Fin stabilizer

1. A vessel hull stabilizer comprising:

a housing having a shaft mounted thereto, the shaft configured to connect to a fin such that the fin is located on an outside of the vessel hull and the housing is located on an inside of the vessel hull;

a drive system mounted to said housing and including a motor and a drive element, the motor connected to a central rotating element of the drive element and an outer rotating element of the drive element connected to the shaft;

wherein the drive element includes a plurality of teeth positioned between the outer rotating element and the central rotating element such that when the motor rotates the central rotating element, the plurality of teeth oscillate in a direction perpendicular to an axis about which the central rotating element rotates to thereby cause rotation of the outer element.

2. The stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the motor includes a shaft which rotates about a motor axis which aligns with the axis about which the central rotating element rotates.

3. The stabilizer of claim 2 wherein the shaft configured to connect to the fin has a shaft axis which aligns with the motor axis and the axis about which the central rotating element rotates.

4. The stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the shaft rotates at the same rate as the outer element and the motor rotates at the same rate as the central rotating element.

5. The stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the shaft has a diameter measured at a first location where the shaft meets the housing and the stabilizer has a height measured from the first location to a maximum inboard location thereof, the shaft extending outboard from the housing from the first location; and

the height is 2-20 times the diameter.

6. The stabilizer of claim 5 wherein the height is 3-15 times the diameter.

7. The stabilizer of claim 5 wherein the height is 3.5-10 times the diameter.

8. The stabilizer of claim 5 wherein the height is 4-7 times the diameter.

9. The stabilizer of claim 1 further comprising upper and lower bearings located in the housing such that the shaft is supported by the upper and lower bearings, the lower bearing positioned closer to a first location where the shaft meets the housing than the upper bearing, a bearing spacing measured between the upper and lower bearings and the stabilizer has a height measured from the first location to a maximum inboard location thereof, the shaft extending outboard from the housing from the first location; and

the height is 1.05-8 times the bearing spacing.

10. The stabilizer of claim 9 wherein the height is 1.1-6 times the bearing spacing.

11. The stabilizer of claim 9 wherein the height is 1.2-5 times the bearing spacing.

12. The stabilizer of claim 9 wherein the height is 1.05-3 times the bearing spacing.

13. The stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the drive system is configured to be mounted to said housing such that the drive system is configured to be positioned so that the angle of the motor is adjustable to at least two different positions at least 90 degrees apart.

14. The stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the outer rotating element of the drive element is connected directly to the shaft such that the fin and the outer rotating element rotate at the same angular velocity.

15. The stabilizer of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of plates which connect to said housing, at least a first one of said plurality of plates is a first plate and includes a central hole and a plurality of radial holes;

the drive element configured to connect to the first one of said plurality of plates at the plurality of radial holes such that an element which is caused to rotate by the motor passes through the central hole.

16. The stabilizer of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one controller in communication with the motor and the at least one sensor, the at least one controller sends signals to the motor to change a position of the fin based on readings from the at least one sensor.

17. A vessel hull stabilizer comprising:

a housing having a shaft mounted thereto, the shaft configured to connect to a fin such that the fin is located on an outside of the vessel hull and the housing is located on an inside of the vessel hull;

a drive system mounted to said housing and including a motor and a drive element, the motor connected to a central rotating element of the drive element and an outer rotating element of the drive element connected directly to the shaft such that the fin and the outer rotating element rotate at the same angular velocity;

wherein the drive element includes a plurality of teeth positioned between the outer rotating element and the central rotating element such that when the motor rotates the central rotating element, the plurality of teeth oscillate in a direction perpendicular to an axis about which the central rotating element rotates to thereby cause rotation of the outer element.

18. The stabilizer of claim 17 wherein the motor includes a shaft which connects to the central rotating element, the rotating element of the motor rotates about the axis.

19. The stabilizer of claim 17 wherein the motor includes a rotating element which connects to the central rotating element, the rotating element of the motor rotates about a second axis normal to the axis.

20. The stabilizer of claim 17 further comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one controller in communication with the motor and the at least one sensor, the at least one controller sends signals to the motor to change a position of the fin based on readings from the at least one sensor.

21. A vessel hull stabilizer comprising:

a housing having a shaft mounted thereto, the shaft configured to connect to a fin such that the fin is located on an outside of the vessel hull and the housing is located on an inside of the vessel hull;

a drive system mounted to said housing and including a motor and a drive element, the motor connected to a central rotating element of the drive element and an outer rotating element of the drive element connected to the shaft;

wherein the drive element includes a plurality of teeth positioned between the outer rotating element and the central rotating element such that when the motor rotates the central rotating element, the plurality of teeth oscillate in a direction perpendicular to an axis about which the central rotating element rotates to thereby cause rotation of the outer element;

wherein the shaft has a diameter measured at a first location where the shaft meets the housing and the system has a height measured from the first location to a maximum inboard location thereof, the shaft extending outboard from the housing from the first location; and

the height is 2-20 times the diameter.

22. The stabilizer of claim 21 wherein the height is 3-15 times the diameter.

23. The stabilizer of claim 21 wherein the height is 3.5-10 times the diameter.

24. The stabilizer of claim 21 wherein the height is 4-7 times the diameter.

25. The stabilizer of claim 21 further comprising upper and lower bearings located in the housing such that the shaft is supported by the upper and lower bearings, the lower bearing positioned closer to a first location where the shaft meets the housing than the upper bearing, a bearing spacing measured between the upper and lower bearings and the stabilizer has a height measured from the first location to a maximum inboard location thereof, the shaft extending outboard from the housing from the first location; and

the height is 1.05-8 times the bearing spacing.

26. The stabilizer of claim 25 wherein the height is 1.1-6 times the bearing spacing.

27. The stabilizer of claim 25 wherein the height is 1.2-5 times the bearing spacing.

28. The stabilizer of claim 25 wherein the height is 1.05-3 times the bearing spacing.

29. The stabilizer of claim 21 further comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one controller in communication with the motors and the at least one sensor, the at least one controller sends signals to the motors to change a position of the fin based on readings from the at least one sensor.

30. The stabilizer of claim 21 wherein the shaft is configured to rotate 360 degrees.