US3630165A - Tow for swimmers - Google Patents

Tow for swimmers Download PDF

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Publication number
US3630165A
US3630165A US860295A US3630165DA US3630165A US 3630165 A US3630165 A US 3630165A US 860295 A US860295 A US 860295A US 3630165D A US3630165D A US 3630165DA US 3630165 A US3630165 A US 3630165A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
float
engine
tow
chamber
swimmers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US860295A
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English (en)
Inventor
Bernd Bottger
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ARKOS SpA
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from DE19681781291 external-priority patent/DE1781291C/de
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3630165A publication Critical patent/US3630165A/en
Assigned to STERN, ERNEST 1000 FULTON BLDG., 107 SIXTH ST., PITTSBURGH, PA. 15222 reassignment STERN, ERNEST 1000 FULTON BLDG., 107 SIXTH ST., PITTSBURGH, PA. 15222 ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: AQUASCOOTER, INC.
Assigned to ARKOS S.P.A. reassignment ARKOS S.P.A. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: ERNEST, STERN
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H5/00—Arrangements on vessels of propulsion elements directly acting on water
    • B63H5/07—Arrangements on vessels of propulsion elements directly acting on water of propellers
    • B63H5/14—Arrangements on vessels of propulsion elements directly acting on water of propellers characterised by being mounted in non-rotating ducts or rings, e.g. adjustable for steering purpose
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B35/00—Swimming framework with driving mechanisms operated by the swimmer or by a motor
    • A63B35/08—Swimming framework with driving mechanisms operated by the swimmer or by a motor with propeller propulsion
    • A63B35/12—Swimming framework with driving mechanisms operated by the swimmer or by a motor with propeller propulsion operated by a motor

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a motor-driven tow for swimmers of the kind having an internal combustion engine which is cooled by the surrounding water, is borne by an air-filled float, drives a propeller and received fuel from a storage tank.
  • Motor-driven tows of this kind are used for sporting and rescue purposed and are provided at their rear ends with a handle on to which a swimmer can hold and by means of which he can steer the tow.
  • the known tows of this kind are constructed after the fashion of a boat a substantial part of which extended out of the water.
  • the engine is disposed, either in a watertight interior of a boatlike float or, in the case of a catamaran-type boat, between the two floats, so that it was completely or at least partially sealed off from the surrounding water.
  • the arrangement was such that the water could wash round the engine cylinder casing to cool it.
  • the engine is suspended from below the float and draws the combustion air from the interior of the float which is connected to atmosphere.
  • the engine of the tow according to the invention operates completely under water and produces the propulsion force at a depth which is determined exclusively by the dimensions of the suspension means between the float and the engine and can therefore be freely selected. Moreover, the suspension of the engine below water level renders the tow extremely stable in operation, more particularly since the major part of the float is disposed below the surface of the water.
  • the float acts not only as a carrier for the engine and the propeller, but also as a fuel storage space and water separator and also as an intake silencer for the combustion air.
  • the float is connected to atmosphere through a snorkel, and the combustion air intake extends to the top of the interior of the float.
  • the float and the fuel storage tank are chambers of a hollow member subdivided by a partition. In this way that part of the storage tank which is not filled with fuel boosts the effect of the float and has no adverse effect on tow stability, independently of the quantity of fuel in the tank.
  • the point of application of the resultant of the resistance of the water lies above the propeller shaft (in whose axis the driving force is produced) during tow operation. As soon as the swimmer released the tow, therefore, it tilts and stays in place (with the propeller disposed in front of I the engine the propeller is lifted out of the water).
  • FIG. 1 is a partially longitudinally sectioned side elevation of a tow according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is partly a plan view and partly a horizontal section substantially along the line ll-ll in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the tow
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through the diaphragm chamber of a diaphragm carburetor according to the invention.
  • FIG. Si is a section, taken along the line V-V in FIG. 1.
  • the tow according to the invention comprises an internal combustion engine I having in conventional manner, a cylinder and crankcase 2, a cylinder head 3 and a casing 4, flanged to the cylinder and crankcase 2, for a flywheel with a magneto and an ignition coil disposed in its center.
  • the engine output shaft extends through an exhaust chamber 5, described in greater detail hereinafter, and has mounted on its free end a drive propeller 6.
  • the propeller 6 is enclosed in a substantially cylindrical duct casing 7 having at its water intake end a fixed impeller 8 which serves also as a protection against damage to the propeller and the entry of large foreign bodies. Downstream of the propeller 6 the stream of water drawn in thereby is divided into two streams by the chamber 5 which is acutely angled in plan view, the acute angle pointing in the direction of forward travel (FIGS. 2 and 5). The two streams of water emerge from lateral openings 9 in the duct casing 7.
  • a handle 10 Attached to the casing 4 at the rear end of the tow is a handle 10 on to which the swimmer using the float holds, the handle 10 transmitting to him the forward driving force of the engine I.
  • the engine 1 connected to the duct casing 7 is suspended from a float 13 which forms a chamber of the hollow member 12.
  • a partition 14 Disposed inside the hollow member 12 is a partition 14 dividing the hollow member 12 into two chambers, on of which constitutes the float l3 and the other a storage tank 15 for fuel.
  • a snorkel 16 Extending into the float 13, which during operation is only slightly above the water level shown in FIG. 1, is a snorkel 16.
  • the air for combustion of the engine is drawn from the inside of the float 13 through an intake pipe 17 extending upwardly and opening adjacent to the top of the inside of the float (FIG. I).
  • the float 13 therefore acts as a separator for any water which may enter through the snorkel l6 and prevents water from entering the intake pipe 17 into the carburetor and the engine combustion chamber.
  • a carburetor I8. is a diaphragm carburetor whose parts essential for the present context are shown in section in FIG. 4.
  • the space 19 of the diaphragm chamber subdivided by the diaphragm 20 is at the negative intake pressure produced by the engine I; the connection of the space 19 to the engine intake pipe is not shown.
  • the pressure in the space 21 is lower than atmospheric pressure and compensation cannot be provided by using the backed-up pressure of the flowing air by means of a bend introduced into the air for combustion duct 23, the reduced difference in pressure between the spaces 19 and 21 is compensated for a larger jet in ajet block 24.
  • An idling jet needle 25 is helical and has a cylindrical head 26 which extends completely into a bore 27 in the carburetor casing and bears an O-ring 28 which seals off inside the bore 27 the idling nozzle accessible from outside for adjustment purposes from the surrounding water.
  • a spark plug 29 (FIG. 2) screwed into the cylinder head 3 is connected in conventional manner through an ignition cable 30 to the ignition coil which is disposed inside the case 4.
  • the ignition cable 30 is attached to connection 31 of the spark plug 29.
  • a flexible tube 33 made of watertight material and sealing off the ignition cable 30 and the connection 31 of the spark plug 29 against the surrounding water, is slipped over the insulator 32 of the spark plug 29 concentrically with the ignition cable 30.
  • the tube 33 is suitably attached in sealingtight relationship (not shown) at the introduction of the ignition cable 30 into the case 4.
  • An exhaust bend 34 extends from the cylinder head 3 (FIG. 3) into the chamber 5, which is shown in greater detail in FIG. 5 and forms a part of the exhaust system.
  • the chamber 5 is acutely angled in plan view and divides, as already stated, the stream of water produced by the propeller 6 into two streams which flow over the chamber walls 35, 36. Extending through the center of the chamber 5 is a sealed welded-in sleeve 37 guiding the drive shaft 38 on which the propeller 6 is mounted.
  • the chamber wall 36 is provided with an outlet aperture 39 of the exhaust system.
  • the outlet aperture is covered by a dished valve plate 40 of a valve 41.
  • a helical spring 42 bears at one end against an angle member 43, which is attached to the chamber wall 36, and at its other end against the dished valve plate 40 and said spring surrounds and guides the stem 44 of the valve plate 40 and presses the latter resiliently against the chamber wall 36.
  • the pressure of the surrounding water forces the valve plate 40 tightly against the chamber wall, the sealing effect being further enhanced by the fact that the plate 40 is made of plastics and has a wall cross section ending in a point.
  • valve plate 40 lifts off the wall 36 of the chamber 5.
  • the opening pressure of the waste gas which can act on the whole inner surface of the valve plate 40, even when the valve is closed, is further enhanced by the fact that the water flowing past is deflected in the zone of the valve 41 more particularly by the angle member 43 and is therefore accelerated, so that a correspondingly reduced static pressure acts from outside on the valve plate 40, due to the increased backing-up pressure,
  • the fuel flows from the storage tank through a check valve 45 and a flexible pipe (not shown) to the carburetor l8.
  • Extending into the storage tank 15 is a tube 46 connected to the exhaust system, to produce the necessary pressure equalization above the fuel level in the tank 15.
  • the storage tank 15 can receive air from the intake system, but in that case there is a risk that fuel will enter the intake system and impede the starting of the engine I.
  • a tow for swimmers comprising, a float, an internal combustion engine carried by said float, a propeller driven by said engine and a fuel tank for supplying fuel to said engine and means are provided for supplying combustion air to said engine from the interior of said float which is connected with at mosphere, and means for suspending said engine from below said float; said suspending means comprising a streamlined hollow shaft connected to the lower side of the float, a duct casing connected to the lower end of said hollow shaftand housing said propeller, and means for securing said engine to said casing downstream of said propeller.
  • a tow for swimmers comprising a float, an internal combustion engine carried by said float, a propeller driven by said engine and a fuel tank for supplying fuel to said engine, wherein said float and fuel tank consists of chambers formed in a hollow member by a partition subdividing the interior of said hollow member and said engine is suspended from below said float, first conduit means providing communicating between atmosphere and the interior of said float chamber, and second conduit means providing communicating between the float chamber and the engine for supplying combustion air to said engine, the first and second conduit means being offset such that the float chamber acts as a separator that prevents water accidentally entering the float chamber from said first conduit means from entering said second conduit means.
  • m 2 wherein said float chamber is connected to atmosphere through a snorkle that comprises said first conduit means and a combustion air intake comprising said second conduit means extends from the top of the interior of said float chamber.
  • a tow for swimmers according to claim 2 wherein an ignition system, carburetor and exhaust system of the-engine are sealed off independently of each other.
  • a tow for swimmers according to claim 2 wherein a sealed carburetor is supplied with air through a bore extending into a the engine and jet means are provided for compensating for reduced pressure differences.
  • a tow for swimmers comprising a float, an internal combustion engine carried by said float, a propeller driven by said engine and a fuel tank for supplying fuel to said engine, wherein said float and fuel tank consists of chambers formed in a hollow member by a partition subdividing the interior of said hollow member and said engine is suspended from below said float, means being provided for supplying combustion air to said engine from the interior of said float chamber which is connected with atmosphere, and an exhaust system including an acutely angled chamber disposed so as to divide the flow of water into two streams, at least one of the walls of said chamber being provided with a valve having a value plate adapted to be moved into contact with said chamber wall to close an outlet opening therein.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Ignition Installations For Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
  • Cooling, Air Intake And Gas Exhaust, And Fuel Tank Arrangements In Propulsion Units (AREA)
US860295A 1968-09-23 1969-09-23 Tow for swimmers Expired - Lifetime US3630165A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19681781291 DE1781291C (de) 1968-09-23 Schwimmer Schleppgerat

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3630165A true US3630165A (en) 1971-12-28

Family

ID=5704726

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US860295A Expired - Lifetime US3630165A (en) 1968-09-23 1969-09-23 Tow for swimmers

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (1) US3630165A (de)
AT (1) AT305115B (de)
BE (1) BE739272A (de)
CH (1) CH514345A (de)
DK (1) DK127230B (de)
FI (1) FI51283C (de)
FR (1) FR2018692A1 (de)
GB (1) GB1216647A (de)
NL (1) NL6914388A (de)
NO (1) NO131876C (de)
SE (1) SE354967B (de)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3908578A (en) * 1973-06-06 1975-09-30 Rockwell International Corp Exhaust systems for aquatic craft
US4160425A (en) * 1976-07-29 1979-07-10 Curtis Robert S Fuel system for aquatic craft
US4230646A (en) * 1978-01-30 1980-10-28 Aquascooter, Inc. Carburetor device
US4348976A (en) * 1980-03-11 1982-09-14 Gilbert Donald R Diver tow compressor unit
US5327849A (en) * 1993-08-18 1994-07-12 Keene Engineering, Inc. Underwater breathing apparatus
US20090000617A1 (en) * 2007-06-08 2009-01-01 Rosenberger Timothy J Driver tow and underwater breathing apparatus
WO2012041844A1 (en) * 2010-09-28 2012-04-05 Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. Marine seismic surveying assembly and method
US20140259863A1 (en) * 2013-03-15 2014-09-18 Larry D. Martinez Mechanized Trolling Device
US10308336B1 (en) * 2018-11-08 2019-06-04 Christopher Leonard Vermeulen Watercraft propulsion system

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5323727A (en) * 1993-04-29 1994-06-28 Heaton Richard A Group underwater towing device

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3162181A (en) * 1962-12-31 1964-12-22 John J Horan Propulsion means for watercraft
US3311083A (en) * 1965-05-13 1967-03-28 Kenneth B Carlson Aquatic sport vehicle

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3162181A (en) * 1962-12-31 1964-12-22 John J Horan Propulsion means for watercraft
US3311083A (en) * 1965-05-13 1967-03-28 Kenneth B Carlson Aquatic sport vehicle

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3908578A (en) * 1973-06-06 1975-09-30 Rockwell International Corp Exhaust systems for aquatic craft
US4160425A (en) * 1976-07-29 1979-07-10 Curtis Robert S Fuel system for aquatic craft
US4230646A (en) * 1978-01-30 1980-10-28 Aquascooter, Inc. Carburetor device
US4348976A (en) * 1980-03-11 1982-09-14 Gilbert Donald R Diver tow compressor unit
US5327849A (en) * 1993-08-18 1994-07-12 Keene Engineering, Inc. Underwater breathing apparatus
US20090000617A1 (en) * 2007-06-08 2009-01-01 Rosenberger Timothy J Driver tow and underwater breathing apparatus
US8136469B2 (en) * 2007-06-08 2012-03-20 Rosenberger Timothy J Diver tow and underwater breathing apparatus
WO2012041844A1 (en) * 2010-09-28 2012-04-05 Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. Marine seismic surveying assembly and method
US20140259863A1 (en) * 2013-03-15 2014-09-18 Larry D. Martinez Mechanized Trolling Device
US10201155B2 (en) * 2013-03-15 2019-02-12 Troller Pro, Inc. Mechanized trolling device
US10308336B1 (en) * 2018-11-08 2019-06-04 Christopher Leonard Vermeulen Watercraft propulsion system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1216647A (en) 1970-12-23
DE1781291A1 (de) 1972-04-27
BE739272A (de) 1970-03-23
SE354967B (de) 1973-04-02
DK127230B (da) 1973-10-08
FI51283B (de) 1976-08-31
NL6914388A (de) 1970-03-25
AT305115B (de) 1973-02-12
NO131876C (de) 1975-08-20
FI51283C (fi) 1976-12-10
CH514345A (de) 1971-10-31
NO131876B (de) 1975-05-12
FR2018692A1 (de) 1970-06-26

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: STERN, ERNEST 1000 FULTON BLDG., 107 SIXTH ST., PI

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:AQUASCOOTER, INC.;REEL/FRAME:004273/0259

Effective date: 19840220

AS Assignment

Owner name: ARKOS S.P.A.,ITALY

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ERNEST, STERN;REEL/FRAME:004909/0491

Effective date: 19880406

Owner name: ARKOS S.P.A., BERSCELLO (REGGIO EMILIA), ITALY, A

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:ERNEST, STERN;REEL/FRAME:004909/0491

Effective date: 19880406