Patent ID: 7163428

Claim:
A marine outboard engine assembly comprising: an engine; a vertically oriented driveshaft operatively coupled to the engine; a drive mechanism operatively coupled to the driveshaft; a gear case housing at least a portion of the drive mechanism; a cowling disposed around the engine; the cowling including an upper motor cover surrounding a least an upper part of the engine, and a lower motor cover surrounding a lower part of the engine; the upper motor cover having a top, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side; the lower motor cover having a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side; at least one of the sides of the upper motor cover having an obtuse generally V-shaped lower edge when viewed from a side elevation view of the at least one of the sides, the lower edge having first and second angled portions, the first angled portion having a positive slope and the second angled portion having a negative slope when the driveshaft is disposed vertically; a corresponding side of the lower motor cover having an obtuse generally V-shaped upper edge when viewed from a side elevation view of the corresponding side such that the upper edge mates along substantially its entire length with the lower edge, the first and second angled portions together extending substantially the entire length of the corresponding upper and lower edges; and the at least one of the sides of the upper motor cover being detachably attached to the corresponding side of the lower motor cover and separable therefrom along the respective edges.