Patent ID: 7431621

Claim:
In a small boat of the type comprising: a boat body having a hull and a deck, the hull constituting a lower part of the boat body and the deck covering the hull, wherein the hull has a downwardly directed recess formed in a rear bottom surface thereof, defining a water introduction channel at a front part of the recess, the water introduction channel configured and arranged to permit water entry into the recess during operation of the boat, the water introduction channel having a wall with an opening formed therein communicating with an interior portion of the hull, a pump which is operatively attached to a rear part of the water introduction channel, an engine provided in the boat body forward of the water introduction channel, and a drive shaft extending rearwardly from the engine in the boat body, the drive shaft passing through the opening provided on the wall of the water introduction channel, the drive shaft being operatively connected to the pump, the improvement comprising a drive shaft supporting structure for the small boat, the drive shaft supporting structure comprising: a housing, a shaft-supporting member for supporting the drive shaft in a manner so as to permit rotation thereof, and a cylindrical sleeve arranged between the shaft-supporting member and the opening, the sleeve having a hollow interior passage through which the drive shaft extends, wherein the cylindrical sleeve and the shaft-supporting member are mounted from a position inside of the hull, wherein a front end portion of the cylindrical sleeve is connected to the shaft-supporting member, and a rear end portion of the cylindrical sleeve is connected to the opening, the rear end portion being flush with an exterior surface of the hull at the opening, and wherein the cylindrical sleeve is supported within the housing by a plurality of reinforcing panels which extend between the housing and the cylindrical sleeve.