US1555097A - Device for propelling rowboats and canoes - Google Patents

Description

A. E. BEEBE DEVICE FOR PROPELLING ROWBOATS AND CANOES Filed Aug. 14', 1924' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,091

A. E. BEEBE DEVICE FOR PROFELLING ROWBOATS' AND GANOES 7 Filed Aug. 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k/w zzvrar? A2227? 2* 5. 35:54-

Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES ALBERT E. BEEIBE, O'F CATHAY, NORTH DAKOTA.

DEVICE FOR PROPELLING ROWIBOATS AND CANOES.

Application filed August 14, 1924. Serial No. 731,979.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. BEEBE, citizen of the United States, residing at Cathay, in the county of Wells and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Propelling Rowboats and Canoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a boat propelling device and particularly to such a device for rowboats, canoes and similar craft.

It is an object of this invention to provide a boat propelling means adapted to be secured to the boat gunwale and'comprising a lever extending outwardly having water engaging means at its outer end, and a lever extending inwardly adapted to be manipulated by the operator, said levers having inter-engaging means whereby when one is swung in one direction the other will be swung in the opposite direction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device as above set'forth,

together with means for locking said levers in longitudinal alinement so that they can be used as one lever or car.

It is more specifically an object of the;

invention to provide such a device comprising a member adapted to be secured to the" boat side or gunwale having swiveled thereon a bracket in which the above mentioned levers are pivotally carried, together with means for locking said bracket against swinging movement in the plane of said levers, or for holding said levers locked in longitudinal alinement in said bracket, said levers preferably provided at their adjacent ends with meshing gear segments.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device; parts thereof being shown in difi'erent positions with dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a View in front elevation of the device as seen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device arranged in a certain position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the device taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 77 of Fig. 6, all of the sections being taken as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the side or gunwale of the boat, canoe or other similar craft, is indicated as 1. To this gunwale is secured a bracket 2, which extends transversely of and embraces said gunwale and is held thereon by any suitable means such as the clamping thumbscrew 3 threaded into one side of said bracket and engaging the gunwale. Bracket 2, at its upper outer corner, is provided with a pair of ears between which is pivoted on a horizontally extending pivot member, a shouldered pin 4, illustrated as having a rounded upper end and an aperture extending therethrough adjacent said end. A bracket 5 is provided comprising spaced open work plates 6 connected together by spaced bdlts or rivets 7, said plates being substantially diamondshaped in plan, with rounded corners and having a central bar extending transversely thereof. At the outer side of said plates a bushing 8 extends therebetween having headed flanges atits outer sides and a gear segment 9 has a central hub, through which bushing 8 extends, said segment being thus oscillatably mounted on said bushing. The segment 9 has its toothed portion directed inwardly, and is also provided with an outwardly extending arm 10 of substantially fiat rectangular shape. The arm 10 is embraced by the forked end of a lever 11, which extends outward therefrom and is illustrated as made by a pair of flat bars riveted together. At their outer ends, the bars of member 11 diverge and then extend in opposite alined directions andare bolted or riveted to the inner end of a rectangular frame member 12, also formed of. a flat bar. Frame member 12 has comparatively short flat bars 13 bolted or riveted at each end extending outwardly in converging relation. The ends of the members 13 at each end of the frame 12 are connected together by rod 14 extending therebetween and longitudinally of the frame 12. Another rod or shaft 14?, shown as a headed and nutted bolt, extends longitudinally and centrally wardly, to which is ,bolted'or' riveted the outer end of a handle lever 18, having its inner end formed as an ordinary oar handle. The segment 17 is provided with a central aperture adjacent its toothed portion to aline with holes 23 formed through plates 6, which aperture and holes are adapted to receive a headed pin 19. Pin 19 has an eyelet at its headed or outer end connected by flexible member shown as a chain 20, to a smaller cotter pin 21 adapted to be inserted through the aperture in pin 4. The bracket 5 has lugs in the outer sides of the plate 6 which'are pierced by apertures22 adapted to aline with a hole 251 formed in the top of lateral extension of member 4, which apertures and hole are also adapted to receive the pin 19 under certain conditions.

The device is adapted to be usedin different ways. If the operator wishes to face in the direction in which the boat is advancing,

the pin 19 will be inserted through aperture 22 and into the hole 24, as shown'in Fig.1. The bracket 5 will then be held in stationary position in the plane of levers 11 and 18 and relative to themember 4. If'lever 18 now swung or oscillated as indicated by the a r row in Fig. 1, gear segment 17 will operate gear segment 9 and lever 11 will be moved in the opposite direction, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. As the lever 11 moves through the water at its outer end with the rod 14 advancing, the plates 15 are 001- lapsed as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said plates moving into substantially a common plane, being disposed at each side of rod 14. When the lever 11 swings in the opposite direction with the outer or free ends of plates 15 advancing said plates are swung apart by the resistance of the water into the position as shown in Fig. 4, said plates being held in.

such divergent position by the sides of frame member 12. As the member 11 is moved with the plates 15 in the latter position the boat is propelled, said lever 11 and plate 15 acting as an oar. Vith the parts operated as shown in Fig. 1 therefore, the boat is propelled with the operator facing in the direction in which the boat is moving, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to propel the boat with the operator facing in the direction opposite to that in which the boat moves, the pin 19 is withdrawn, from the bracket 5 and member 4, bracket 5 is inverted and the pin 19 then placed through the holes 28 and plates 6 and the hole in. the gear segment 17 \Vhen this is done, bracket 5 will be free to swing about the pin 4 and the segment 17 and lever 18 will be prevented from movement relative to bracket 5. The levers 18 and 11 are then looked together in longitudinal alinement and will form one lever or oar movable about pin 4. When the oar is .thuspositioned and moved by the arrows in Fig.8, the boat will be propelled as indicated by the central arrows in said figure, the plates 15 operating as-already (described. From the above descriptiolnfit'i's seen that applicant has provided a simple :and efficient boat propelling means which can be easily and quickly arranged to propel "the boat either in the direction in which the operator is facing or in the opposite direction. The device comprises few parts and can readily be attached to or detached from the boat. The plates 15 preferably are made of metal and the whole structure is quite light and strong. The device has been demonstrated in actual practice and found to bevery'successful and efficient'. a

It will be of course understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists ina device such as shown its outer end, said lever having a gear segv ment'projecting inwardly from said pin, a hand lever pivoted insaid bracket and having a gear segment thereon meshing with said gear segment and means for holding said bracket in stationary position relative to said pin.

2. A boat propelling device having in combination a clamping bracket adapted to be secured to the side of a boat, a pin member swiveled to said bracket at its .upper outer side, a bracket comprising spaced plates pivotally supported on said pin member, a lever carried by said bracket also pivoted about said pin and extending outwardly therefrom, water engaging means at the outer end of said lever, said lever having a gear segment at its inner-end disposed between the plates of said bracket, a hand lever pivoted to said bracket, and having a gear segment at its outer end disposed between the plates of said bracket and meshing with said first mentioned gear segment, said bracket and pin member having holes adapted to be alined and a pin adapted to be disposed in said holes to hold said bracket stationary relative to said pin member.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, said bracket having other holes therein and said last mentioned gear segment having an aperture adapted to be alined with said latter holes, whereby said last mentioned pin can be disposed in said last mentioned holes and aperture to lock said segments against movements relative to said bracket.

4:. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to the side of said boat, an open-work frame at the outer end of said lever, a rod extending centrally across said frame, and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said lever, plates pivoted to said rod and disposed at one side of said rod and frame, whereby said plates may swing together in substantially one plane or swing apart against the sides of said frame as stops.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, a rod supported by said frame centrally and at one side of the plane thereof with which said plates contact when swung together, the outer free edge portions of said plates extending outwardly from each other.

6. The structure set forth in claim 4 and a member rigidly supported at said side of said frame against Whiehsaid plates contact when they swing together.

7. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to the side of said boat, an open-work frame at the outer end of said lever, plates pivoted to said frame at adjacent edges along. an axis extending longitudinally of said lever, said plates be ing free at their opposite edges whereby they may swing together or away from each other.

8. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to the side of said boat and extending outwardly therefrom, a rod at the outer end of said lever extending substantially parallel thereto, plates pivoted to said rod and disposed at one side of the same and said lever, rigid stops for said plates spaced outwardly of said lever above and below the same, and a rigid stop for said plates spaced in front of said rod and lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT E. BEEBE.

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