US Patent 7431620 Articulating surface drive

A watercraft having an inboard motor and a transom aft of the motor includes an elongate propeller shaft. A propeller is mounted to a distal end of the propeller shaft and a universal joint is disposed in engaging relation to a proximal end of the propeller shaft. The universal joint includes a frame adapted to pivot about a horizontal axis and a vertical plate adapted to pivot about a vertical axis. A central aperture formed in the vertical plate receives the proximal end of the propeller shaft. Hydraulic cylinders control the respective instantaneous positions of the frame and the vertical plate. The universal joint and the hydraulic cylinders are disposed fore of the transom.