US979557A - Catamaran. - Google Patents

Description

M. PHILLIPS, 1 CATAMARAN. APILIOalTION FILED SEIT. 25, 1908 BENBWBD MAB. 9, 1910.

791,575 v Patented Beaz?, 191m.

M. PHILLIPS.

` CATAMARAN. AIPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1908. BENEWED MAIL 9, 1910. 9,557, Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MARCUS PHILLIPS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CATAMARAN.

massa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2*?, 1910.

Application filed September 25, 1908, Serial No. 454,698. Renewed March 9, 1910. Serial No. 548,260.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, MARCUS PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Catamarans, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide improved means for connecting together, side by side, two boat hulls or canoes or other floating vessels for operating as a unitary floating structure, commonly called a catamaran.

It consists of the features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings z-Figure l is a plan view of two boat hulls and connecting devices embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section at the line 3-3 on Fig. l. Fig. 4C is a longitudinal vertical section at the line 4 4 on Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse section of one hull showing a modified form of the coupling device. Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section of proximate portions of two connected boat hulls which are closely coupled by a form of coupling device modiiied for such close coupling. Fig. 7 is a partly sectional plan view of a platform mounted on the coupling devices when the hulls are sufficiently separated to admit such platform, section being made in horizontal plane-midway in the thickness of the platform to expose the means forA binding the elements of the platform together flexibly.

ln the floating structures of the catamaran type, their advantage of stability as against the danger of upsetting is in part offset, as is well understood, by their liability to dive at one corner under conditions which would tend to make a single hull of ordinary form capsize. This tendency to dive is in large part at least due to the horizontal rigidity of the structure, which cannot accommodate itself at different parts to the variations of the swell or undulations of the water. I design by the present invention to overcome this defect by connecting the two hulls in such manner that the two members of the catamaran structure shall be capable of rocking relatively to a certain extent, such rocking being resisted by springs which are employed for the connection with the other member. For this purpose, the two boat hulls, A, A, are connected together at two points in their length by spring couplings, B, which are preferably arranged in pairs, two at each place of connection between the two hulls. These coupling springs are made of steel rod, each coiled to form two coils, B1, B1, being wound in opposite directions and preferably spaced from each other along the integral rod of which they are formed a distance which may be varied according to the circumstances, but which, in the principal form illustrated, is somewhat less than the width of each hull. The ends of the steel rod forming the spring coupling serve as fastening bolts, being extended through or into secure engagement with the sides of the two hulls and secured by nuts on the inner ends. Two of these springs mounted back to bada-that is, with their connecting bar portions, B2, adjacent to each other,-cone stitute the coupling at each of the two points at which the hulls are connected. Longitudinal shafts, C, C, are extended through the coils of both couplings adjacent to the hulls respectively, and prevent torsional ac tion which might tend to wrench either coupling from the hull if it were not thus connected with the other coupling remote from it along the hull. A flexible platform, D, extends from coupling to coupling, being lodged above the same and secured to the shafts, C, by staple bolts, E. This platform may serve to carry a motor or propelling device,'or any load, and at all times serves as a bridge for connecting the two hulls to make easy and safe passage from one to the other. The spring coils, B1, of the spring couplings are of stiffness proportioned to the size of the two hulls, sufficient to resist flexure up to any desired amount according to the service to which the boat is to be put and according to the weight of the hulls. They should be at least sti enough so that either' hull being held lixedly at normal or horizontal position, the other being unsupported will not sag or swing materially away from the horizontal position. Some departure, however, from this degree of stiffness will not materially affect the operation of the device for its purpose, and considerable departure from this rule of stiffness maybe permitted without defeating the operation of the device for its purpose.

Since this invention will generally be applied to boat hulls of light construction, it is important to provide means for anchoring' the spring couplings to the hulls in such manner as not only to make the anchorage secure but to avoid injury to the hulls from the strain which may be put upon the anchorage. I have illustrated a mode of anchoring these couplings to a sheet metal boat hull, which,"v of itself, would not afford any adequate hold for the couplings. For such a purpose l provide a fitting, F, of metal plate, such as boiler iron, folded at one end to form an open quadrilateral loop or short tube, F1, one side of which may bear directly against the outer surface of the customary thin gunwale or upper marginal side rail, L, of the boat, the inwardly deflected end of the fitting which forms the lower side, F 2, of the quadrilateral loop being fitted to the quarter round or other shaped molding, G, which is usually present at the other side of the gunwale. From the outer side of the quadrilateral loop, the strip of metal extends down along the outer stiffening molding, H, of the boat and on below the same against the side of the hull, A, to which it is riveted below the decking, J, a bolt, K, being provided, taking through the molding, H, and the gunwale board, L. The end of the spring coupling takes through both vertical sides of the quadrilateral loop, F1, and through the gunwale board, L, which is reinforced at this point by an angle iron, M, whose vertical flange is also penetrated by the threaded end of the coupling so that the nut, N, may be tightened up against such reinforcing angle iron, which also affords bearing for the head of the bolt, K, and whose horizontal flange is bolted to the decking. The nut, N, is designed to be tightened up to draw the coil, B1, snugly against the outer side of the fitting, F. A sufficiently broad or deep anchorage is thus obtained for the end of the coupling in the boat hull. lVhen employing this device for lighter boats lackinO in suflicient rigidity to endure the strain of an anchorage of the couplings wholly to one side, the end of the coupling rod may be extended, as shown at Fig. 5, entirely across the boat hull, penetrating it at both sides, a spacing board, or bar or decking, P, being interposed between the two sides, and an embossed washer, Q, covering the hardwood fender, Q1, is riveted on the outer surface of the hull, and the clamping nut, N, being applied on the end and screwed up against the embossed washer at the outer side, draws the coil up against the embossed washer at the inner side, as seen in Fig. 5.

For many purposes, it may not be deemed desirable to space the two hulls any farther apart than necessary for interposing the spring' couplings, and in such case, or for small boats not requiring, to obtain the desired stability, any wider spread will thus be afforded, couplings such as shown in Fig. G may be employed, having a single spring coil, B1, intermediate the ends, which extend horizontally in opposite directions and engage the proximate sides of the two hulls, being secured as already described with respect to the more extended coupling.

The operation of the structure first above described, illustrated in Figs. l and 2, is that in case of any overloading at the outer side of either hull which would tend to capsize it if it were alone, the entire structure is subject to whatever deflection from the horizontal is caused, the action being substantially that of pivoting about the longitudinal axis of the overloaded hull, which tends to lift the other hull out of the water. The two hulls are deflected out of their normal relation,-that is, with their decks parallel,-by the pivotal action which occurs at the axes of the shafts, C, @,-that is, of the alined coils at the two sides respectively,-such deflection, however, to any sufficient extent to cause the boat to take water, requiring a load at the outer side of the overloaded hull amounting to a large fraction of the boats displacement or carrying capacity, will be practically impossible. When the structure is exposed to severe undulations of the water, or has from any cause been severely agitated so that if the two hulls were rigidly joined together it would tend to dive at one corner, such tendency would result from an upward pressure upon one hull toward one end in excess of the water resistance on the other hull at the other end, being equivalent in effect, therefore, to an overloading of one hull at the end of which the diving tendency would be manifest, and under such conditions the two hulls will tend to fold at the two pivotal points-the axes of the shafts, and also to be deflected in opposite directions longitudinally from .their normal position at which their corresponding longitudinal central lines are paralleh-that is, so that one prow will be depressed and the other elevated a little. This relative action takes place substantially about a transverse axis midway between the fore-and-aft couplings, and is permitted by the torsion of the connecting bars, B2, of the spring' couplings, supplemented by the longitudinal flexibility of the coils within the range of play permitted by the loose fit of the shaft, C, within them. The capacity of the two boats to thus change their relative position, yielding to the stress of the waves operating upon them each somewhat differently at each instant, operates to defeat the tendency to dive without materially diminishing the stability against capsizing which characterizes the ordinary catamaran. Y y

The platform, D, obviously should be flexible enough to permit the relative rocking of the two hulls both longitudinally and transversely, and for that purpose, it is preferably composed of strips, d, CZ, bound together by wire cable, (Z1, which is laced back and forth several times in the length of the platform through holes bored in the strips at proper positions for that purpose, the outer strips, cl2, of the laced portion being grooved on their outer surface to accommodate the cable where it extends from one row of holes to the next. Outside the laced portion of the platform, there is provided at each side a strip, D1, which is bolted fast to the first of the laced strips, and affords means of fastening the staple bolts, or other devices which may be substituted for them, which secure the platform to the couplings.

The distance from the ends of the hulls at which the spring couplings are located is of considerable importance, because it affords leverage for the action of the waves on the ends of the hulls favorable to the longitudinal rocking of the hulls in opposite directions which operate to defeat the tendency to dive. In practice, I have found a very effective position for these couplings to be one-fourth to one-third of the hull-length back from the ends of the hulls. It is also important that the distances of the two couplings from the respective ends of the hulls should be substantially equal; at least, if the hulls are similarly shaped at both ends.

I claim 1. A catamaran comprisingtwo boat hulls and elastically flexible couplings joining them at two points in the length of the hulls, each coupling comprising` a spring coil closely adjacent to each of the connected1 hulls and adapted to operate as a spring hinge between the two hulls.

2. A catamaran comprising two boat hulls ranged side by side; spring couplings connecting them at two points in their length, each spring coupling consisting of rod coiled into two helical. springs near the ends of the rod and spaced from each other, the ends being anchored to the sides of the hulls respectively.

3. A catamaran comprising two boat hulls ranged side by side; elastically flexible couplings connecting them at two points in their length, and a flexible platform mounted on the couplings.

4. A catamaran comprising two boat hulls ranged side by side; flexible couplings connecting them at two points in their length; a platform mounted on the couplings consisting of strips and flexible lacing extended back and forth across the strips for binding them together.

5. In a catamaran which comprises two boat hulls ranged side by side and flexible couplings connecting them, an anchorage for the couplings consisting of a fitting of metal folded to form a quadrilateral loop, and mounted on the hull with one side of said loop abutting against the outer surface, the coupling comprising a stem or stud which penetrates said side of the quadrilateral loop and the opposite side thereof.

6. ln a catamaran, au anchorage for a coupling connecting the two hull members, consisting of a fitting form of metal folded into a quadrilateral loop mounted with one side of such loop bearing against the outer surface of the hull, in combination with a coupling which comprises a spring coiled wire rod, one end of which extends horizontally to form an anchoring stud or stem, such stud or stem being extended through two opposite sides of the loop, and a nut on the end of the stem binding the spiral coil against the outer' side of said loop.

7. In a catamaran, in combination with the two boat hulls, couplings connecting them at two points in their length, each coupling comprising two similar elements, each consisting of a spring metal rod coiled to form helical springs of opposite pitch toward the opposite ends, having the ends of the rod extended beyond such helices for anchorage to the boat hulls respectively, the two elements of said pair being mounted with the portions of the rods between the two helices adjacent and the helices at each end extending oppositely from the rods respectively for spreading the ends of the rods which are to be anchored in the hulls.

8. A catamaran comprising, in combina-- tion with two boat hulls, spring couplings connecting them at two points in their length, each such spring coupling comprising a spring metal rod coiled to form helices of opposite pitch toward the opposite ends, the ends of the rod being extended from the helices outward for anchorage to the boat hulls respectively, and a pivot shaft adjacent to each hull extended through the helices proximate thereto.

9. A catamaran comprising two boat hulls; elastically iiexible couplings joining them at two points in the length of the hulls, each coupling comprising a spring coil closely adjacent to each of the connected hulls and adapted to operate as spring hinges between the two hulls, and pivotal shafts extended through the two coils adjacent to each boat.

l0. A catamaran comprising two boat hulls; elastically flexible couplings joining them at two points in the length of the hulls, each coupling comprising a spring coil closely adjacent to each of the connected hulls and adapt-ed to operate as spring hinges between the two hulls; pivotal shafts extended through the two coils adjacent to each boat, and a fiexible platform secured to said shafts.

l1. A water craft comprising two boat hulls laterally separated and means for transversely connecting them, said means being elastically flexible at two laterally separated fore-and-aft lines outside the proximate sides of the hulls and proximate to them respectively.

12. A water craft comprising two hulls laterally separated and means for transversely connecting them at two ore-and-attv pivotal lines between the hulls and proXimate to them respectively.

13. A water craft comprising` two hulls laterally separated and means for transversely connecting them at two fore-and-aft pivotal lines between the hulls and proximate to them respectively; pivotal bars carried by the hull at such pivotal lines and a platform carried by such bars.

14. A water craft comprising two hulls laterally separated and means for trans versely connecting them, said means being elastically flexible at two fore-andati; pivotal lines between the hulls and proximate to them respectively.

15. A water craft comprising two boat hulls laterally separated and means for transversely connecting them, said means being` elastically flexible at two fore-and-aft pivotal lines between the hulls and proximate to them respectively; pivotal bars carried by the hulls at such pivotal lines and a platform carried by such bars.

16. A water craft comprising` two hulls laterally separated; means for transversely connecting them consisting of a plurality of couplings remotely situated from each other along the length of the hulls, and being each at two laterally separated points elastic for lvertical tlexure, and also for torsion about the axis transverse to the hulls.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 24th day of September, 1908.

MARCUS PHILLIPS. In the presence of- JULIA S. ABBOTT, M. GERTRUDE ADY.

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