US3283738A

US3283738A - Steering attachment for boat motors

Info

Publication number: US3283738A
Application number: US446241A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest A Nelsen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-04-07
Filing date: 1965-04-07
Publication date: 1966-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1966 Filed April 7, 1965 E. A. NELSEN 3,283,738

STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ERNEST A. NELSEN ATTYS.

E. A. NELSEN 3,283,738

STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 8, 1966 Filed April 7, 1965 Z7 25 32 3! 23 0 2.2 l ,20 Z] I I g5 INVENTOR. I ERNEST/1. NELSEN ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,283,738 STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR BOAT MOTORS Ernest A. Nelsen, Bollinger Hotel, Lewiston, Idaho Filed Apr. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 446,241 4 Claims. (Cl. 115--18) This invention relates to a novel steering attachment for outboard motors mounted at the transom of a boat.

The present invention is concerned with a simple attachment that can be readily mounted on an auxiliary outboard motor to provide remote steering control of the motor without interfering with the normal motor operation and its usual capability to be tilted out of the water.

Outboard powered boats today generally are supplied with a large engine for powering the boat under normal circumstances. These large engines are not practical for slow travel, as is necessary when fishing or merely following along a shoreline. It is very common for such a boat to be equipped with a second outboard engine smaller than the first and mounted on an auxiliary transom that is carried on the larger main transom on which is mounted the larger motor. Often the smaller engine is mounted at a lowered location that makes impossible the use of the conventional handle provided for manual steering. The present invention provides a rather simple mechanical accessory powered by an electric motor to permit remote steering of a motor so mounted.

It is a first object of this invention to provide a positive steering attachment that will automatically hold any adjustment set on it, all such adjustments being readily made from the remote position in the boat.

Another object of this invention is to provide such an attachment that is universally adaptable to any type of engine and any type of transom mounting.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical positive steering control attachment that will not restrict the usual ability of the motor to be tilted from the water when it is not in operation.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the following disclosure, taken together with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a rear portion of a boat equipped with a large main motor and having a smaller auxiliary motor provided with the instant steering attachment;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, omitting the larger motor and showing the auxiliary motor tilted upwardly;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the auxiliary motor as mounted on the boat and provided with the attachment;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the attachment when not mounted in use, the view of the attachment being substantially as seen along line 4-4 in FIG- URE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view of the attachment as shown in FIGURE 4.

The device desrcibed below is an attachment for use in combination with the conventional type of outboard motor mounting in use today to provide an auxiliary motor as an alternate to a larger outboard motor on a boat. The attachment is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 apart from the combination in which it is used in FIGURES 1 through 3.

Referring to these drawings the boat is shown with a main rear transom 11 on which is mounted a large main motor unit 12 with a small auxiliary motor unit 13 carried on an auxiliary transom 14 mounted on the main transom 11. The use of an auxiliary transom is not essential to the persent disclosure and is generally provided in order to insure the proper elevational adjustment of the 3,283,738 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 auxiliary motor unit 13 relative to the larger transom 11.

The motor unit 13 is conventional. It includes a motor housing 15 pivotally carried on a motor mount 16 for rotation about the axis of the drive shaft that leads from the upper motor unit to the lower propeller unit. The motor mount 16 includes a fixed bracket 17 with threadably engaged clamps 18 that normally secure the bracket 17 to the transom 14. The motor housing 15 is therefore free to turn about the axis of the drive shaft for steering purposes and is free to pivot upwardly relative to the bracket 17 so that the unit can be lifted from the water (FIGURE 2).

The steering attachment can best be understood from the disclosure of FIGURES 3 through 5. It includes a rigid downwardly open channel 20, the flanges of which are bent inwardly at one end 21 to assist in positioning the channel 20 over the top end of the transom 14. Channel 20 fits over the top edge of transom 14 and is held in place by engagement of the manually adjustable clamps 18. It provides a fixed supporting member on the transom 14 that protrudes outwardly to one side of the motor unit 13.

At the outer end of channel 20 is carried a bracket including a bearing 22 held in place by U-bolt 23 and nuts 24. The bearing 22 pivotally mounts a pivot stem 25 which in turn pivotally carries a bracket 26. Thus, the bracket 26 is free to pivot relative to the channel 20 about the axis of its connection to tem 25 and also about the pivotal axis of stem 25 within bearings 22. Both of these axes are perpendicular relative to one another.

Fixed at the outer end of bracket 26 is :a transmission housing 27 that carries a motor unit 28. The motor unit 28 powers the transmission unit 27 through a conventional worm gearing arrangement that is irreversible. The motor 28, however, is reversible, and is capable of turning the output shaft 30 of the transmission unit 27 in either direction of rotation.

Mounted on the output shaft 30 of the transmission unit 27 is an extensible member comprising an externally threaded section 31 and an internally threaded section 32, each being threadably engaged with the other so that longitudinal adjustment relative to one another is possible by rotation of either member. The outer end of member 32 is slotted at 33 to receive an ear 34 of a bracket 35 fixed to the motor housing 15. The location of the ear 34 must be radially offset from the axis of the drive shaft of the motor unit 15 about which it is pivotally mounted on the motor mount 16, thereby insuring the necessary steering leverage to pivot the motor 'housing 15. The outer end of member 32 is pivotally connected to the ear 34 by .a releasable pin 36. The axis of the pivotal connect-ion formed due to the pin 36 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the

coaxial members

31, 32. Also, it is to be noted that the pivotal axes of the bracket 26 relative to the panel 20 are each perpendicular to the axis of the

members

31, 32.

The motor 28 is a conventional motor unit controlled by switches (not shown) that can be located at any desired remote location within the boat 10 and connected to the motor unit 28 by electrical leads 37, which may include a suitable releasable coupling 38. The externally threaded member 31 can therefore be turned in either direction by selective operation of the motor unit 28.

When the attachment has been mounted .as shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the channel 20 will be fixed relative to the transom l4 and the outer end of the member 32 will be pivotally connected to the car 34 by means of the releasable pin 36. The only additional connection that is not conventional is a power connection to the normal starting battery of the large motor unit 12 through the required control switches to power the electric motor 28.

Operation of the motor 28 will cause the member 31 to rotate relative to member 32, thereby either lengthening or shortening the effective distance between the bracket 26 and the ear 34. This will pivot the motor housing 15 about its axis on the motor mount 16. In this manner, the auxiliary motor unit 13 can be steered from a remote location.

The attachment does not in any manner interfere with the normal ability of the motor unit 13 to be tilted upwardly as seen in FIGURE 2. The tilting of the motor will not bind the connection between the channel 20 and the motor housing 15, since the member 32 is free to pivot about its longitudinal axis relative to the member 31, thereby providing a free universal pivot connection to the steering attachment and also maintaining the steering adjustment originally set on the unit so that the motor unit 13, when again lowered into the water, will be set at the same angle relative to transom 14 as it was prior to be lifted.

Various modifications can be made in the details of this structure without deviating from the basic concept of a positive steering control attachment that is simple in nature, readily adapted to any boat and motor and designed so as not to interfere with the normal use of the motor unit. For this reason, only the following claims are intended to limit or restrict the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A steering attachment for an outboard motor mounted on an upright boat transom, the motor including a motor frame pivotally mounted relative to the transom for motion about an upright axis for steering purposes, comprising:

a rigid support fixed to the transom, one end of said support protruding outwardly to one side of the motor frame;

a longitudinally extensible member pivotally connected at one end to the motor frame about a pivotal axis parallel to and spaced radially outward from the upright axis of the motor, said extensible member comprising first and second coaxial longitudinal sections threadably engaged by one another along a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis by which said member is connected to said motor frame, the sections being threadably engaged in such fashion as to vary the effective length of said member along said longitudinal axis responsive to rotation of one section relative to the other;

a bracket mounted on said support adjacent the outer end thereof including a first element rotatably carrying the remaining end of said extensible member for movement about the longitudinal axis thereof, and a second element, said second element being pivotally connected to said first element about .a first bracket axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said extensible member, said second element also being pivotally mounted on said support about a second bracket axis perepndicular to both said first bracket axis and the longitudinal axis of said extensible member;

and power means on said first bracket element operatively connected to one of said sections of said extensible member to selectively rotate said one section of said extensible member relative to the remaining section about the longitudinal axis thereof.

2. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said support comprises a rigid channel adapted to fit over the top edge of the 'boat transom and to be clamped to the transom by the mounting clamps of the motor mount.

3. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said power means comprises a motor fixed to said first bracket element, said motor having a rotatable output member drivingly connected to said one section of the extensible member through a worm gear drive.

4. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said power means comprises a reversible electric motor mounted on said first bracket element and having a rotatable output member drivingly connected to one section of said extensible member through a worm gear drive.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,916,008 12/1959 Bauer -18 2,966,069 12/1960 Wise 74424.8 3,111,042 11/1963 Hoover 74424.8 X 3,171,383 3/1965 Abelow 114144 X MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner.

Claims

1. A STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR AN OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTED ON AN UPRIGHT BOAT TRANSOM, THE MOTOR INCLUDING A MOTOR FRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTED RELATIVE TO THE TRANSOM FOR MOTION ABOUT AN UPRIGHT AXIS FOR STEERING PURPOSES, COMPRISING: A RIGID SUPPORT FIXED TO THE TRANSOM, ONE END OF SAID SUPPORT PROTUDING OUTWARDLY TO ONE SIDE OF THE MOTOR FRAME; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENSIBLE MEMBER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE MOTOR FRAME ABOUT A PIVOTAL AXIS PARALLEL TO AND SPACED RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE UPRIGHT AXIS OF THE MOTOR, SAID EXTENSIBLE MEMBER COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND COAXIAL LONGITUDINAL SECTIONS THREADABLY ENGAGED BY ONE ANOTHER ALONG A LONGITUDINAL AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE PIVOTAL AXIS BY WHICH SAID MEMBER IS CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR FRAME, THE SECTIONS BEING THREADABLY ENGAGED IN SUCH FASHION AS TO VARY THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBER ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS RESPONSIVE TO ROTATION OF ONE SECTION RELATIVE TO THE OTHER; A BRACKET MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT ADJACENT THE OUTER END THEREOF INCLUDING A FIRST ELEMENT ROTATABLY CARRY-