The hunt is now officially on, and my wife and I are looking to buy a trawler. When I look at the specifications of a boat I am interested it, I see the words 'direct drive', which are then followed up by the gear ratio of the transmission. What does direct drive mean? I work on commercial ships, and when we say direct drive, I know that the shaft is directly connected to the flywheel or thrust bearing, and that a transmission does not exist. Is there another definition of direct drive or is this a mis-speak? There are others too, but I think that maybe the person writing the descriptions is just using the wrong words in some cases, but maybe the words are different from what I am use to in other cases. Any clarification would be appreciated.