US2929347A - Self bailing boat - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1960 P. l.. VELTMAN 2,929,347

SELF BAILING BOAT Filed March 2, 1956 Ililigll 24 muni?" 1 WMM INVENTOR Unied Sates SELF BAILING BOAT Preston L. Veltman, Severna Park, Mtl. Application March 2, 1956, Serial No. 569,004

Claims. (Cl. 114-183) quently are relatively iiat although the hulls of some produce substantial displacement.

Water which has fallen or seeped into the bottom of a boat is a nuisance, interferes with the satisfactory use of the boat and causes delay in such use due to the time required for its removal.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensiveand practical means by which water automatically will be discharged from the interior of a boat while the boat is unoccupied or when the weight of the contents of the boat is below a predetermined value and which will become inactive when the weight of the boat exceeds such predetermined value.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic drain for a boat with means for automatically closing the drain when the load in the boat reaches' a predetermined value.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat with an automatic drain, automatic meansy for closing the drain when weight within the boat reaches a predetermined value and manual means for positively closing the drain regardlessof the weight within the boat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective of a boat having a buoyant bottom and a drain valve therein;

Fig. 2, a transverse section of a boat taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the drain valve in elevation underneath the seat of the boat with a manually closed cap in sealing relation on the drain valve;

Fig. 3, an enlarged section taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating a ball type of float valve in its open or draining position and showing the manually operated closure in its open position;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view through the drain valve and mounting plate illustrating the manually opf erated closure in shut position;

Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modified form of ball type oat valve with venturi outlet; and A Fig 6, a section similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a further modied form oat. A

Briefly stated, a boat constructed in accordance with the present invention may have spaced bottom Walls pro` plastic with the boat so designed and constructed that l arent of 4valve including a pivotally mounted;

'l) viding'spacevfor air or for buoyant material such as foam To assure such drain remaining open as long as the.

waterline is below the upper wall of the bottom of the boat, said 'drain being designed and intended to close.4- rutomatically when the weight within the boat causes the, boat to submerge partially with resultant rise in water. level, means is provided for closing the drain, such means? desirably being in the form of a lioat valve. This oat.

may comprise a ball, a float on a lever pivoted to the boat, or other form of float member and additional means also can be provided for the manual closing of the drain such as a separate valve or means for holding the valve closed.

The present invention comprises a self-hailing device which is capable of being embodied in boat hull designs of both relatively ilat planing types and displacement types, the former being constructed to cause the bottom to literally lift out of the water as the forward speed is increased while the displacement type rides somewhat deeper in the water and pushes the water aside as it moves forward.

ri`his invention is directed to boats which are selfbailing when they are not loaded by a particular arrangement of buoyancy factors as related to total weight distribution, a valve being provided to permit the out-flowv of water when the boat is not in use or not loaded and to prevent the in-flow of water when the boat is loaded.

in order to obtain these objectives, specic design andv combination of features and materials are required. It is well known that a oating object is buoyed up by the weight of water displaced and that the weight of water displaced is essentially equal to the weight of the object in the air. A boat in accordance with the present invention is designed so that the ilotation ability of its bottom is in excess of that required merely to oat thel boat and, further, the disposition of the incremental' volume is so arranged that the boat floats in a manner; such that water will drain from the boat through avalve or valves when the boat is not in use.

in the present invention, the drain valve is an integral part of the boat. It is designed to be open when the inside surface of the boat bottom is above the water level and designed to close automatically when the boat is loaded'and the inside surface of the boat bottom is below the water line. The valve may be operated manually but most desirably functions automaticallywhen the boat is put in service and, desirably, a manual positive closure may be provided as a safety measure.

In a boat of small displacement the valve is intended and designed to operate on small water level differentials. If preferred, a type of valve may be used which utilizes a floating ball which lies on the surface. of the water in a manner to engage the valve seat to check the in-tiow of water. This structure can be made in relatively small dimensions and vcan be contained within the required dimensions of the hull bottom. For example, in the simple boat illustrated in the drawing, the bottom may be approximately Afour feet by six feet in surface K.. area and two inches thick. The complete boat so constructed willvweight about pounds and therefore.l when not loaded will float with one'inch' submersionf of itsbottom (two cubic feet displacement which equalsA 125 pounds). The valve is illustrated in the open posiy tion andrain andwater otherwise entering the .boat will ow towards and be drained through the valve. When Patented Mar. 22, i960 the boat is loaded and the displacement accordingly increased, the ball type valve illustrated will float on lthe surface of the water and close the drain. Further loading will simply increase the draft of the boat. However, when the load is removed, the valve again will open and the boat will be self-draining or ba-iling. lf desired, instead of the lightweight foam plastic illustrated, such as styrofoam, which offers physical rigidity and safety, the foam plastic may be omitted so that only spaced walls on the top and bottom surfaces of the boat bottom pro.- vide an air chamber therebetween for buoyancy. lt is obvious, however, that a wide choice of structural materials may rbe utilized whether foam plastic, plywood, glass cloth or the like, `by which `a composite bottom can be provided having a density of approximately 15 pounds per cubic foot although these iigures are only suggestive and in no manner vlimitive. The six feet by four feet bottom of the vboat inthe disclosure having a thickness of two inches would therefore weigh about four times l pounds per cubic foot or 60 lpounds and there.- fore account for approximately one-half of the assumed 125 pound total weight of the boat. The basic requirements for obtaining the desiredresult are previously indicated and this example is by way of further illustration` Upon more detailed reference to the drawing, a boat is shown having a bottom with lower and upper walls 11 and liZ, a bayonet substance such as foam plastic 13 between such walls, with a drain opening therethrough, lined by a tubing 14 secured by a weld 15 or other fastening means to a disc 16 adapted to be secured in position by means of rivets 17 or the like passing through said lower and upper spaced walls 11 and 12, .the upper wall having a depressed flange portion 18 with a gasket 19 thereon for sealing the disc 16 with a watertight joint, the ends of the rivets 17 also being sealed to exclude water and countersunk to avoid objectionable roughness.

The disc 16 is provided with a centrally located aperture 20 including a valve seat 21 cooperating with a buoyant valve body or ball 22 so that when the ball is buoyed upward and contacts the valve seat, the valve is closed and passage of water therethrough is prevented.

If desired, a screen 23 may be secured over the lower end of the tubing 14 to retain the valve body 22 therein and to excludeforeign matter which might interfere with the operation of the valve, the screen permitting free passage of water into or out of the drain or tube 14. Above the opening 20 an upstanding externally threaded sleeve 24 having openings 25 around its lower periphery is secured to disc 16 by welding or the like, such sleeve receiving a cap 26 and to which a depending rod or stem portion 27 is secured with a valve head 28 removably attached thereto as by means of a screw or other fastener 29 to permit removal or replacement of: the valve body 28. The disc 16 immediately vsurrounding the opening 20 is provided with an annular valve seat 30 against which the valve head 28 carried by cap 26 is adapted to seat when the cap 26 is screwed down to the position shown in Fig. 4 topositively prevent passage of water at all times.

Instead of the buoyant hollow ball 22, a valve body or iloat 31 (Fig. 6) may be employed. Such valve body may be in the form of a cup with an end plate 32 closing the cup, this end plate being pivotally connected to the disc 16 by means of a hinge or pivot 33, the plate 32 sealing against the lower surface of the disc 16. lf desired, a suitable resilient gasket or washer may be provided between the end plate 32 and the disc to ,assure a watertight seal.

The modified form of valve structure illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings is readily installed or removed without any necessity for rivets, welding, or the like. As

illustrated, the boat bottom includes spaced lower and upper walls 11 and v12 with a suitable buoyant substance 13 therebetween. The ppper wall 1 2 is provided with a depressed flange portion 18 and the drain opening, which 4 it will be understood desirably is located centrally of the boat bottom and at the lowermost level thereof in the eventthat the interior surface of the boat bottom is not iiat, extends through said depressed ange portion, buoyant material and lower Wall 11.

A tubular Valve housing 34 is positioned within said drain opening, said housing including an outwardly extending flange 35 located intermediate the extremities thereof. This ange is receivable within the depressed portion 18 of the upper wall 12, a vsealing gasket 36 being interposed between said tlange and depressed portion, with the upper surface of the flange in substantial alignment with the upper wall of the boat bottom.

The valve housing `extends beneath the ange 35 a distance substantially coinciding with the thickness of the boat bottom and said housing extends above the tlange a suicient distance to receive manually operable valve sealing means or closure plug as will be described more fully hereafter.

An internal web 37 having a centrally located aperture 38 therein -is provided within the Valve housing, in substantial alignment with the flange 35, the lower periphery of said aperture comprising a tapered valve seat 39. Immediately above said internal web the valve body is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures or ports 40 whereby any water within the boat may flow into the valve body and drain therethrough. Desirably, the valve body is internallyy threaded at the lower and upper extremities thereof, as illustrated at 41 and 42 respectively, for the reception vof suitable closure elements.

`To secure the valve housing within the boat there is provided a bottom .closure plate 43 having an upstanding externally threaded tubular extension 44 intended for engagement Within the complementarily threaded portion 41 of the valve housing, a sealing gasket 45 being interposed between the closure plate 43 and the bottom Wall 11 of the boat bottom. This closure plate includes a rearwardly directed Venturi passage 46 providing vdirect communication through the tubular extension 44 with the interior of the valve housing.

The structure thus described lends itself to particularly convenient assembly, lthe bottom closure plate 43 serving as retention meansto prevent inadvertent displacement Vof a ball-type valve 47 positioned within Lthe valve housing .and functioning -in a manner identical to that previously described in connection with the valve body 22 to close the drain passage automatically when the weight ofthe boat exceeds a predetermined value and the exterior water level rises above the level. of the upper wall 12 of the boat bottom.

Suitable manual closure means is provided for the drain thus described, the embodiment thereof illustrated including an externallyy threaded plug 48 intended for engagement within the internally threaded portion 42 at the upper extremity of the valve housing 34. A disk 49, desirably formed from suitable flexible or resilient material, is detachably mounted beneath the closure plug by any suitable means such as a machine screw 5t), or the like, for ready replacement. lt will be obvious that when the closure -plug is adjusted manually to its lowermost position, the disk or -va'lve 49 will engage with the upper surface of the internal web 37, located within the valve housing, and effectively seal the boat drain, preventing any passage of water therethrough in either direction. For convenient operation, the closure plug 48 may be provided with an operating handle or extension 51 including a transverse aperture 52.

The application of the Venturi-tube principle to the drain of the present invention provides means `for automatically draining or hailing the boat when in motion in the event of the depositing therein of undesired water, the forward Ymovement of the boat, generally aecomranisd by a lifting .0f the bow in acqrdanse with the Speed of travel, providing Suction through the Venturitube outlet of the drain whereby upon opening of the closure plug 48 automatic bailing will result.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing anddescribed in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sporting boat constructed from relatively thin sheet material to provide maximum interior volume and having relatively closely spaced walls defining the bottom thereof, said boat being so constructed as to have buoyancy such that the waterline is between said spaced walls whereby the upper of the two walls is above the waterline when the boat is not loaded, a vertically disposed tube extending through said spaced walls and providing a passageway for draining said boat, a horizontally disposed disk extending across the upper extremity of said tube and having an aperture communicating therewith, the under-surface of said disc immediately surrounding said aperture providing an annular valve seat, a depressed flange portion in the upper wall of said bottom surrounding said passageway and providing a recess for the reception of said disc whereby the upper surface thereof is substantially flush with the surrounding surface of the boat bottom, an upwardly extending sleeve secured, to said disk in surrounding relation with respect to the aperture therein, said sleeve having a plurality of spaced drainage openings immediately adjacent the lower edge thereof providing communication between the interior of the boat and said passageway, and valve means located within said tube for closing said passageway automatically when the boat is so loaded that the waterline is above the upper of the spaced walls of the bottom of said boat. v

2. In a sporting boat as set forth in claim 1, a threaded closure for said sleeve, a depending valve member carried by said closure, and an annular valve seat on the upper surface of said disk whereby manual operation of said threaded closure will prevent passage of water through said tube in either direction.

3. A boat as set forth in claim 2 means comprises a buoyant ball.

4. A boat as set forth in claim 2 where said valve means comprises an element pivotally mounted in said tube.

5. A boat as set forth in claim 2 where said tube is provided with a bottom closure `terminating in a rearwardly directed Venturi tube.

where said valve References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 291,353 Jobin Ian. 1, 1884 316,882 Dobbins Apr. 28, 1885 1,140,469 Lundin May 25, 1915 1,718,764 Sochurek June 25, 1929 2,417,508 Leyde Mar. 18, 1947 2,772,648 De Persia Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS t 1,708 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1881

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