| 摘要 |
Described is novel apparatus for rendering a watercraft propulsion system universal. One embodiment of the invention comprises a rotary shaft; a propeller detachably attached to one end of the rotary shaft, the other end of the rotary shaft being configured for detachable and either direct or indirect connection to, and rotational relationship with, a drive shaft of the engine; a plate which is directly or indirectly pivotally attached to a stern portion of the watercraft and which, during normal operation, is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane above the propeller, the plane of the plate traversing the rotary shaft; and a hollow heat-conductive loop integral with or connected to the apparatus and connected to the cooling system for circulating a flow of the fluid from the cooling system through the loop and thence back to the cooling system, the loop being adapted to be disposed in thermally-conductive heat exchange contact with the water when the watercraft is being propelled by the engine. Preferably, during normal operation, the plate is substantially disposed in a plane parallel with, but no lower than, the bottom of the watercraft. The apparatus may be detachably and pivotally attached to the stern of the watercraft at a front side of the apparatus opposite the propeller, and may be adapted to permit vertical and lateral control of a rear side of the apparatus proximate to the propeller by an operator of the watercraft. Complete universal propulsion systems and universal watercraft apparatus are also described.
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