US2706461A - Combined outboard motor propeller guard and runner - Google Patents

Description

April 19, 1955 R. J. SMITH 2,706,461

COMBINED OUTBOARD MOTOR PROPELLER GUARD AND RUNNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1952 FlG.l. 11

INVENTOR RALPH J. SMITH R. J. SMITH April 19, 1955 COMBINED OUTBOARD MOTOR PROPELLER GUARD AND RUNNER Filed Sept. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RALPH J. SMITH.

United States Patent COMBINED OUTBOARD MOTOR PROPELLER GUARD AND RUNNER Ralph James Smith, Warwick, R. 1. Application September 10, 1952, Serial No. 308,751 1 Claim. (Cl. 115-41) This invention appertains to improvements in depth regulators and guards for detachable propelling motors or units for water craft and has for its primary object to adjust the motor to changes and draft conditions and to enable the motor to conform automatically to the configuration of the bottom of a water channel so that the propeller is always operatively immersed at a safe distance from the bottom in either shallow or deep water.

A further object of this invention is to provide a runner that underlies the conventional propeller guard and the propeller and is carried solely by the guard in a pivotal manner for movement about a horizontal axis that parallels the pivotal axis of the motor at its boat mount. Conventionally, an outboard motor is mounted on the gunwale of the hull of a boat by a bracket and the motor is swingable about a horizontal pivot on the bracket. The motor can thus assume its vertical position and be manually raised to a horizontal position about the pivot. To insure safe maximum immersion of the motor, this invention comprehends the provision of a runner that is pivotally suspended from the propeller guard and underlies the propeller. The runner is designed to slide on the bottom of a waterway and also over submerged obstacles and in so doing moves about a horizontal axis and maintains its position in a horizontal plane. The runner automatically moves and forces the motor to a declined or horizontal position about the motor pivot at the bracket.

Another object of this invention is to provide a depth regulator that is supported entirely by the outboard motor, thereby obviating any alteration of the hull of a boat and necessitating no alteration of the motor, except the boring of a transverse opening in the guard.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a compact, simple and inexpensive depth regulator, which is capable of being easily and cheaply installed on any conventional outboard motor and which will not interfere with the maneuverability of the boat and which can be raised with the motor for inspection or removal irrespective of the load condition of the vessel.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiments of which are set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a conventional outboard motor or propelling unit, to the propeller guard of which is attached a runner constructed and mounted in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and illustrating the runner in top plan;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the propeller guard and attached runner;

Figures 4 and 5 are side elevational views of the lower portion of the outboard motor, illustrating the operation of the runner in sliding over the bottom of a waterway to automatically raise the outboard motor and maintain the propeller at a safe distance from the bottom and always in an operatively immersed position, irrespective of the depth or shallowness of the water;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the stern of a boat to which is attached by a conventional bracket a conventional outboard motor, a runner constructed in accordance with this invention being supported by the guard and being operatively positioned to move the motor to a declined position;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of a modified form of run- "ice ner, illustrating the same attached to the propeller guard and completely underlying the propeller; and,

Figure 8 is a rear elevational view of the lower portion of a motor, with the modified form of runner attached to the propeller guard thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings and initially to Figures l-6, a portion of a conventional marine propulsion unit and outboard motor is illustrated and includes a transmission housing 10, which supports a propeller 12 that is driven by a transmission shaft within the housing 10 in a manner well known in the art. A propeller guard 14 extends downwardly from the housing 10 and is integral therewith, the guard terminating in an arcuate free end 16, which is just in advance of the propeller and extends beneath the propeller.

The only modification necessitated to mount the runner 18 of this invention on the guard 14 is the formation of a transverse opening in the guard just above the end 16 to accommodate a bolt 20.

The runner 18 is in the form of a ski and consists of a flat body section 22, having an upturned front end 24. The runner, as illustrated in Figure 2, is considerably Wider than the guard and extends rearwardly slightly beyond the end 16 of the guard, which is adapted to act as a stop and, therefore, engages the body section 22 adjacent the rear end thereof. Upstanding arms 26 and 28 are mounted on the upper face of the body section 22 of the runner and are in parallelism to engage on opposite sides of the guard 14. The arms are supported in a plane perpendicular to the runner by right angular mounting flanges 30 and 32 that are welded or otherwise fixedly superimposed on the upper surfaces of the body section 22 of the runner 18. The arms 26 and 28 are formed with registering openings that align with the opening in the guard to receive the bolt 20 that forms a pivot for the arms.

The runner 18 is thus suspended from the guard 14 in a pivotal manner for movement about a horizontal axis or an axis normal to the axis of the housing 10. As seen in Figure 6, the upper portion of the housing 10 is provided with a mounting web 34 that is pivoted as at 36 to a bracket 38, which is clamped on the gunwale of the hull 40 of the boat. The axis 20 of the runner and the axis 36'of the outboard motor are parallel, so that the runner 18 follows the configuration of the bottom of a water channel while the outboard motor is forced to assume a position in a declined or horizontal plane, pivoting about the axes 20 and 36.

As illustrated in Figures 46, the runner 18 is normally in a horizontal position, when the housing 10 is in its usual vertical position, the vessel being in full load condition. The propeller is protected from seaweeds or the like by the conventional guard 14. /But, when the vessel is in light load conditions, such as when the vessel is being operated in shallow waters, the motor must be manually raised, since it cannot be safely immersed nor can it be operatively immersed under such conditions. However, the runner 18 provides for the safe immersion of the propeller regardless of whether the craft is being operated in deep or shallow waters and also enables the propeller to continue in efficient propulsion operation regardless of the load conditions of the craft and the depth of the water.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the end 16 of the guard 14 maintains the runner 18 in a horizontal plane by preventing the runner from pivoting downwardly at its front end about the pivot 20. As the bottom of the water channel inclines or the water becomes shallower, the runner 18 slides on the bottom and follows the configuration of the bottom to maintain the propeller 12 at a safe and operative distance from the bottom. Of course, the weight of the motor holds the runner in sliding engagement with the bottom of the water channel and the runner sliding along the bottom forces the motor to pivot about the spaced parallel axes 20 and 36. The motor assumes a declined position, such as illustrated in Figure 6.

The runner is especially of value in beaching the craft, since the propeller 12 can be used to bring the craft right up on the beach, without, as is common practice, disembarking from the craft and manually beaching the boat while manually holding the motor in a declined or horizontal position. Again, the runner protects the propeller 12 from submerged obstacles, such as rocks or the like, by passing over such obstacles and raising the motor to enable the propeller 12 to safely pass over such obstacles.

An important factor is that the hull 40 of the boat is not modified or altered in any respect and that the only alteration required is the boring of an opening in the guard 14 to accommodate the bolt 20. The runner 18 is carried entirely by the guard 14, in other words, by the outboard motor and propulsion unit 10. It is not an integral part thereof and may be easily removed, even while the craft is in the water.

A further form of this invention is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, where the runner 18' instead of having a narrow rectangular body section 22 as the runner 18, is formed with an enlarged body section 22'. The enlarged body section 22' is of a width equal to the diameter of the propeller 12' so that the opposing side edges of the body section 22 underlie the outer ends of the blades of the propeller. The runner 18' functions, respecting its depth regulating and obstacle avoiding purpose, identical to the runner 18 and is pivotally carried by the guard in a similar manner.

While the best known forms of this invention have been disclosed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

other forms may be made, such as come within the purview of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

In combination with an outboard motor unit having a propeller and a guard for the propeller arranged vertically in front of the propeller and terminating in a free end slightly below the propeller, a runner carried by the guard transversely of the lower end of the guard and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof and means pivotally mounting the runner to the guard above the free end of the guard so that the runner is movable about an axis transverse to the axis of the guard, the free end of the guard forming a stop to limit the upward movement of the rearward end of the runner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,574,977 Johnson et al. Mar. 2, 1926 1,665,849 Haberlin Apr. 10, 1928 1,686,803 Evinrude Oct. 9, 1928 1,953,599 Grimes Apr. 3, 1934 2,492,965 Carr Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 292,181 Italy Jan. 9, 1932

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