US2569686A - Boat construction - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1951 F. c. MELC-HIOR 2,569,686

' BOAT CONSTRUCTION I Fild Jan. s, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. Frederic/E OI Jllelchzlow Oct. 2, 1951 F. c. MELCHIOR BOAT consmucnou 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1948 ior T s INVENTOR;

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Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE V BOAT CONSTRUCTION Frederick C. Melchior, New York, N. Y.

Application January 8, 1948, Serial No. 1,170

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in boats, and it has particular reference to the double end type of which the orthodox American canoe is a typical and most popular example.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple,

. a propeller and unimpeded slipstream- A further object is to preserve the graceful appearance of a well designed, streamlined boat hull and to avoid the ugliness and awkwardness of external attachments or appendices.

A still further object is to render available a boat of this order. offering superior performance and greater utility, safety, and versatility of operation under diverse conditions, in rough as well as in shallow waters.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from consideration of the detailed specification hereinaf ter set forth, especially when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a present preferred form which the invention may assume and which form part of the specification.

In brief and general terms, the invention concerns a double ended boat, the stern portion of which is pivoted or hinged to the rear end of the main hull. This stern portion is provided with a watertight compartment to increase the safety of the craft and to enable it to float independently of the rest of the-hull, if necessary. The rear of the main hull portion and the front of the stern portion are provided with abutting bulkheads so formed and related intermediate their side walls as to form an upper recess and a vertical well to accommodate the casing of the propeller column of an outboard motor, so that the propeller projects below the bottom of the boat but within the bottom area thereof, thereby avoiding any motor parts extending over the sides as is sometimes the case. Simple, preferably manipulatable means is provided to latch the hinged stern portion to the main hull when 2 Claims. (01. 9-2) pression of the outboard motor steering handle, the outboard motor which is hinged to the usual bracket on the rear bulkhead of the main hull can be swung in a vertical plane and carry with it upwardly the hinged stern, thus enabling the motor to be mounted inboard and at the same time to permit it to be pivoted as is customary when the boat is moving in too shallow waters.

This invention is applicable, of course, to canoes and any other of the so-called double endf types of boats. The canoe has been chosen for purposes of illustration in this application, because it is the most typical representative of this type of boat, partly because it is by far the most popular and useful of all small boats used for sport and transportation along our Waterways. I

As a consequence, a great many users wish to avail themselves of the convenient propulsive power of the likewise very popular outboard type of motor, both for the sake of'saving time and physical effort; however, heretofore there have beenonly two practicable methods of mounting 'an outboard motor on this type of boat. One of these methods employs a customary outboard motor bracket which is clamped on to the gun- .wales adjacent to the'stern and extends transversely to one side or the other, thus mounting the motor on its free end, off-set from the stern. This is an ugly, awkward and precarious situation for the motor and has also the disadvantage of causing part of the propeller slipstream to be thrown against the keel in turns thus making maneuvering difficult.

Tie other method consists simply of cutting off the sharp stern or, rather, building the craft to begin with as a square stern canoe. However, this operation spoils the appearance particularly in the eyes of the sportsman and enthusiast. Furthermore, a square stern causes turbulence which is detrimental to the performance of the hull and propeller alike.

A preferred present form which the invention may assume is shown in the drawings of which:

Fig, 1 is a side elevation of a boat designed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same boat showing pertinent structure;

Fig. 3 is a side view broken away of the rear end of the boat;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, showing the sections detached.

As shown in the drawings and referring merely to the specific construction illustrated therein, the boat is in the form of a double ended canoe having a main hull portion In, a bow portion II, and a stern portion [2. The improvements herein are concerned generally with the manner in which the stern portion and the rear end of the main hull are related. The rear end of the hull i is provided with a cross bulkhead l2 which in the usual manner is cut away along its top edge and intermediate the ends thereof to provide for the reception of the usual clamping bracket l3 to support an outboard motor shown in dotted lines and numbered I 4. The motor is connected to the bracket in -the usual manner along an axis I5 so that it can be, through the intermediary of the usual steering handle 46, pivoted around its axis so as to dispose the propeller shaft casing ll either in a vertical line or in a line at an angle to the vertical, whereby the propeller l8 may be raised or lowered as the case may require. Thus far the description has set forth a boat with a square stern to the rear bulkhead of which intermediate its ends is connected an outboard motor pivoted to a bracket mounted on said bulkhead. In order, however, to avoid turbulence and to obtain the advantages of the double'ended type of hull, the stern portion I2 is provided. This stern portion has an airtight chamber l9 to give the proper buoyancy, since in most modern canoes both ends have such .chambers to maintain the craft buoyant even when water gets into the main hull portion.

In order to provide a boat with a double ended stern and at the same time to mount the motor inboard of the hull and also to permit it to be swung upwards in shallow waters, I have provided a construction whereby the stern portion is hinged to the main hull portion. This hinging action is effected by providing the front bulkhead 20 of the stern portion with a rearwardly curved wall 20' to form a well through which the propeller shaft column I! extends (see Fig. 5). Cooperating with the forward side walls of this well are vertically extending ribs 26 fixed to and extending rearwardly from the main bulkhead 12'. The main hull and the stern portion are pivoted together by the alignment of holes 2| and 22 disposed respectively at the upper rear side walls of the main hull and the upper forward side Walls of the stern portion. A suitable bolt 23 is used to complete the connection. By hinging the portions at the top, it is thereby insured that when the stern is swung upwardly, the well wall 20' can readily be swung sufilciently far away from the main rear bulkhead l2 as to permit the ready withdrawal of the propeller and its column upwardly therethrough.

1 With the rear bulkhead of the main hull cut down, as described, the adjacent upper surface of the stern portion is depressed as at 25 to form a recess or space in which the main motor casing is disposed, This will tend to keep the weight of the motor as low as possible consistent with having the propeller thereof not extend further below the bottom of the boat than necessary.

In order to latch the stern portion in operative normal position with respect to the hull portion, the bulkhead [2' of the main hull is provided with the vertically disposed rearwardly extending ribs 26 suitably fastened thereto and extending in height a length equal to the height of the walls of the well 20' and so positioned as to 3 4 spectively lie snugly along the inside of said walls as shown in Fig. 4. The bottom of each well wall and rib 26 is provided with an aperture through which a latch pin 21 is adapted to extend. As shown in Fig. 5, auxiliary walls 24 are provided and spaced from the front Wall portion of the well 20' in order to seal this area to prevent the leakage of water into the watertight compartment through the apertures through which the bolts or pins 21 extend. This pin is connected to a bell crank lever 28 mounted on a bracket 29 fastened to the rib 26 and operated by a link 30 extending upwardly. The links 30 connected respectively to the rear ends of a U- .shaped handle 3| are suitably hinged to the hull portionand operable to either project the pins ,Zlthroughthe holes in the walls or to withdraw them therefrom. In this manner it is obvious that by a slight movement of the hand, the stern portion can at the bottom thereof be released from the hull. When this is effected the depression of the motor handle IE will cause the propeller column I! to swing upward and-push the stern portion 12 upwardly around its pivot point. In this manner we raise the'propeller [8 Whenever desired and at the same time provide a V-shaped'stern with the motor inboard and the propeller projecting from the bottom of the hull within the sides thereof.

Whenever it is desired to remove the motor, it'is merely necessary to tilt up the rear end to a degree where a sufiicient gap is obtained between the upper edges of the bulkheads, since they open up the well whenever they are separated and this opening will permit the propeller and its column to be vertically'raised out of the boat. Thus it will be seen that the motor is easily accessible for quick removal and readily tilted out of the water when desired. It is'well pro- 'tected in a rugged and serviceable installation,

offering maximum stability, correct application of propeller thrust and smooth and even'operation and maneuvering. Of course, it is obvious that if the motor is not employed, a simple cap, not shown, can be used to close the bottom of the well and in the case that the boat is used as a sailboat, a rudder post can be disposed vertically in the well in any suitable'manner.

While the invention has been described in detail and shown with respect to the accompanying drawing, it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence, it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language and scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a boat having a main hull portion and a stern portion, said hull portion and stern portion having bulkheads which abut each other when said portions are disposed in normal relative position, the bulkhead of the stern portion being formed in an offset manner intermediate its length to form a well between said bulkheads which well is open at the top and bottom thereof, vertical ribs on the bulkhead of the main hull portion extending into the well along side the walls of the well, manipulable means on the bulkhead of the hull portion and cooperating with said ribs and the walls of the well to latch said portions together in normal relation, and means at the tops of said portions to hinge them together for pivotal relative motion.

2. In a boat having a main hull portion and a stern portion which have bulkheads adapted to abut each other when the portions are disposed in normal relation, means for pivotally connecting said portions together at their upper side adjacent edges, the bulkhead in the stern portion being formed in an offset manner intermediate its length to form a well open at its top and bottom, vertical ribs aflixed to the bulkhead of the main hull and extending into said well adjacent 10 the walls thereof, said ribs and the walls of the well at their lower adjacent portions being provided with apertures adapted to be alined, pins associated with said ribs and adapted to extend through said apertures when alined to latch the ribs and the Well walls together, and a manually operable linkage associated with the pins and mounted on the main hull bulkhead to operate said pins to latch and unlatch the parts at will.

FREDERICK C. MELCHIOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,141,196 McLaren June 1, 1915 1,226,699 Saunders May 22, 1917 1,445,792 Olson Feb. 20, 1923 1,492,400 Schimpff Apr. 26, 1924 2,149,903 Thompson Mar. 7, 1939 2,218,264 Luce Oct. 15, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 176,965 Great Britain Mar. 23, 1922 277,557 Germany Apr. 13, 1913 314,095 Germany June 24, 1917 641,668 France Aug. 8', 1928

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