Patent ID: 7530867

Claim:
A portable, pedal driven propeller and drive shaft apparatus for use in a watercraft having gunwales, comprising: (a) a substantially quadrilateral frame adapted to be simply placed across the gunwales of the watercraft without needing clamps, bolts or other devices to secure it in place; (b) operator seat means mounted on said quadrilateral frame; (c) pedal crank means mounted forwardly of, and depending from, said quadrilateral frame and operable by an operator sitting on said seat means; (d) pulley means pivotally mounted on said quadrilateral frame so as to lie to one side of the operator seat means and forward thereof when in the operative position; (e) means to transmit motive power generated by said pedal crank means to said pulley means, said means to transmit motive power comprising drive means, a transverse drive shaft and flexible cable-drive means, said drive means being operatively connected to said pedal crank means and to a first end of the transverse drive shaft, and said flexible cable-drive means being operatively connected at a first end thereof to a second end of said transverse drive shaft, and, at a second end thereof, to said pulley means; and (f) longitudinal drive shaft means comprising a longitudinal shaft operatively connected at a first end thereof to said pulley means and, at a second end thereof, to propeller means backward of the operator seat means toward the back end of the watercraft; said pulley means and longitudinal drive shaft means being adapted to be pivoted, when mounted on said watercraft, about a horizontal transverse axis so as to raise said propeller means to an inoperable position wherein said longitudinal drive shaft means is substantially parallel to said gunwales, and lower said propeller means to an operative position wherein said longitudinal drive shaft means is at an acute angle relative to said gunwales, wherein said pulley means and said longitudinal drive shaft means are mounted to and supported by a frame secured to and rotatable about a round tube portion of said quadrilateral frame, wherein said frame comprises a square tube having internal dimensions slightly greater than outer dimensions of said round tube portion, said square tube being slidable with said round tube portion, and detachably secured thereto by removable pins positioned immediately adjacent said frame on an outboard side thereof.