or more than two, depending on the requirements of a particular design. Although a plurality of holes  69  are shown, it is also encompassed by the invention that the holes  69  are replaced by a curved slot arranged on a circular path having its center on the connection  62 . 
     The connections  68 ,  70  are illustrated in FIG.  3 . The bolts  68   a ,  70   a  are inserted through two selected holes of the plurality of holes  69 . The rails are substantially channel-shaped in cross-section, having a continuous top flange  86 , a web  87  and a bottom flange  88 . The rails  50 ,  52  are connected to the deck  26  by a plurality of longitudinally spaced bolted connections  84 , extending through the top flange  86  of the rails, respectively. Alternatively, the rails can be connected to the deck by brackets and/or by welding. The bottom flange  88  has a downturned end portion or deflector lip  92  which acts as a splash guard. The deflector lip  92  helps to keep water out of the engine mount body  40 . The body  40  includes retainer plates  96  which have hexagonal holes for receiving, and restricting rotation of, hexagonal bolt heads  98  of the fasteners  68 ,  70 . Thus, the bolts can be loosened from the outside without the need to grip the bolt heads  98  with a tool to prevent rotation of the bolt heads. 
     The retainer plates  96  are each respectively welded to inside surfaces of sidewalls  106 ,  108  of the body  40 . The retainer plate  96  is also preferably composed of aluminum and is 0.250 inches thick. The sidewalls  106 ,  108  are connected to angled bottom walls  112 ,  114 . Together, the walls  106 ,  108 ,  112 ,  114  form a generally U-shaped cross-section of the body. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the body  40  having side walls  106 ,  108  and bottom walls  112 ,  114 . The four walls  106 ,  108 ,  112 ,  114  can be formed by bending a single sheet of aluminum. The sheet is preferably 0.170 inches thick. Each of the side walls  106 ,  108  has a region  106   a ,  108   a  (shown in phantom) which receives one retainer plate  96  attached thereto by welding. Each sidewall  106 ,  108  includes a plurality of spaced apart circular holes  120  for receiving the shank of bolts  62   a ,  64   a ,  66   a , respectively. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates one of the rails  50 . The rail  52  is mirror image identical. The rail  50  is configured in a channel shape having a tapering height from stem end to bow end. The top flange  86  also includes a downturned flange lip  121  for added rigidity. The rail is also preferably composed of aluminum and is 0.170 inches thick. The rail  50  includes the plurality of holes  69  arranged substantially vertically along the circular arc having its center at the connection hole  62   b . The bolts  68   a ,  70   a  are arranged to also be along the same circular arc, such as to be positionable within select ones of the holes  69 , for adjusting the elevation of the engine-mounting wall  44 . The slots  64   b ,  66   b  are arranged extending along circular arcs also having centers at the centerline of the connection hole  62   b . The bottom flange  88  of the rail  50  includes the angled lip  92  which is turned at an angle A, preferably being about 55 degrees at the stern end. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the body  40  and the rail  52  assembled, but shown without bolts for clarity of view. The angle A of the lip  92  is gradually straightened out toward a front of the rail  52 , i.e., the angle A gradually diminishes to zero degrees, wherein the lip blends into the rest of the bottom flange  88 . The lip  92  blends into the rest of the bottom flange  88 , at a point p about midway between the slot  64   b  and the hole  62   b . A reinforcing, rectangular gusset plate  130  is welded to the upper and lower flanges  86 ,  88  and to the web  89  to reinforce the rail adjacent to the bolted connections  68 ,  70 . 
     The mount  36  is tapered from its stem end toward its bow end, tapered both in plan and in elevation, to provide a streamlined profile to reduce splashing and water resistance or drag as the watercraft moves through the water. In this regard the preferred dimensions (in inches), as indicated in FIGS. 4 through 7, are: a=9¼; b=13½; c=74; d=4; e=2; f=4¾; g=3¼; h=3½; i=68; j={fraction (15/16)}; k=8¼; m=3; n={fraction (15/16)}; q=68; r=15½; s=71; t=1. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates the mount  36  with the fuel tank  59  within the body  40 . The mounting wall  44  is welded all around with a bead  127  to the sidewalls  106 ,  108 , and the bottom walls  112 ,  114 . A small gap  128  in the weld at the intersection of the bottom walls provides a drain for water which enters the body  40 . The channel portion  45  extends above the side walls  106 ,  108  and is welded thereto via prone L-shaped pieces  131 ,  133 . 
     FIG. 9 illustrates the inside of the body  40  at the stem end. The L-shaped pieces  131 ,  133  are further connected to the sidewalls  106 ,  108  by horizontal triangular reinforcing plates  141 ,  143 . The channel  44   a  is connected to, and overlies, a bottom half of the inside of the mounting wall  45 . Two L-shaped spacers  145 ,  147  protrude from the inside wall  145  toward the bow end and act to retain the fuel tank  59 . A triangular notch  151  through the channel  44   a  provides fluid communication with the gap  128  for draining the body  40 . Bolt holes  155 ,  157  are used for mounting the outboard motor. The upper channel  44   b  is not shown in FIG. 9 but is substantially similar to the lower channel  44   a.    
     From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.