Patent ID: 7182657

Claim:
A boat hull with a bottom-mounted drive unit for at least one propeller, said drive unit comprising an underwater housing extending downward from the hull bottom, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said underwater housing, the drive shaft extending through an opening in the hull bottom, a first gear arrangement enclosed in said underwater housing coupling the drive shaft to at least one propeller shaft mounted in said underwater housing, and a gear housing portion joined to the underwater housing, the hull bottom including a well surrounding said opening and extending into an interior of the hull, said well including an inwardly directed peripheral flange, wherein the well peripheral flange are manufactured in one piece with the hull bottom, and wherein the flange has a substantially triangular cross-section, and further comprising an elastic insert contacting each side of the peripheral flange, a mounting plate rigidly joined to at least one of the underwater housing and the housing portion, and a screw-down plate fastened to the mounting plate with the peripheral flange therebetween, the elastic insert being held between the mounting plate, peripheral flange and screw down plate, said plates having shapes adapted to the opening and to the peripheral flange.