Patent ID: 7585196

Claim:
A marine propulsion system, comprising: an engine disposed within a marine vessel; a drive unit attached to a transom of said marine vessel and connected in torque transmitting association with said engine, said drive unit being configured to support a propeller shaft for rotation about a generally horizontal axis; a cooling system comprising at least one engine cooling passage disposed in thermal communication with heat emitting portions of said engine; a water inlet configured to receive water from a body of water in which said marine vessel is operating and to direct said water into said cooling system; and an inlet conduit connected in fluid communication with said water inlet and with said engine cooling passage, said inlet conduit being configured to direct said water from said body of water to and through said engine cooling passage in order to remove heat from said heat emitting portions of said engine, said inlet conduit extending through said transom at a lower position than said cooling system and said engine cooling passage, wherein water which is within said cooling system when said marine vessel is removed from said body of water flows out of said cooling system and through said transom under the force of gravity and without manual intervention, wherein all water within said cooling system flows in a generally downward and rearward direction toward said lower position where said inlet conduit extends through said transom when said marine vessel is removed from said body of water.