US3543314A

US3543314A - Boat apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3543314A
Application number: US705142A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl F Tropf; Martin J Tropf
Original assignee: CARL F TROPF; MARTIN J TROPF
Current assignee: CARL F TROPF; MARTIN J TROPF
Priority date: 1968-02-13
Filing date: 1968-02-13
Publication date: 1970-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-01

Description

l- A n F P 0 R T F c BOAT APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 13, 1968 FIGI INVENTORS CARL E TROPF BY MARTIN J. TROPF ATTORNEY 1970 c. F. TROPF ETAL 3543,31

- BOAT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS CARL F- TROPF MARTIN J- TROPF ATTORNEY Dec. 1, 1970 c, TRQPF ETAL 3,543,31$

BOAT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS CARL F. TROPF MARTIN J. TROPF ATTORNEY Dec. 1, 1970 c, TRQPF ETAL 3543,14

BOAT APPARATUS Filed Feb. 13 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS CARL F- TROPF MARTIN J. TROPF ATTORNEY 3,543,314 BOAT APPARATUS Carl F. Tropf, 23028 Cushing, East Detroit, Mich.

48205, and Martin J. Tropf, 42198 Utica, Sterling Heights, Mich. 48087 Filed Feb. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 705,142 Int. Cl. 1363b 3/00, 1/18 U.S. Cl. 9-6 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an inboard powered pleasure craft. The superstructure is designed to carry one or two persons. The hull has a keel oriented tunnel and other configurations to promote stability and prevent ruddering. Twin coacting rudders are provided for stability in turning. A dead man safety control is provided to shut off the engine when driver is no longer excercising control over the craft. The steering column and wheel translate forward away from the driver when the craft is suddenly stopped or deaccelerated.

This invention relates generally to inboard powered pleasure boats. More particularly, this invention relates a boat having integral hull and deck molded out of a thin shell of plastic-like material, powered by a motor and propeller mounted aft of passenger seats, and having a tunnel at its keel maintaining a planing attitude of the craft when cruising.

Pleasure craft have been designed in the past to be made of fiberglass and modifying normally outboard engines for inboard use. A number of difficulties have been experienced in their use. Among them, has been the tendency for such craft to pitch forward at cruising speed, causing the bow of the craft to submarine and to interfere withetfective planing. It is an object of the present invention to prevent such submarining.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inboard powered pleasure craft having a hull made of a thin plastic-like material with means adaptable for carrying more than one person.

It is another object of this invention to provide small inboard powered pleasure craft with improved dynamic navagational characteristics at higher speeds.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a small inboard powered pleasure craft having a hull made of thin-walled plastic-like material at lower cost and less complicated manufacturing.

It is another object of this invention to provide a small inboard powered pleasure craft having a hull of thinwalled plastic-like material with simplified and improved means of steering.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a small inboard powered pleasure craft with an integral hull and deck construction molded out of a thin-walled plastic-like material. A tunnel is provided at the keel of the boat extending from the bow to the stern. A gasoline engine and propeller are mounted aft of seats for passengers. Seats are molded into the deck, in a tandem array extending longitudinally. Outboard of the aforementioned tunnel, the bottom of the hull of the boat is either flat or has very gentle curves.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

ON THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a three dimensional projectional view port and aft of the preferred embodiment of this invention; FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

States Patent FIG. 3 is a transverse section of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the steering mechanism used in the preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the steering wheel used in the preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 9 is a transverse view of the apparatus shown in the FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details in construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS In the preferred embodiment of this invention, an integral hull and super structure 10 is molded out of a plasticlike material. A preferred material is a hard acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene plastic such as Royalite made by Uniroyal, Inc. of Detroit, Mich. The hull and super structure have thin walls. The outer wall 12 has a relatively hard smooth finish. In an alternative embodiment, an intermediate portion 14 of the wall has a softer solidified foam appearance.

The hull portion 16 of the integral structure 10 has an upward depression on its bottom forming a tunnel 18 extending aft of the bow 20 to forward of the stern 22 of the boat at the center 24 of its keel. The tunnel has a rounded semi-cylindrical shape that will prevent ruddering. The top 19 is perpendicular to the sides 17 of the tunnel, meeting them with interior fillets of small arc. Outward, port and starboard, of the tunnel 18, the bottom surfaces 26 of the boat are either flat or have very gentle curves. These surfaces extend to points 21 outboard of the longitudinal center of the craft at amidships. These points 21 are focus of two small areas on which the craft is suspended when planing, together with a third area formed by the stern.

The deck portion 30 of the integral structure 10 has a substantially flat nose portion 32 at the bow of the craft. Proceeding aft from the bow at the longitudinal center 34 of the craft, the deck rises into a housing 36. Forward of amidships, the housing 36 sharply declines in a substantially flat vertical surface 38 Immediately after the housing 36,

passenger seating depressions

40 and 42 are arranged in a tandem longitudinally extending direction symmetrically disposed around the longitudinal center of the craft. These depressions are designed to accommodate one or two persons.

After seating depression 42, the deck rises, about its longitudinal center, in a sharply vertically inclined substantially flat surface 44. After the surface 44, near its longitudinal center, the afterdeck tapers towards the longitudinal center forming curved sides of the housing 46. After the tapering of this housing, the stern of the boat is formed in a substantially vertically extending substantially flat surface 48.

Forward and aft of

seating depressions

40 and 42, air vents 54 and 56 are provided as atmospheric conduits to the engine mounted inboard of the craft.

An inboard engine 58 is mounted after amidships, forward of stern, and above the aforementioned tunnel at the keel of the boat. It is contained inboard of the craft within the aforementioned housing aft of seating depressions and 42. The engine 58 is mounted on a square shaped rise fixed to the top of the tunnel. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, an outboard motor is adapted for inboard use in this craft by adapting a plate 62 to fit over the square shaped housing and providing a conduit 64 for conducting water to the engine for cooling purposes.

A gas tank 66 is located under the forward housing. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, a steering column 70 is provided. It has a cylindrical portion 72. A keyway 74 is provided on the column 70. A cylindrical bushing 76 is fixed to the aforementioned forward housing on the deck. The steering column 70 is free to rotate and translate through this bushing. A nut 78 is fixed to the forward end of the steering column 70 to limit the aft translation of the steering column. A disc 80 is slotted to fit on the keyway 74. The steering column can slide through an aperture in the disc 80.

The disc or pulley 80 is mounted coaxially with the steering column 70. A cable 82 is wound on a pulley 80 and connected to a steering pin 84 to which twin rudders 86 are fixed. The steering pin 84 is journaled to the 1ongitudinal center of the craft near its stern. When the cable translates, the steering pin is rotated, causing the rudders to rotate about the center of journaling of the steering pin. The cable is translated in response to rotation of the disc 80.

A steering wheel 90 is fixed to the steering column 70. In the preferred embodiment, the wheel is a semi-circular member having outboardly extending handles and located immediately after the forward housing of the boat. One of the handles 92 is locatable on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the steering column 70'. A link 94 is fixedly attached to this handle. A spring 86 urges this handle in a counterclockwise direction. Where the handle is rotated in a clockwise direction, a cable 98 is translated. This cable opens the throttle of the engine. When the handle is released, the spring urges the handle back in a counterclockwise direction, thereby moving the link and consequently closing the throttle. In this manner, a dead man control is provided whereby the engine is stopped when control is no longer exercised by the driver of the boat.

By appropriate location of the nut 78, the wheel can be comfortably located for operation of the craft with one or two passengers, and easily adapted for passengers of different size.

From the foregoing description, it can be appreciated that a small inboard powered pleasure craft is provided with a number of very advantageous features. More than one passenger can be accommodated comfortably. By using a plastic, time, cost and complication in manufacture can be reduced compared with making such craft out of fiberglass material. The provision of the tunnel at ,the kneel and of the gentle slopes and curves and flat sprfaces of the outboard portions of the bow of the hull, improve the planing characteristics of such craft at a cruising speed. Also, the mounting of engine and propeller after amidships improves the balance and stability of the craft and facilitates planing at cruising speeds. A steering mechanism has been provided which is simple to manufacture and maintain, and which improves safety in operation.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the integral hull and superstructure are molded out of a poly urethane material such as Royalite, by first heating the material, pressing it onto a mold, and subsequently cooling the formed material.

We claim:

1. In a pleasure boat having an inboard mounted engine, the improvements comprising:

4 an integral structure hull and super structure in the form of a thin-walled envelope of plastic-like materials; an upward depression in the bottom of the hull formed into the shape of tunnel extending from the bow past midship of the boat at the longitudinal center of the boat;

said engine being mounted aft of midship;

the bottom surfaces of the aforesaid hull outboard of said longitudinal center and forward of midship project further downward than bottom surfaces of the aforesaid hull outboard of said longitudinal center aft of midship;

the aft portion of said forward bottom portions forming walls having substantially flat faces at acute angles in excess of 45 degrees with the longitudinal center of the boat;

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bottom surfaces of the aforesaid hull outboard of said longitudinal center and forward of midship are substantially fiat and converge to points projecting downwardly in the water at the outboard extremities of said hull near midship providing areas forward of the stern converging towards points for supporting the board when planing.

3. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein said integral structure is made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a propeller driving said boat is mounted aft of midship.

5. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein a propeller driving said boat is mounted aft of midship and forward of the stern.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a propeller driving said boat is powered by a shaft extending from said engine;

said shaft extending substantially vertically downwardly.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 and means steering said craft comprising:

a pin journaled near the stern of the craft;

a ruddler fixed to the pin;

a cable fixed to the pin;

said cable wound on a disc;

said disc coaxially fixed to a steering column; and

said steering column mounted forward of midship.

8. The apparatus in claim 1 and steering means comprising a column fixed to freedom of translation fore and aft;

and means limiting the fore and aft displacement of said steering column.

9. The apparatus is claim 1 wherein said tunnel extends aft of midship air-free when boat is afloat and is rounded to prevent ruddering.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 and steering means comprising a column confined to freedom of translation fore and aft;

means limiting the aft displacement of said steering column; and

means for rotating said steering column comprising:

a semi-circular member fixed on the aft end of said steering column and having handles extending outboardly from said steering column;

one of said handles journaled to rotate on an axis perpendicular to the axis of said steering column;

and means responsive to the rotation of said rotatable handle conditioning said engine for op eration.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 and means of steering said boat comprising:

a pair of pins journaled near the stern of the boat and outboard of the center line thereof;

a rudder fixed to each pin;

a cable fixed to the pins;

said cable wound on a disc;

said cable coaxially fixed to a steering column; and

said steering column mounted forward midship.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 and steering means comprising:

a column confined to freedom of translation fore and aft; means limiting the aft displacement of said steering column; means for rotating said steering column comprising a semicircular member fixed on the aft end of said steering column and having handles extending outboardly from said steering column; one of said handles jour'naled to rotate on an axis prependicular to the axis of said steering column; means responsive to the rotation of said rotatable handle conditioning said engine for operation; means resiliently urging said means for conditioning said engine for operation to deactuation; said deactuation urging means being rendered inoperable responsive to the rotation of said rotatable handle. I 13. The apparatus of claim 1 and means limiting the movement of the center of gravity of said boat when loaded by a passenger in addition to a drive whereby the longitudinal displacement of the center of gravity of said boat is limited to less than 10% of the length of said boat.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner 14. The apparatus of claim '1 and means maintaining a rudder fully submerged in any maneuver of the boat in Water.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,681,342 8/1928 Hickman IM -66.5 1,712,281 5/ 1929 Royer 114--66.5 1,881,107 11/1932 Batt 114-665 2,909,140 10/ 1959 Kiekhaefer 1466.5 3,080,953 3/1963 Edgemond 114160 X 3,147,730 9/1964 Specht 114-163 3,283,166 11/1966 Stift 18099 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,197,777 7/1965 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES The Plastics Manual, 1966, pp. 6 and 8.

US. Cl. X.R.