Patent ID: 7485020

Claim:
An outboard motor adapted to be mounted to a hull of a watercraft, the outboard motor comprising an engine adapted to drive a generally vertically oriented driveshaft, the driveshaft adapted to drive a propulsion shaft, an upper case extending generally vertically and adapted to fit circumferentially about at least a portion of the driveshaft, a lower case adapted to fit about at least a portion of the propulsion shaft, wherein the upper case comprises an elongate extrusion portion, a cross-sectional planar shape of the extrusion portion being substantially constant throughout its length, and wherein the extrusion portion has an outer surface, and a cross-section of the extrusion portion taken at a plane transverse to a longitudinal center line of the extrusion portion has a major axis and a minor axis, the major axis being greater than the minor axis, and a mount portion adapted to attach to the hull of a watercraft, the mount portion having a bracket adapted to rotatably support the outboard motor, wherein the extrusion portion is arranged vertically below the bracket, and wherein the hull is adapted to float in a body of water, and the outboard motor is configured so that when the hull is floating in a body of water, a portion of the extrusion portion is under a surface of the water.