Outboard Motor Capable of Being Coupled to a Watercraft

Abstract

The invention relates to an outboard motor (1) that is capable of being coupled to a watercraft (20) and comprises an elongate hollow body (2) that is open at its upper end (3), a propeller (5) positioned on the lower end (4) of the body (2), a system (6) for rotating the propeller (5) integrated into said body (2), and a steering bar (7) provided at its free end with an acceleration lever (8). The steering bar (7) is slidably mounted inside a longitudinal guideway (9) provided inside the body (2) for moving the steering bar (7) between an at least partially retracted configuration within the body (2) of the outboard motor (1) and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar (7) at least partially projects from said body (2). In the deployed configuration, the steering bar (7) is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft (10) transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guideway (9) in order to move said bar (7) between a raised position in which it extends in the axial extension of the guideway (9) and a lowered position in which it forms an angle (a) of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway (9).

Description

The present invention relates to an outboard motor that is capable of being coupled to a watercraft.

In particular, it relates to an outboard motor that comprises an elongate hollow body that is open at one of its ends, called the upper end, a propeller positioned on said body at the level of the so-called lower end of the body opposite the upper end, a system for rotating the propeller integrated into said body and a steering bar provided at its free end with an acceleration lever.

It should be noted that an outboard motor is understood to be a motor that can be dissociated from the watercraft. Such a motor is well known to those skilled in the art.

Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,821 describes, in particular, an outboard motor that is capable of being coupled to a watercraft.

In view of its design, such a motor is frequently brought to be mounted on a watercraft or, contrarily, dismounted from a watercraft. These mounting and dismounting operations are generally tedious, and are made very difficult by the weight and footprint of the most recent outboard motors. Outboard motor designers are therefore looking for solutions that make it easier to transport and handle outboard motors, including when the outboard motors are powerful motors with a reputation for being heavy.

One purpose of the invention is to propose an outboard motor the design of which makes it easy to carry and transport, without detracting from the possibility of having a powerful outboard motor.

To this end, the object of the invention is an outboard motor capable of being coupled to a watercraft, wherein said outboard motor comprises an elongate hollow body that is open at one of its ends, called the upper end, a propeller positioned on said body at the so-called lower end of the body, opposite the upper end, a system for rotating the propeller integrated into said body and a steering bar provided at its free end with an acceleration lever, characterized in that the steering bar is slidably mounted inside a longitudinal guideway provided inside the body and extending longitudinally from the upper end of said body towards the lower end of said body for moving the steering bar between an at least partially retracted configuration within the body of the outboard motor and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar at least partially projects from said body, and in that, in the deployed configuration, the steering bar is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft transverse to a longitudinal axis of the guideway (9) in order to move the steering bar between a so-called raised position in which it extends in the axial extension of the guideway and a so-called lowered position in which it forms an angle of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway. The possibility of retracting the steering bar inside the body makes it possible to effortlessly grasp the motor body, without being hindered by the bar, in order to carry the outboard motor and handle it during mounting and dismounting operations from the watercraft. This design may, moreover, allow the realization of an extractable battery which likewise facilitates the carrying of the outboard motor when the battery is extracted.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the outboard motor comprises a slide to which the steering bar is pivotally coupled, wherein this slide is slidably mounted in the guideway. This design allows easy construction of said outboard motor.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the body comprises at least one sliding movement end stop for the steering bar that is active in the deployed configuration of the bar to prevent a sliding movement of the bar in the guideway, in the sense of an exit from the guideway beyond a predetermined position. In this way, any risk of disengagement of the steering bar from the body of the outboard motor is prevented.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the end stop comprises an accommodation provided in the body, this accommodation being able to accommodate a pushbutton carried by the slide, wherein, in the deployed configuration of the steering bar, this pushbutton is inserted into the accommodation of the body.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the steering bar is electrically connected by a wire connection to the system for rotating the propeller.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the wire connection is formed by a spiral-shaped cord. The realization of the wire connection in the form of a spiral-shaped cord allows the cord to stretch and retract automatically under the effect of its elasticity.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the system for rotating the propeller comprises an electric motor and a battery for supplying electricity to the electric motor, wherein said battery is a battery that can be extracted from said body. As already mentioned above, this arrangement makes it possible to lighten the outboard motor to facilitate its carrying and handling.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the outboard motor comprises, for the attachment of the outboard motor to a watercraft, at least one arm, and in that the body externally comprises a longitudinal slideway on the inside of which one end of the arm is able to be inserted in a positionally adjustable manner, wherein said slideway extends below and preferably at the height of the steering bar in the lowered position of the steering bar and in the erected state of the body with the upper end of the body extending above the lower end.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the arm is, at its end opposite to the end that is insertable into the slideway, capable of being coupled by means of a connection interface to a support which itself is capable of being coupled to the watercraft, wherein said connection interface that is capable of being inserted between the arm and the support is capable of being coupled in a pivoting manner to the arm by means of a so-called pivot connection comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm between two end pivot positions, in that the connection interface is capable of being rotatably coupled to the support by means of a so-called rotational connection comprising at least one axis of rotation to allow, in the coupled state of the connection interface to the arm and to the support, a movement of the arm and of the connection interface about the axis of rotation over an angular range at least equal to 160°, preferably at least equal to 180°, and in that the axis of rotation and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other. Once again, this design of the device for attaching the outboard motor to the watercraft helps in handling of the outboard motor, in particular, facilitating an operator mounting and dismounting the watercraft outboard motor from the watercraft.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the guideway is delimited by rails arranged inside said body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be well understood from the following description of embodiments, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a watercraft equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention with the steering bar in retracted configuration;

FIG. 2 shows a partially transparent cross-sectional view of an outboard motor with the steering bar in retracted configuration;

FIG. 3 shows a partially cross-sectional view of an outboard motor in the deployed configuration and in the raised position of the steering bar;

FIG. 4 shows a partially cross-sectional view of an outboard motor in the deployed configuration and in the lowered position of the steering bar;

FIG. 5 shows a partial perspective view of a watercraft equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention with the steering bar in retracted configuration with the outboard motor coupled to the watercraft positioned in the watercraft;

FIG. 6 shows a partial perspective view of a watercraft equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention with the steering bar in retracted configuration with the motor coupled to the watercraft positioned outside the watercraft.

As mentioned above, the object of the invention is an outboard motor 1 that is capable of being coupled to a watercraft. The watercraft 20 can be any watercraft capable of operating with an outboard motor 1. In the example shown, the watercraft 20 is a semi-rigid watercraft. This watercraft 20 can be fully rigid or flexible without departing from the scope of the invention. The outboard motor 1 is generally attached to the transom of the watercraft 20, as shown in the figures. It should be noted that an outboard motor 1 is a motor that can be dissociated from the watercraft 20.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the outboard motor 1 comprises an elongate hollow body 2 that is open at one of its ends, the so-called upper end 3. This body 2 is generally made of metal. This body 2 has a lower end 4 opposite the upper end 3, at the height of which the propeller 5 of the outboard motor 1 for propelling the watercraft 20 is arranged on an outer surface of the body 2. The outboard motor 1, moreover, comprises a system 6 for rotating the propeller 5 integrated into the body 2.

In the examples shown, the system 6 for rotating the propeller 5 comprises an electric motor 61 and a battery 62 for supplying electricity to the electric motor 61. The battery 62 is a battery that can be extracted from the body 2. This battery can be extracted from the body 2 from the upper end of the body 2. The outboard motor 1, moreover, comprises a steering bar 7 provided at its free end with an acceleration lever 8, generally a twist grip. The acceleration data resulting from the rotation of the acceleration lever is conventionally supplied to the system 6 for driving the propeller and in particular to the electric motor control unit 61 to act on the rotational speed of the electric motor 61, by means of a wire connection 13 which electrically connects the steering bar 7 and in particular the acceleration lever of the steering bar 7 to the electric motor control unit 61.

In the examples shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the wire connection 13 is formed by a spiral-shaped cord.

The invention is characterized in that the steering bar 7 is slidably mounted inside a longitudinal guideway 9 provided inside the body 2. This guideway 9 is preferably delimited by two parallel rails facing each other. This guideway 9 extends longitudinally, which is to say, along a so-called longitudinal axis of the guideway 9, from the upper end 3 of the body 2 towards the lower end 4 of the body 2 for a movement of the steering bar 7 between an at least partially retracted configuration within the body 2 of the outboard motor 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar 7 at least partially projects from the body 2, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the deployed configuration, the steering bar 7 is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft 10 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guideway 9 or, in other words, about a shaft 10 transverse to the direction of sliding movement of the steering bar 7, in order to move the steering bar 7 between a so-called raised position in which it extends in the axial extension of the guideway 9 and a so-called lowered position in which it forms an angle a of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway 9. This lowered position is the conventional position for such a steering bar on a state-of-the-art outboard motor. In the lowered position, part of the steering bar 7 is housed in a notch formed at the upper end of the body 2 accommodated in the part of the body 2 used to delimit the open upper end opening. This notch 21 forms a cradle inside which part of the steering bar 7 rests to give relief to the articulation.

It is understood that the retracted configuration allows easy portability of the outboard motor 1.

To allow such sliding movement of the steering bar 7, the outboard motor 1 comprises a slide 11 to which the steering bar 7 is pivotally coupled. This slide 11 is slidably mounted in the guideway 9. This slide 1 may be in the form of a simple block of material that slides along the rails that make up the guideway 9. This block can be fitted with a pivot axis for the pivot connection of the steering bar to the block. The steering bar is thus pivotally coupled to said block at its end opposite the end that is fitted with the twist acceleration lever.

To perfect the assembly, the body 2 comprises at least one sliding movement end stop 12 for the steering bar 7 that is active in the deployed configuration of the bar to prevent a sliding movement of the bar in the guideway, in the sense of an exit from the guideway, beyond a predetermined position.

In the examples shown, the end stop 12 comprises an accommodation 121 formed in the body 2. This accommodation 121 is suitable to accommodate a pushbutton 122 carried by the slide 11. In the deployed configuration of the steering bar 7, this pushbutton 122 is inserted into the accommodation 121 of the body 2.

Lastly, it is, of course, necessary to be able to attach the outboard motor 1 to the watercraft. To this end, the outboard motor comprises at least one arm 14 for attaching the outboard motor 1 to a watercraft 20. The body 2 of the outboard motor 1 externally comprises a longitudinal slideway 15 inside which one end of the arm 14 can be inserted in a positionally adjustable manner. This slideway 15 extends below and preferably at the vertical height of the steering bar 7 in the lowered position of the steering bar 7 and in the erected state of the body 2 at the height of the upper end 3 of the body 2 extending above the lower end 4.

The arm 14 is, at its end opposite the end that is insertable into the slideway 15, capable of being coupled by means of a connection interface 16 to a support 17, which itself is capable of being coupled to the watercraft 20. This connection interface 16, that is capable of being inserted between the arm 14 and the support 17, is capable of being coupled in a pivoting manner to the arm 14 by means of a so-called pivot connection 18 comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm 14 between two end pivot positions, suitable to permit a raising and a lowering of the outboard motor. The connection interface 16 is capable of being rotatably coupled to the support 17 by means of a so-called rotational connection 19 comprising at least one rotation axis to allow, in the coupled state of the connection interface 16 to the arm 14 and to the support 17, a movement of the arm 14 and of the connection interface 16 about the axis of rotation over an angular range at least equal to 160°, preferably at least equal to 180°. The axis of rotation and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other.

In the examples shown, the support 17 takes the form of a block of generally parallelepiped shape with one surface of the block provided with a hole use for the connection of the support 17 with the connection interface 16. The block constituting the support 17 has a surface that is capable of being positioned against the rear apron of the watercraft.

This positioning can be achieved by screwing or other means.

When the rear apron is inclined with respect to a vertical plane, the application surface of the support on the rear apron takes on this inclination in order, ideally, to allow a hole in the block that is use for the connection of the support 17 with the connection interface 16, to present a longitudinal axis that extends vertically in the fixed state of the support to the watercraft.

The connection interface 16 is capable of being rotatably coupled to the support 17 by a rotational connection 19 comprising at least one rotation axis. This rotation axis is represented physically by a shaft. One end of this shaft is inserted into the hole in the support 17, whereas the other end of the shaft is rotatably coupled to the connection interface 16.

This connection interface 16 here takes the form of a circular plate with two opposite surfaces, one of which, the so-called first surface, is the top surface of the plate facing the sky in the coupled state of the connection interface to the support 17 and in the coupled state of the support to the watercraft, and the other, the so-called second surface, is the bottom surface of the plate facing the ground in the coupled state of the connection interface to the support 17 and in the coupled state of the support 17 to the watercraft.

The shaft that physically represents the axis of rotation of the rotational connection 19 between the support 17 and the connection interface 16 extends perpendicularly from the center of the second surface of the plate.

Thanks to this rotational connection 19 between the support 17 and the connection interface 16, the connection interface 16, in particular the plate of the connection interface, can rotate about the axis of rotation of said rotational connection 19 in the stationary state of the support 17 and in particular in the fixed state of the support 17 to the watercraft.

For its part, the arm 14 is fixed by means of one of its ends in a slideway 15 located outside the body of the outboard motor and extending along the longitudinal axis of the body 2.

The arm 14 can thus slide in the slideway until it is immobilized in the desired position of separation with respect to the propeller. Note that this arm is positioned on the body of the outboard motor, on a surface of the body of the outboard motor opposite that bearing the propeller.

This arm 14 extends below the steering bar 7 and along a line substantially parallel to said bar in the lowered position of the steering bar 7.

This arm 14 is, at its opposite end, coupled to the connection interface 16 by a pivot connection 18 comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm 14 between two end pivot positions suitable to permit a raising and a lowering of the outboard motor 1.

This pivot axis extends parallel to one of the surfaces of the plate forming the connection interface 16. In particular, the pivot axis of the pivot connection 18 between the arm 14 and the connection interface 16 is represented physically by a shaft that is coaxial to said pivot axis.

This shaft, coaxial to the pivot axis, is borne by the first surface of the plate. The axis of rotation and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other. Thanks to the design of the connection interface 16 and of its pivot connection 18 to the arm 14 and of the rotational connection 19 to the support 17 in the coupled state of the connection interface 16 to the arm 14 and to the support 17, the arm 14 and the connection interface 16 are able to move about the axis of rotation over an angular range at least equal to 160°, preferably at least equal to 180°. Assuming that the arm 14 and the support 17 are respectively pre-attached to the outboard motor 1 and to the watercraft 20, it is possible to implement a method for attaching the outboard motor to a watercraft 20 by performing the following steps, namely: a step for positioning the outboard motor 20 in the watercraft, a step of attaching the connection interface 16 to the support 17, a step of attaching the interface 16 to the arm 14 and a step of pivoting movement of the arm 14 to raise the motor away from the bottom of the watercraft and to obtain a configuration as shown in FIG. 5, a step of driving the connection interface and the associated arm into rotation to move the outboard motor 1 from a position in which it is arranged in the watercraft 20 to a position in which it is arranged outside the watercraft 20 as shown in FIG. 6, before once again driving the arm in a pivoting movement in the direction of a lowering to position the motor in a navigation configuration as shown in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that the step of attaching the connection interface to the support can be carried out before the step of positioning the outboard motor 1 in the watercraft or after said step. Generally speaking, once the connection interface has been attached to the support for the first time, this attachment then remains permanent.

The various operations described above help to avoid operator fatigue during coupling of the outboard motor 1 to the watercraft, wherein this coupling can be performed from inside the watercraft. In fact, the operator may be led to mount or dismount the watercraft motor from inside the watercraft 20. It is understood that for dismounting, the procedure is similar, which is to say, the outboard motor 1 is raised by pivoting the arm upwards in the direction of the connection interface. During this maneuver, the operator can grasp a handle installed on the body of the outboard motor 1 to assist in the pivoting of the outboard motor 1 and of the arm. One then proceeds to dive the arm and the connection interface into rotation to bring the motor inside the watercraft, prior to pivoting the arm in the direction of a lowering of the arm to place the motor on the bottom of the watercraft and then uncouple the arm from the connection interface.

To facilitate such operations, the pivot connection 18 between the arm 14 and the connection interface 16 comprises a first part borne by the arm 14, and a second part borne by the connection interface 16. The first and second parts are configured to be capable of being coupled to each other by automatic tool-free coupling, by the simple bringing together of said parts and moving them relative to each other.

The outboard motor 1, as described above, can therefore be used as follows. It is assumed that the outboard motor 1 is not installed on the watercraft 20. One proceeds as described below to couple to the connection interface 16 both the arm 14 that pre-equips the body of the outboard motor 1 and the support 17 that pre-equips the watercraft. Once the outboard motor 1 has been coupled, the steering bar 7, which is in the position shown in FIG. 1, is brought into its extended configuration by sliding in the guideway 9 and then into the lowered position. To directionally control the watercraft 20, the operator typically acts on the steering bar by pulling or pushing to generate a movement of the arm, of the body of the associated outboard motor 1, and of the connection interface about the axis of the rotational connection 19 of the connection interface 16 to the support 17 as a function of the desired direction for said watercraft. 1-10. (canceled)

Claims

11. An outboard motor adapted to be coupled to a watercraft, the outboard motor comprising: an elongate hollow body having an upper end and a lower end, the elongate hollow body being open at the upper end;a propeller positioned on the elongate hollow body at the lower end;a system for rotating the propeller, the system integrated into the elongate hollow body;a steering bar having a free end; andan acceleration lever at the free end of the steering bar,wherein the steering bar is slidably mounted inside a guideway that is provided inside the elongate hollow body and that extends longitudinally from the upper end to the lower end for moving the steering bar between a retracted position within the elongate hollow body and a deployed position in which the free end of the steering bar projects from the elongate hollow body.

12. The outboard motor of claim 11, wherein, in the deployed position, the steering bar is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft transverse to a longitudinal axis of the guideway in order to move the steering bar between the retracted position in which the steering bar extends along the longitudinal axis of the guideway and the deployed position in which the steering bar forms an angle at the shaft of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway.

13. The outboard motor of claim 11, further comprising: a slide to which the steering bar is pivotally coupled, wherein the slide is slidably mounted in the guideway.

14. The outboard motor of claim 13, wherein the elongate hollow body comprises a sliding movement end stop for the steering bar, the sliding movement end stop being disposed in the guideway to prevent a sliding movement of the steering bar beyond a predetermined position toward the upper end of the elongate hollow body.

15. The outboard motor of claim 14, wherein the sliding movement end stop comprises an accommodation provided in the elongate hollow body to accommodate a pushbutton carried by the slide, wherein, in the deployed position of the steering bar, this pushbutton is inserted into the accommodation of the elongate hollow body.

16. The outboard motor of claim 11, wherein the steering bar is electrically connected to the system by a wire connection disposed in the guideway for rotating the propeller.

17. The outboard motor of claim 16, wherein the wire connection is a spiral-shaped cord.

18. The outboard motor of claim 11, wherein the system for rotating the propeller comprises: an electric motor; anda battery for supplying electricity to the electric motor, the battery being removable from the elongate hollow body.

19. The outboard motor of claim 11, further comprising: an arm; anda longitudinal slideway provided on an outer surface of the elongate hollow body, wherein the arm is adpated to be inserted into the longitudinal slideway to attach the outboard motor to the watercraft in a positionally adjustable manner, and wherein the longitudinal slideway extends on the outer surface of the elongate hollow body from the lower end to the upper end.

20. The outboard motor of claim 19, further comprising: a connection interface coupled to the arm; anda support which is coupled to the connection interface and which is adpated to be coupled to the watercraft, wherein the connection interface is pivotably coupled to the arm by a pivot connection providing at least one pivot axis for movement of the arm between two end pivot positions, and wherein the connection interface is rotatably coupled to the support by a rotational connection providing at least one axis of rotation to allow, in a coupled state of the connection interface to the arm and to the support, a movement of the arm and of the connection interface about the at least one axis of rotation over an angular range of at least 160°, wherein the at least one axis of rotation and the at least one pivot axis are orthogonal to each other.

21. The outboard motor of claim 11, wherein the guideway includes rails arranged inside the elongate hollow body.

22. A watercraft comprising: a watercraft main body; andan outboard motor adapted to be coupled to the watercraft main body, the outboard motor comprising: an elongate hollow body having an upper end and a lower end, the elongate hollow body being open at the upper end;a propeller positioned on the elongate hollow body at the lower end;a system for rotating the propeller, the system integrated into the elongate hollow body;a steering bar having a free end; andan acceleration lever at the free end of the steering bar,wherein the steering bar is slidably mounted inside a guideway that is provided inside the elongate hollow body and that extends longitudinally from the upper end to the lower end for moving the steering bar between a retracted position within the elongate hollow body and a deployed position in which the free end of the steering bar projects from the elongate hollow body.

23. The watercraft of claim 22, wherein, in the deployed position, the steering bar is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft transverse to a longitudinal axis of the guideway in order to move the steering bar between the retracted position in which the steering bar extends along the longitudinal axis of the guideway and the deployed position in which the steering bar forms an angle at the shaft of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway.

24. The watercraft of claim 22, further comprising: a slide to which the steering bar is pivotally coupled, wherein the slide is slidably mounted in the guideway.

25. The watercraft of claim 24, wherein the elongate hollow body comprises a sliding movement end stop for the steering bar, the sliding movement end stop being disposed in the guideway to prevent a sliding movement of the steering bar beyond a predetermined position toward the upper end of the elongate hollow body.

26. The watercraft of claim 25, wherein the sliding movement end stop comprises an accommodation provided in the elongate hollow body to accommodate a pushbutton carried by the slide, wherein, in the deployed position of the steering bar, this pushbutton is inserted into the accommodation of the elongate hollow body.

27. The watercraft of claim 22, wherein the steering bar is electrically connected to the system by a wire connection disposed in the guideway for rotating the propeller.

28. The watercraft of claim 22, wherein the system for rotating the propeller comprises: an electric motor; anda battery for supplying electricity to the electric motor, the battery being removable from the elongate hollow body.

29. The watercraft of claim 22, further comprising: an arm;a longitudinal slideway provided on an outer surface of the elongate hollow body, wherein the arm is adpated to be inserted into the longitudinal slideway to attach the outboard motor to the watercraft in a positionally adjustable manner, and wherein the longitudinal slideway extends on the outer surface of the elongate hollow body from the lower end to the upper end;a connection interface coupled to the arm; anda support which is coupled to the connection interface and which is adpated to be coupled to the watercraft, wherein the connection interface is pivotably coupled to the arm by a pivot connection providing at least one pivot axis for movement of the arm between two end pivot positions, and wherein the connection interface is rotatably coupled to the support by a rotational connection providing at least one axis of rotation to allow, in a coupled state of the connection interface to the arm and to the support, a movement of the arm and of the connection interface about the at least one axis of rotation over an angular range of at least 160°, wherein the at least one axis of rotation and the at least one pivot axis are orthogonal to each other.

30. A method of driving a watercraft, the method comprising: supplying electric power to an outboard motor coupled to a watercarft, the outboard motor comprising: an elongate hollow body having an upper end and a lower end, the elongate hollow body being open at the upper end;a propeller positioned on the elongate hollow body at the lower end;a system for rotating the propeller, the system integrated into the elongate hollow body;a steering bar having a free end; andan acceleration lever at the free end of the steering bar,wherein the steering bar is slidably mounted inside a guideway that is provided inside the elongate hollow body and that extends longitudinally from the upper end to the lower end for moving the steering bar between an a retracted position within the elongate hollow body and a deployed position in which the free end of the steering bar projects from the elongate hollow body;powering the propeller using the supplied electric power; anddriving the watercraft using the powered propeller.