Patent ID: 8102068

Claim:
A buoyant water powered device to be positioned in water and powered by the current, said device comprising: a) a driven component comprising: 1. a device for utilizing rotational energy, 2. a non rotatable water tight housing, b) a rotor component comprising: 1. a hub with a plurality of blades radially mounted on the hub surface, 2. being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the current, 3. substantially all of the buoyancy of the said device provided by a group consisting of the hub and blades, c) the positioning of the driven component at the approximate midpoint on the rotor axis and substantially within the rotor with approximate equal portions of the rotor located on opposing sides of the driven component, d) a gap in the rotor providing for coupling of a tethering component directly to the driven component, e) in combination, said device having a rotor and means for coupling rotational energy from said rotor to the driven component whereby the water powered device is positioned on the water surface in a current which produces a force on the blades in turn rotate the rotor which transfer the rotational energy to the driven component.