Maxpower, Inc.

Guy Fontanille

Yan Turner

Patrick Delalandre

A retractable thruster for a surface or submersible vessel, having thruster a propulsion assembly with a rigid structure secured to a cylindrical turbine. The rigid structure contains a motor suitable for rotating at lease one propeller inside the turbine via at least one rotary shaft positioned between the motor and the propeller. The thruster preferably further has a plate for closing the hull placed beneath the turbine and secured thereto, the propulsion assembly being displaceable between a retracted position in which it is at rest inside the hull and a deployed position for providing propulsion in which the propeller is immersed beneath the hull. The propulsion assembly is movable between the retracted and deployed positions by the propulsion assembly moving in a uniformly circular direction about an axis of rotation situated substantially no higher than the level of the hull.

Rotationally retractable propeller

The invention concerns a housing ( ) for an angle gear box device of a boat propulsion motor designed to be immersed and to contain an angle gear box device comprising: two shafts rotating relatively to two perpendicular axes (XX&prime;, YY&prime;) whereof the first shaft (Y, Y&prime;) is driven in rotation by said motor and a second shaft (XX&prime;) drives at least a propeller in rotation; and mechanical elements comprising gears and roller bearings enabling the transmission of rotation of said first shaft to said second shaft. The invention is characterised in that it comprises two assembled matching half-shells ( ) produced from a reinforced synthetic thermoplastic polymer material co-operating with each other along a joint plane defined by said axes (XX&prime; and YY&prime;) of rotation of said rotary shafts and having each; a receased zone housing said angle gear box device in said joint plane, and a planar support surface ( ) external to said recessed zone and acting as support on the matching half-shell.

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Les Adrets, France

Guy Fontanille