Outboard motor An outboard engine (colloquially known as an outboard motor) is a marine engine in which the engine, power transmission, gearbox and propeller are combined in a single structural unit. In contrast to an inboard engine, this unit can be mounted and dismounted from the boat with relatively little effort. Z drive The Z-drive is a gearbox with clutch for motorboats and smaller work boats and inland waterway vessels. This drive is attached to the transom plate and is therefore located outside the boat, while the engine is inside the hull. V-drive V-drive is an engine-propeller shaft arrangement on motorboats in which the engine is located above the propeller in the stern. A forward-facing engine shaft drives the propeller shaft via a gearbox located at the intersection of the two shafts, which form an acute angle with each other. Drive with shaft A rigid shaft drive is the "classic marine engine". The power of the engine drives a shaft that drives the propeller. The propeller's propeller current flows to the rudder, making the ship maneuverable. Jet propulsion The water jet drive enables efficient vector control by swiveling the "movable nozzle" in the direction in which the vehicle is to turn. If the water jet exits to port, the watercraft turns to port. Saildrive A saildrive is a drive system for a boat whose inboard motor has a horizontal output shaft. The input shaft of the saildrive is therefore also horizontal. This input shaft is aligned so that it drives a vertical intermediate shaft that runs downwards through the hull. IPS/Pod drive In contrast to other ship drives, IPS drives (IPS = Inboard Performance System) are aligned as counter-rotating propeller pairs towards the front, i.e. in the direction of travel towards the bow. They therefore operate in unswirled water and generate a horizontal thrust. Surface drive A surface drive is a boat or ship drive in which only half of the propeller is under water.