Transom bracket with water pick-up function

Abstract

A transom bracket for mounting a marine drive unit to the hull of a marine vessel is provided The transom bracket extends in a plane spanned by a first axis and by a second axis, where a third axis is normal to the plane, and where a center line of the transom bracket extends in the plane and parallel to the first axis. The transom bracket includes at least one drive unit support for holding the drive unit in position. The transom bracket includes a first water conduit and a second water conduit integrated in the transom bracket, where the first water conduit and the second water conduit extend from respective upper apertures formed in an upper part of the bracket to respective lower apertures formed in a lower part of the bracket, where the lower apertures are separated from each other by the center line.

1 . A transom bracket for mounting a marine drive unit to the hull of a marine vessel,
 the transom bracket extending in a plane spanned by a first axis and by a second axis, where a third axis is normal to the plane, and where a center line of the transom bracket extends in the plane and parallel to the first axis,   the transom bracket comprising at least one drive unit support for holding the drive unit in position,   the transom bracket comprising a first water conduit and a second water conduit integrated in the transom bracket, where the first water conduit and the second water conduit extend from respective upper apertures formed in an upper part of the bracket to respective lower apertures formed in a lower part of the bracket, where the lower apertures are separated from each other by the center line.   
     
     
         2 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where the center line is a symmetry line of the lower apertures about the first axis. 
     
     
         3 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where the first water conduit and the second water conduit extend symmetrically about the center line. 
     
     
         4 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where the first water conduit and/or the second water conduit comprises an adjustable length portion arranged in connection to the respective lower aperture. 
     
     
         5 . The transom bracket according to  claim 4 , where the adjustable length portion is a telescopic member or a portion that extend out from the bracket and that can be cut to a desired length measured along the first axis. 
     
     
         6 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where at least one drive unit support encloses an aperture facing transversal to the plane. 
     
     
         7 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where the upper apertures of the first and second water conduits are arranged facing transversal to the plane. 
     
     
         8 . The transom bracket according to  claim 1 , where the lower apertures of the water conduits are arranged facing in direction of the first axis. 
     
     
         9 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 1 , where at least one of the first and second water conduits has an at least partly non-circular cross section. 
     
     
         10 . A marine drive unit assembly comprising a transom bracket according to  claim 1 , a drive unit supported by the transom bracket, and a water pump,
 where the drive unit is arranged to be tilted from a nominal position where at least part of the drive unit is submerged in water to an up-tilted position where at least a propeller arrangement of the drive unit is above water,   where the first water conduit, the second water conduit, and the water pump forms part of a cooling circuit operable to transfer water via at least one of the first and second water conduits when the drive unit is in the nominal position and also when the drive unit is in the up-tilted position.   
     
     
         11 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 10 , where the water pump and the drive unit are separated by the plane. 
     
     
         12 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 10 , where the cooling circuit comprises a first sub-circuit extending via an electrical energy storage comprised in the marine drive unit assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 12 , where the electrical energy storage and the drive unit are separated by the plane. 
     
     
         14 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 10 , where a second sub-circuit of the cooling circuit passes via an electric machine comprised in the drive unit. 
     
     
         15 . The marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 14 , where the cooling circuit comprises a valve arrangement configurable to exclude the electric machine from the cooling circuit when the drive unit is in the up-tilted position. 
     
     
         16 . A marine vessel comprising a marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . A marine drive unit assembly comprising a drive unit, a transom bracket for mounting the drive unit to a hull of a marine vessel, and a water pump,
 the transom bracket extending in a plane spanned by a first axis and by a second axis,   the transom bracket comprising a first water conduit and a second water conduit integrated in the transom bracket,   where the first water conduit and the second water conduit extend from respective upper apertures formed in an upper part of the bracket to respective lower apertures formed in a lower part of the bracket,   where the drive unit is arranged to be tilted from a nominal position where at least part of the drive unit is submerged in water to an up-tilted position where the drive unit is above water,   where the first water conduit, the second water conduit, and the water pump forms part of a cooling circuit operable to transfer water via the first and second water conduits when the drive unit is in the nominal position and also when the drive unit is in the up-tilted position.   
     
     
         18 . A marine vessel comprising a marine drive unit assembly according to  claim 17 .