US1121955A - Device for propelling boats. - Google Patents

Description

C. A. TRACY.

DEVICE FOR PROPELLING BOATS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 11, 1914.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS coy, FHOTO-LIII-HL, WASHINGTON, D. r:

CHARLES A. TRACY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR PBOPELLING BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application filed May 11, 1914. Serial No. 837,624.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. TRACY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Propelling Boats, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to propelling mechanism for boats,-and has for its main object to provide simple, eflicient and substantial boat propelling mechanism capable of being power driven, or manually operated at will.

Life boats or life saving boats, propelled by oars, are difficult to handle in a rough sea and particularly by those unskilled in the work, and with motor driven boats the motor frequently becomes ineffective and he boat becomes stalled.

One purpose of this invention is to provide one or more sets of hand operated levers, together with gearing for driving the propeller shaft, and if desired, so arranged that a motor may be coupled to said shaft for driving it, but which may be uncoupled when the shaft is rotated by the hand levers.

To such end this invention consists in the several novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specification, in which Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal section through a boat, showing the preferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a detail cross-section taken on line of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts seen in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4; is a detail crosssection taken on line H of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawing, the reference numeral 10, designates a boat of ordinary construction, which may be provided with a motor 11, a propeller shaft 12, connected therewith, and journaled in suitable bearings, and a propeller 13, on the rear end of said shaft, in accordance with any of the well known types of motor driven boats. Conveniently a clutch 14:, is interposed in the propeller shaft 12, whereby it may be disconnected from the motor, so as to be capable of rotating independently thereof. On said shaft are placed beveled pinions, one of which is seen at 15, which may be fixedly secured to the shaft where the motor 1s dispensed with, but which is provided with a clutch 16, for clutching it to, or unopposite face, thus forming to all intents and purposes, a double pinion. Meshing with both members of the double pinion are beveled gear wheels 17, 18, fast upon drive shafts 19, which extend upward in oblique directions to the upper side edges of the boat, where they are provided with operating levers 20, and pawl and ratchet mechanisms 21, 22, for effecting their rotation. Bearing brackets 23, secured to the frame or body of the boat, form thesupports for the oblique shafts 19, and may have any well known form of ball bearings for the shafts. A thrust bearing 24, is provided between each oblique shaft and adjacent bearing 23 for taking up the end thrust thereof.

Secured at the upper end of each oblique shaft 19, is the ratchet wheel 22, and thereabove is a collar 25, forming part of the operating lever and rotatively mounted on the shaft. Each collar supports a pawl 21, which engages the teeth of the associated ratchet wheel, and conveniently may be kept in engagement by a spring 26, secured to the collar and pressing against the pawl, in the direction of the ratchet wheel.

The handle portions 20 of levers 20, are secured to the collars 25, and if desired may have vertical play so as to make it more convenient for the user to handle them. For this reason I have shown the ends (which are attached to the collars) as provided with forked portions 27, straddling the collars and fastened thereto by bolts or pins 28.

In operation, the clutch 16, may be shifted to disconnect the propeller shaft from the double pinion, and the clutch 14:, shifted to couple the propeller shaft with the motor, and the propeller may then be driven by the motor. If, however, it becomes necessary or expedient to drive the shaft by manual power, the clutch 14: is shifted to uncouple the propeller shaft from the motor, and the clutch 16, shifted to couple the double pinion to the propeller shaft. The user then takes hold of the levers, and swings them back and forth, simulating the act of rowing. During movement of the levers in the direction of the arrows thereon in Fig. 3,

the pawls 21 actively engage the teeth of the ratchet wheels 22, and turn them, and therewith turn the oblique drive shafts, beveled gears, the double beveled pinion and the propeller shaft. During the reverse movement of the levers the pawls are moved back to take another hold on the ratchet wheels. In this manner the boat may be propelled, in a heavy, as well as on a calm sea, by unskilled persons, and because of the absence of protruding oars there is less danger of being swamped when leaving or approaching a ship or pier.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A boat having a centrally located propeller shaft and propeller thereon, two oblique drive shafts geared to said propeller shaft, and extending upward to points near the upper side edge of the boat, manually operated levers rotatively mounted on said oblique shafts, and pawl and ratchet mechanism connecting said oblique shafts with the operating levers.

2. A boat having a propeller shaft and propeller thereon, a double pinion on said propeller shaft, two shafts extending from said propeller shaft to the upper side edge of the boat, beveled pinions, one fast on each oblique shaft and meshing with a member of the double pinion, two ratchet wheels, one fast on the upper end of each oblique shaft, operating levers, one ,rotatively mounted on each oblique shaft, and pawls carried by said levers and engaging said ratchet wheels.

3. A boat having a propeller shaft and propeller thereon, two drive shafts extending therefrom to-points near the upper side edges of the boat, gearing between said propeller shaft and the drive shafts, ratchet wheels, one carried by each drive shaft, operating levers, one for each drive shaft, rotatively mounted thereon, and free to swing up and down, and pawls, one for each lever, engaging the ratchet wheel associated therewith.

f. A boat having a propeller shaft and a propeller thereon, a double beveled pinion on said propeller shaft, two beveled gear wheels meshing with said double pinion, two obliquely extending drive shafts, one secured to each beveled gear wheel, two ratchet wheels, one fast on each drive shaft, two operating levers, one rotatively mounted on each drive shaft, and capable of swinging up and down, and pawls, one for each lever and engaging the associated ratchet Wheel. In a device for propelling boats, a motor driven propeller shaft, arranged to be uncoupled from the motor, a beveled pinion arranged to be coupled to and uncoupled from said shaft, a beveled gear wheel in mesh with said beveled pinion, a drive shaft secured to said beveled gear wheel, a ratchet wheel secured to said drive shaft, a collar rotatively mounted on said drive shaft, a pawl carried by said collar and engaging said ratchet wheel, and a handle having a fork pivotally secured to said collar and arranged to swing upon said pivot through a vertical plane.

CHARLES A. TRACY. /Vitnesses CHARLES 0. SHERVEY, Rosn HUNTLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 3.

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