US2827871A - Ship drive mechanism - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1958 J. M. HATZl SHIP DRIVE MECHANISM Filed June so, 1954 wmm mwsh Q Y R m m 1H .4 J o u Y .m w 3 B w g R Uni-ted S ates Patent sHIP DRIVE MECHANISM Application June 30, 1954, Serial No. 440,443

1 Claim. (Cl. 115-24) This invention relates to means for propelling ships and boats and particularly to a ship drive mechanism.

The main object of my invention is to provide a ship with special drive mechanism that is readily controlled by the operator and also directly driven by him, with special emphasis on small boats classified with row boats and the like.

Another object is to have a boat equipped with propulsion means operated preferably by the feet of the operator, together with means for navigating the boat at will.

It is a special object of this invention to provide an improvement over my Patent No. 1,705,402 granted to me on March 12, 1929.

A practical object is, of course to increase elfective operation of the drive mechanism, simplify construction and render driving'of a boat certain and as easy as possible.

Another practical object is to have such a drive mechanism that is simple to make and low in cost in order to encourage wide distribution on the market.

A practical object is further to improve the speed and lightness of the drive especially adapted for rescue boats, etc.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features of the same, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a boat equipped with a drive mechanism made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form;

Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the same boat with portions removed to clarify the showing of the propulsion apparatus;

Figure 3 is a plan view of part of the drive mechanism to illustrate the arrangement thereof;

Figure 4 is an elevation of a free wheeling detail;

Figure 5 is a similar elevation of another drive detail.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

On an ordinary row boat, and especially on a canoe, it requires special skill to row or paddle the craft prop erly, but even at best, all of the work is done by the arms and hands, despite the fact that any operator of a boat has greater power in his legs than in the arms. While some devices have been proposed for using the feet to drive a boat, it has occurred to me that in order to obtain the greatest possible benefit from foot power propulsion, together with manual co-operation and also navigation, certain means could well be included to rest the feet in such fashion that no energy is wasted but will be applied to drive the boat directly in the most convenient manner possible. As a result, I have succeeded in providing a boat with a mechanical drive along the lines already indicated, as will now be set forth in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring also again to the drawing, a boat hull, generally indicated at 6 has abottom 7 and rear end 8, as well as a pivotally mounted rudder 9 manipulated by the lever or tiller 10. On the bottom 7 is fixed an upright transverse partition wall 11 supporting a rear seat 12 beneath which the main mechanism of the invention is housed. In rear wall 8 is a bearing 13 for a propeller shaft 14 having a propeller fixed upon the outer end which extends through end wall into the water, while upon the inner end is secured a bevel gear 15 for receiving driving impulse to rotate the shaft and propeller 16. A pair of transversely aligned bearings 17, 18 are also fixed on bottom 7 and support a shaft 19 provided near one end with a large bevel gear 20 meshing with gear 15 on the propeller shaft.

The bevel gear 20 also meshes with another bevel gear 21 fixed on the rear end of a third shaft 22 supported in two bearings 23 and 24 mounted on boat bottom 7, the front end of shaft 22 likewise having a further bevel gear'25 fixed thereon. Intermediate bearings 23 and 24, the third shaft 22 has a speed governor 26 mounted thereon for determining the maximum speed at which this shaft is to rotate. r

A fourth transverse shaft 27 is mounted to rotate in a pair of further bearings 28, 28 also fixed on bottom 7, the shaft carrying a final bevel gear 29 meshing with gear 24 of shaft 22 and also a clutch member 30 further shown in Figures 4 and 5 from opposite sides. Upon this clutch member are peripheral sprocket teeth 31 fixed on a ring 32 having internal one way ratchet teeth 33, while the clutch member carries a plurality of pawls 34, 34 engaging with the ratchet teeth with springs 35, 35 urging the pawls out into contact with the mentioned ratchet teeth. The clutch is thus free wheeling in one direction and will positively drive the ring 32 and its sprocket teeth in the other direction so as to transmit rotation of the ring to the clutch and thereby to shaft 27 and gear 30, and this in turn ultimately causes rotation of propeller 16.

The sprocket is driven by a chain 36 that runs from a forward sprocket 37 having a stud shaft 38 rotatable in a bearing 39, while opposite this hearing is a similar bearing 40 rotatably supporting another stud shaft 41 having a disk 42 secured thereon within the latter bearing. Between disk 42 and the sprocket 37 is fixed a crank pin 43 to which a drive rod 44 is connected. Upon the partition wall 11 is fixed a bearing 45 upon which is pivotally mounted a hand lever 46 with a handle 47 surmounting the same to form a hand grip. At the lower end, hand lever 46 is pivotally connected to the forward end of rod 44, so that rocking motion of the lever will produce a back and forth movement of the crank rod 44 and rotation of the disk 42 and sprocket 37 which together with crank pin 43 form a crank, as described.

At the lower end of the hand lever is also a connection 48 with a link 49 extending rearwardly and having a pedal cross piece 50 secured upon its rear end. Upon the boat bottom are fixed a pair of substantially horizontal channels having elongated slots 52 therein, the channels 51 forming rails for a pair of rollers 52a, 52a mounted on the cross piece 50 within these channels so as to provide friction free forward and backward travel of the cross piece 50, this latter member extending out in opposite directions through the slots in the channels, into convenient position to be engaged by both feet of an operator who perhaps sits on the locker or seat 12 and also grasps the ends of cross piece or handle 47 and operates the hand lever 46 to co-operate with his feet in causing the crank 37, 42 and 43 to rotate and drive the propeller 14 through the various gears and clutch already menview of th-e indies ion of the clutch withiits ratchet and pawl construction, the propeller will be rotated in only one direction -:and may continue to rotate even when the hand and foot power operation is temporarily stopped' becanse the shaft 2?;with gears--30, 25, 21 ,20 and 15 may still rotate independently-bf any stationary condition of chain 36 ,1 sprocket 37 and the levers and links 46, 'Mand 49, etc;

Inorder to steer the boat by rudder 9 the leveron the same is connected directly to a vertic'al's'haft 55 guided by a'pair of bearing-s54 and 55 fastened to rear end 8 of the boat. "The lower -endof the rudder-isprovided with a pivot pin 56 'centeringin a bearing 57 allso'secu-red to the-rear end of-theboat and allowing the'ru dde r to be turned by-lever10. To therear-end ofthis *leveris secured a cable 58 that runs to arpa'ir of spaced apart ptilleys or rollers 59, '59 monirted on the lower-portion 'of the boat, preferably on the :hottomflhe two lengths 6.0,

then extending forward to connect with the two steering levers 62,63 mounted movably in a pair of independent tom, said section forming the rear seat of said boat, said drive comprising-a support bearing a propeller shaft upon its outer end, a first bevel gear on its inner end enmeshed with a second larger bevel gear mounted on an independent shaft, said larger gear meshing with a third bevel gear of similar size fixed on one end of a shaft mounted on the boat bottom and having a fourth bevel gear at the other end thereof; a speed governor intermediate said gears, said fourth bevel gearameshing with a fifth gear mounted on a shaft bearing a free-wheeling one way clutch assembly; said assembly j-ha'ving a peripheralrow of teeth fixed on a ring-with'nne' way ratchet teeth element and ta plwali-ty tof oping-actuated pawl engaging with said ratchet teeth, a sprocket 'on said assembly for V 61 entering these pulleys at the lowest possihle levl and 1 bearingst64, 65 fixed on bottom-7. "These steering levers 1 are located so near the foot cross piece 5'0'and hand lever 46' as to be within easy reach of thebperators feet during driving of the-boat and propulsionby the propeller, pressure on either lever turning the rudderin corresponding direction.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to; and'parts 1 and features may he modified or'nsed without others within the scope of the appended claim; r Having now fully described my invention, '1 -claim'i A drive mechanism for a boat adapted toqbe honsed under the section formed in part ;by the bottom'of said boat and by an upright transverse'parti'tion on 'said bottransmitting rotation to said --clutch and propeller shaft, a chain from said sprocket to a forward sprocket, a crank pin connecting said forward sprocket to a disk mounted on; a bearing, a drive rod connected to said crank pin, a hand lever mounted on said partition wall, pivotally connected to said drive rod a link connected to said le ver having a pedal cross pi'ece', a pair of horizontal c-ross channels mounted on the bottom of said boat having elongated slots 'therein iform'ing rails for rollers mounted on said cross piece to provide frictionless, motion of the same, said 'cros s piece being movable by the feet of an operator sitting .on said se'at 'and said lever operable "by hand. e

References Cited in the file of this patent 2248, 930 Allen July 15, 1941

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