US2616385A

US2616385A - Boat propulsion device

Info

Publication number: US2616385A
Application number: US783769A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony A Woods
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-11-03
Filing date: 1947-11-03
Publication date: 1952-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1969-11-04

Description

Nov. 4, 1952 WOODS 2,616,385

BOAT PROPULSION DEVICE Filed Nov. 3, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l //\/A/E-/\/ TUF? ANTHONY A. WOODS Aid/M Nov. 4, 1952 A. A. WOODS BOAT PROPULSION DEVICE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 3, 1947 /E/\ 70 ANTHONY A. WOODS TTUF A/EWE f atenteci Nov. 4,

UNITED OFF ICE asissss BQAT PROPULSION DEVICE Anthony A. Woods an em a wa h. Application November 3, 1947, Serial No. uses-s9 a ms- 1 This invention relates to improvements in pro.- pulsion for small boats.

Objects-ofthe invention are to provide a n vel boat ,propulsion system in which the propeller is protectedf-rom weeds, sticks and rocks in the water, and from grounding on hallow bottoms, to provide a novel inboard mountin for ,a, SO-.' called outward motor, and, more particularly, ,to provide a novel well for mo nting an outboard motor in the boat to ,draw in water through bOW tubes and discharge the water through ,a stern tube topropel the boat. Still ,tu-rther objects of the invention are .to provide a'nov el water-tight well within the ,boat extending above the water level ior mounting an outward -:typeglint 01 with its anropelling screw .in communication with ,bow and sternatubes, to provide a novel mountingarw rangement .;for the vjouthoard motor in said well, andatoprovide .a novel arrangement :for confining the streamof water delivered by the propeller to dischargeajet ofwater out thesterntube and prevent Echurning within ;,the well.

in-the application. of the present. invention, a Pair oibow $111168 are arranged foo vdraw in water from ;the bowendof the boat, so-that the water thus rlrawnin maybeactedupon by a propeller and .zdischarged :forcibly throu h .a stern tube to driv :thchoat. The bowtubeschmmunicatewith thew-ssternrtube in a water-tight well haying sides extending.,above the water level and arranged to supp rtia. cover upon .which is :mounted the. outboard motor :used ,for -.driving the boat. The stream of water from the propeller is confined and =.directed-1through .the stern tube by a .short tilbei'section connected between the bow and stem tubes :within the -.-wel1. This intermediate tube section ;is arranged :tolenclose the propeller and sllppqrtrthe weight of :the motor, and is made readily idetaohable, :both from :the motor and i he ibQW vand stern tubes so that .the motor may easily be -removed.,from the reboot .w-hen Jdesired. glnsthiswaytthe propeller isJprotected-from loa in and Submerged :objects in zthe water so that the boat may be driven safely :throug'hweeds er -over, submerged rocks or sand bars, orndragged upgon-a:dockor beach, without danger-of damagins theproneller.

Qther QbJ'ects-and advantages residezin the details ,of ;construction and varrangement of parts described in thefollowingrspecificationiand shown on-gthe accompanyingi drawingsillustrating. a preferred -lembqdiment .of -,:the invention. Various changes in the-construction will occur to persons skilledinthe art, andall suchmodifications within :th inventi n.

water line.

:In the drawings:

Fi ure l is a .plan view of a boat embodying the present system ,of propulsion;

Figure ;2 a side elevation view of the boat;

Fi ure :3 is eastern view;

Figure 91 is a :cross sectional view of the boat takennear the bow;

Fi ure '5 isanenlarged view in side elevation showing the construction ,of the well and the m. Ai Of the 'mQtQr therein;

jgure 56 is :a ;,cros s sectional view taken on the line 6.-. of ,.i ure :5; and

Figure 7 is atop plan viewof the cover :forthe well.

;I n1;the presentconstruction as showninFigunes l and 2, the b at 1.0 is provided with a pair of inlet tubes lgl communicating with bow openings 2-on -the'opposite sides of the boat below the {Ihe'inlet tubes H converge :intoa Wel 5 whe e they conn ct with aidisc ar t l4 leading :to, a stern opening ,I 5 below the water line 15. A motor 2;! having a screw propeller 2-1 is 'mounted on the well 13 tO ,draw water in through the inletooenings H and discharge it forciloly thro 1 ig;h the discharge :tube 14 to drive the boat forward. Suitable screens may be provided the tubes ;l or openings I! to 'keepout solid material. The boat is steered by :a pair o'f rudders; 2 mountedon.opposite sides of the stem or nine Theprincipalgfeatures of novelty inthe present or, A eement reside in the construction .of the well andtubes and-the mounting of :thamotor, shown in Figures 5 and v6. The inlet tubes =H may converge to ,a point of intersection before they reach the Well :13, they mayintersect-where they pass through the wall. of the .well, .or they may.- enter the well individually and be joined together -therewithin, :but in any case the tube or tub.e s are welded to the well as indicated at 2.4, or providedin someother satisfactorymannor with a water-tight joint to .prevent leakage of water into the boat. =It isappreciated that different (forms of joints may be employed and that difierent materials may .be used l-for insuring the well and tubes, but inlthe present embodimer t the tubes andl l and :the-well l3 are made-,oflsheetmetaland-the tube l4 is-similar ly connectedwith the after side of the well-by a weld or someother form of water-tight joint. 'Ihe well ;3 in the present embodiment is cylindrical in shape, havin walls extending up above the water level [6 and provided with a' bottomi'25 which (may-rest on or be-attached tothe-bottom of the;boat. A

The top rim ofthewell is provided with a rolled 3 edge or bead 26 to support a reinforced, arched cover 21 having a lip 28 resting on the bead 26 and a flange 29 extending therewithin to make a close fit in order to provide a fairly rigid mounting for the motor 29 which passes through the center of the cover 21 and is held thereby in a stationary upright position. The motor 20 may take various forms and may be specially designed for the present purpose, but in the illustrated embodiment a conventional motor of the so-called outboard type is shown, this type of motor having the usual mounting bracket 30 for mounting on the stern of a rowboat or the like with the vertical drive housing 3| extending down into the water. In the present use of the motor the conventional mounting bracket 30 is not used, and may be removed if it is in the way of the cover 21. The cover 21 is provided with a plurality of brackets which may comprise vertical sheet metal fins 32 having bottom flanges 33 secured to the cover to hold the motor in a vertical position with the housin 3| extending through a central opening 34 in the cover, as shown in Figures and '1. To permit installation and removal of the motor, the cover 21 is made in two halves with a standing seam 35 intersecting this opening. The seam 35 may comprise vertical flanges on the two cover sections adapted to be bolted together to encircle the motor housing 3|. Other mounting adaptations for the motor may be devised on the cover. A plurality of clamps 4| are provided to secure the cover 21 to the sides of well |3.

The tube H! is preferably circular and is cut off on a bevel and provided with an end flange 42 within the well l3, and the common opening of the intersecting tubes I is preferably of the same shape and size and provided with a similar end flange 43 within the well. A short removable tube section 45 is provided to surround the propeller 2| and interconnect the tubes I and M to provide a smooth channel for streamlined flow of the water approaching and leaving the propeller. The section 45 has an end flange 46 to be connected with the flange 42, and an end flange 41 for connection with the flange 43, to hold the section inplace between the inlet and outlet tubes. The section 45-is preferably made of flexible sheet metal, open on its top side in a longitudinal joint so that it may be sprung apart to receive the propeller 2| and the lower end of the vertical housing 3|. Top flanges 48 provide for closing the top of the tubular section 45 after it has been placed around the propeller, each flange 48 having a semicircular portion or half collar 49 to surround and engage the housing 3|. The various flanges may be secured together by bolts 59 or other suitable means. If desired, gaskets may be provided in all of these flange joints to make water-tight connections, and a suitable gasket may be provided-for the collar 49, but this is not necessary because these parts are all confined within the water-tight well |3. There is no objection to permitting the water to rise in the well |3 to its natural water level, because the primary purpose of the intermediate section 45 is merely to confine the flowing water to a streamlined channel for efficient operation. The installation and removal of the motor is facilitated if no attempt is made to make the flange connections water-tight.

Outboard motor-s of the type shown usually have a vertical fin or guard 55 extending be-' neath the propeller 2|, and in the present construction it is preferred to utilize thisfin to support the weight of the motor rather than to have this weight hang on the cover 21, although the motor may be supported in the latter manner, if desired. Thus, for the purpose of supporting the motor, there is preferably provided a cup or socket 56 in the bottom of the tube section 45 to engage the end of the fin 55 in the manner shown. A saddle 51 is disposed under the tube section 45, as shown in Figure 6, to support the weight on the socket 56. The weight of the motor is thereby brought to bear onthe bottom 25 of the well, where it is distributed over the bottom of the boat, so that the principal function of the cover 21 and brackets 32 is merely to brace the motor and hold it in an upright position. It is, of course, appreciated that the motor is not required to turn in the well, but is mounted in a fixed position, inasmuch as steering of the boat is accomplished by the rudders 22.

With this mounting arrangement, the outboard motor may be considered and used'as a permanent installation in the boat, and in such case further refinements may be made in the mounting of the motor, but the construction is also intended to be used with conventional outboard motors which have not been modified or rebuilt for the present purpose and which are intended to be removed after each use of the boat. Other changes will suggest themselves, depending upon the manner of use in a particular case, and it is, therefore, intended that the invention not be limited to the precise construction illustrated in the drawings.

The manner of installing and removing the outboard type motor 29 will be best understood by first describing the removal procedure-with reference to Figure 5 which shows the motor installed. The cover clamps 4| are first unfastened and the bolts removed from cover flanges" tions'should be disposed on the outside of head 26 to permit removal of the cover sections without lifting the motor. After removal of the two sections of cover 21, the motor may be again rested on its bottom fin 55 and steadied by an assistant while the bolts are removed from flanges 48 and the upper portions of the

mating flanges

42, 46 and 43, 41. The upper parts of tube section 45 may then. be sprung apart to separate the flanges 48 sufficiently'to pass the propeller 2| when the motor is lifted vertically" upward. If the motor is not to be used in another boat, the bolts may be left in flanges 48 andall the bolts removed from

end flanges

42, 46, 43 and 41. Then the tube section 45 may be removed bodily with the motor.

In installing the motor the foregoing operations are reversed, thecup or socket member 56 serving to center the lower end of fin55 in its proper position when the fin is brought to bear thereon. After the bolts have been replaced in the flanges of tube section 45, themotor is raised an inch or so by sliding housing 3| through the collar parts 49 to permit'repla'cement of the twosections of cover 21. Then the flanges 35"are fastened together and clamps 4| secured so that the motor can be lowered into its operating position with fin 55 again resting in cup 56.

When the motor is thus lowered, the cup 56 automatically guides the fin 55 to centered position without requiring visual observation of these parts for proper manipulation. When the collar parts 49 are equipped with gaskets to engage the vertical housing 3| snugly, the use of outside flanges at 29 instead of inside flanges permits the two sections of cover 21 to be replaced Without lifting the motor.

Having now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a boat, a well having a bottom within the boat and a side wall around the well extending above the level of the water line of said boat, horizontal water inlet and discharge tubes sealed in said well, a removable horizontal cylindrical tube section in said well interconnecting said inlet and discharge tubes, a cover on said well, outboard motor supporting means in said tube section, and additional outboard motor supporting means on said cover, said tube section having a top opening to receive a vertical drive shaft of an outboard motor supported on said means.

2. In a boat, a well having a bottom within the boat and a sidewall extending above the level of the water line of said boat, horizontal water inlet and discharge tubes sealed in said well, a removable horizontal flexible tube section for propulsion means in said Well interconnecting said inlet and discharge tubes, a propulsion motor support in the bottom of said tube section, a longitudinal joint extending along the top of said tube section, and removable securing means for said joint whereby said tube section may be opened at said joint for access to the interior of the tube section in installing and removing said propulsion means.

3. In a boat, a well having a bottom within the boat and a side wall extending above the level of the Water line of said boat, horizontal water inlet and discharge tubes sealed in said well, a horizontal cylindrical tube section for propulsion means in said well interconnecting said inlet and discharge tubes, a propulsion motor support in the bottom of said tube section, and detachable connecting means securing the ends of said tube section to said inlet and discharge tubes, said tube section being removable from the top of said well.

4. In a boat, a well having a bottom Within the boat and a side wall extending above the level of the water line of said boat, horizontal water inlet and discharge tubes sealed in said well, a horizontal cylindrical tube section in said well interconnecting said inlet and discharge tubes, detachable connecting means for securing the ends of said tube section tosaid inlet and discharge tubes, a longitudinal joint in the top of said tube section, detachable connecting means for said joint, and an opening in the top of said tube section intersecting said joint for propulsion means, said tube section being flexible for installing and removing said propulsion means by removing certain of said connecting means and spreading said longitudinal joint.

5. In a boat, a well having a bottom within the boat and a side wall extending above the level of the water line of said boat, horizontal water inlet and discharge tubes sealed in said well, a horizontal tube section in said well interconnecting said inlet and discharge tubes, a motor support in the bottom of said tube section, a cover on said well having a separable joint extending across the well, detachable means for securing the two parts of said cover together at said joint, and additional motor supporting means on said cover.

ANTHONY A. WOODS.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 829,033 Ronstrom Aug. 21, 1906 1,786,997 Harvey Dec. 30, 1930 1,888,443 Alexander Nov. 22, 1932 2,270,690 Shannahan Jan. 20, 1942 2,379,834 Sharp July 3, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 414,497 France June 21, 1910 1,233 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1885