Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore air boats have been relatively large,
using high powered engines to provide sufficient power to
drive boats at high speeds. The boat hulls are custom made to
fit the drive systems and are heavy and expensive. Steering
is affected by having the propeller blast hit a large rudder
or rudders to deflect the air and steer the boat. When the
engine dies while operating at high speed, or is stopped, as
it must be when approaching a dock or other place to permit
passengers to disembark, steering of the craft is lost, often
resulting in a very hazardous condition. Most accidents
involving air boats are caused by loss of directional control.
Other air boats cannot stop the propeller when the engine is
idling resulting in continuous movement of the boat.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of this invention is to provide a
packaged air drive system that can be used interchangeably
with the conventional outboard or inboard water drive units,
with ide~tical mounting to standard existing boats and at a
substantially lower price. The assembiy comprises an engine,
propeller and protective shielding, all mounted on a pylon
which, for example, may be secured to the transom of a boat,
and on which a rudder may be attached at the bottom of the
pylon to project into the water to provide steerability of the
craft when the propeller stops turning to approach the dock or
other mooring place or when the engine dies inadvertently when
moving at a fast speed. The system steers the boat by
changing the direction of thrust from the propeller when
rotating the pylon on which the entire assembly is mounted.
The assembly is extremely light as compared to other air
propulsion systems and provides a low center of gravity for
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greater stability and sa~ety ~rom capsizing of the craft. It
can be mounted to the transom or on transversely extending
beams positioned forward in the boat to provide a large work
area in the rear o~ the boat for net fishermen or others,
making the air boat more adaptable as a work boat for shallow
water or where aquatic growth hinders the use of water drive
propellers. The engine to propeller drive assembly includes
C~ fluid or a centrifugally operated clutch which releases the
propeller when the engine is decelerated to idling speed. The
engine is e~uipped with a spring loaded hand throttle that
decelerates to idle speed when released. Disengaging the
propeller when the engine is idling permits the boat to stop
dead in the water. Othér air boats do not have this ability
and will start moving as soon as the engine is started and
continue moving even with the engine idling. This feature is
important to fishermen who wish to stop and start often and
move slowly while casting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Heretofore air boats have been heavy, high powered
and expensive. As a result, their use has been seriously
restricted. None appears to have been built for economically
minded sportsmen and those who need a large clear working area
at the rear of their boats. No air drive system has been
designed as an add on to already owned boats. None of the
existing air boats has the ability to stop the propeller while
the engine is idling. None has a rudder in the water for
automatic steering of the boat when the engine dies while the
boat is underway, thereby eliminating a dangerous situation as
waves can cause the boat to broach or slide sideways into an
obstruction. Also none has the means to insure that the
engine is stopped when the apparatus is rotated to reverse the
direction of the boat. Additionally none has the means of
tilting the entire propulsion system to a position close and
horizontal to the gunnels of the boat to lower the system for
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moving under bridges, garage doors and while being transported
over land.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The combination of a light weight portable ass~mbly
which can be attached to existing used boats, comprising a low
center of gravity engine operably connected through a belt
drive and fluid or centrifugal clutch to a propeller
surrounded hy a protective cage. The assembly is mounted on a
rotatable pylon and supporting brackets for attachment to the
transom or gunnels of a boat. A rudder is mounted on the
bottom end of the pylon and extends into the water for
automatic directional control of the boat upon the loss of
engine power. The engine automatically shuts off when the
apparatus is rotated to reverse the direction of movement of
the boat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGo 1 .is a side elevational view of the engine and
propeller assembly mounted on the transom of a small boat
according to this inv~ention.
FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line
3-3 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the rudder
assembly.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are top plan and side elevational
views, respectively, of spaced gunnels to shift the engine and
propeller assembly forwardly of the transom.
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are side elevational views of a
modified rudder assembly.
FIG. 10 is an elevational view from the rear of the
~ ~ æ ~
~ boat showing the ice break feature of this invention with a
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portion of the assembly broken away.
FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the automatic
engine cut off feature.
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FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the apparatus
with a portion thereof broken away.
FIG. 13 is a side elevational view similar to that
shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 14 is a side elevational view with the
apparatus disposed in a generally horizontal position.
-- DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, the invention is illustrated as
applied ~o an air boat assembly consisting of an engine 10
operably connected to drive a propeller 12 mounted in a
protective shielding 14. The engine, propeller and shielding
are mounted on pylon 16 journalled for angular steering
movement in tube 18 havé upper and lower bearings designated
at 20. The tube 18 is mounted on upper bracket 24 and on
lower bracket 26 for securing the aix boat drive assembly to
transom 28 of boat 30. It will be understood that~ if
desired, a clamp or bracket of the type employed to secure
outboard motors to the transom of boats can be employed to
secure the assembly to the transom 2~. In addition, bracket
24 can be hingedl~ mounted on transom 28.
- Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be noted that
engine 10 is of the type wherein the crankshaft is positioned
at the top with the spark plugs at the bottom and is fitted
with a drive pulley 32 operably connected by belt 34 to a
driven pulley and fluid or centrifugal clutch 36 secured to
the hub of the propeller 12. It will be noted that the drive
pulley 32 is much smaller in diameter than is pulley 36 which
is a clutch and pulley whereby at idle speed of engine 10
propeller 12 is stopped. Note that the propeller is mounted
on a jack shaft with flange bearings. It will be understood
that belt 34 can be of the flat type or of the V- type and
wherein several belts driven in tandem may be employed to
effeet the drive. Also it will be understood that a fluid or
centrifugal clutch 36 may be provided between pulley 34 and
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propeller 12 to permit the engine to operate at a much higher
~peed of rotation than is e~ficient for the propeller to
operate at idling. Also it will be understood that the engine
may operate at a suitable idling speed, and that at idling
speed, the drive of the propeller is interrupted so that the
propeller does not rotate while the engine is idling.
Attention is directed to the fact that the lower end
of pylon 16 is provided with rudder 40 projecting into water
~2 to effect a steering action to control the direction of
travel of the boat 30. A suitable framework 44 is interposed
between engine 10 and pylon 16. The tiller 46 is operably
connected to the framework 44 and is provided to steer boat
30. The use of rudder 40 is important in steering boat 30,
particularly when engine 10 has been reduced to the idling
speed and propeller 12 is, at that time~ not rotating.
Without the use o rudder 40, control of the direction of
travel of boat 30 is dependent on the use of paddles or poles
in an attempt to control the direction of the boat when the
speed of the engine 10 has been reduced to the idling speed
and propeller 12 is not rotating.
As shown in FIG. 3, ring 48 having oppositely spaced
cutout segments 50 and 52 is secured to rotatable pylon 16,
and spring loaded plunger 54 projects into the cut out
segments to restrict the steering rotation of the assembly
comprising the engine, propeller and protective shielding by
actuation of the tiller 46 to, in the illustration shown,
approximately 30 degrees on each side of the neutral line to
prevent oversteering. To permit a greater than 60 degree
movement of the assembly by the tiller, the spring loaded
plunger 54 must be withdrawn to permit ring 48 to rotate to a
greater degree than is permitted by cut out segments 50 and
52. The segment 50 for example controls the direction of the
boat 30 in the forward direction, and cut out segment 52
provides the control when the assembly is reversed so that the
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propeller 12 drives the boat 30 in the reverse direc-tion.
As shown in FIG. 4, rudder 40 has an upstanding bar
56 and a pluralit~ of spaced apertures 58 formed therein by
which rudder 40 can be secured in the rotatable pylon 16 at
varying elevations. Bottom 60 of rudder 40 can thus be
controlled to extend below bottom 62 of the boat 30. It will
be noted that the forward edge of the rudder is angled so as
to permit the front edge of the rudder to be positioned above
the surface of the water so as to easily override any seaweed
or other water plants and to prevent the rudder from becoming
fowled.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the propeller drive
assembly mounted on thé pylon 16 can be shifted forwardly in
boat 30 to provide a work area behind propeller 12 for the
con~enience of fishermen and others who need space to work in
the rear o the boat. A pair of spaced transverse beams 64
and 66 are secured to gunnels 68 of boat 30. As shown in FIG.
6, pylon 1~ projects down into the boat and spaced braces 70
and 72 secured to beams 64 and 66, respectively~ securely hold
p~lon 16 in the vertical position.
When the engine is driving the propeller, the
assembly comprising the engine and propeller mounted on the
pylon can be oscillated by operation of the tiller 46 to
effect the desired steering of the boat.
The rudder apparatus as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9
includes rudder 40 which is pivotally mounted in slot 74 of
upstanding bar 56. More specifically, rudder 40 pivots about
pin 76. Therefore, as boat 30 traverses shallow water and
comes into contact with weeds, rocks and the like disposed
under the surface of the water, rudder 40 will simply pop up
or rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIGS. 8
and 9, and simply slide over the interfering dehris. After
boat 30 has passed the debris, the inherent weight or spring
loading of rudder 40 simply causes it to rotate in a clockwise
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direction into ~he opera~ing position as shown in FIG. 8.
A modified feature o~ the invention is shown in FIG.
10 wherein rudder 40 is essentially replaced with ice ~reak 78
which is of a planar configuration and is slidably mounted in
pylon 16. When it is desired to lower or raise ice ~rre ~ 78,
rod 80 is either pushed or pulled, as appropriate, which
imparts the desired vertical movement o~ ice brea~ 78 through ~ -
lever 82 which is pivotally connected to upstanding bar 56 at
pivot 84 and to transom 28 at pivot 86. Rod 80 is connected
to lever 82 by means of bolt assembly 88.
According to another feature of this invention, and
as shown in FIG. 10, the entire apparatus is secured to
mounting plate 90 which is connected to transom 28 by means of
hinge 92. Therefore, the entire assembly including propeller
12 and protective shielding 14 as well as pylon 16 and the
associated rudder 40 or ice break 78 can simply be swung
inwardly of the boat into generally a horizontal position as
shown in FIG. 14. By this means, the boat can be maneuvered
easily under low bridges, into garage~ and the like. In the
vertical or operating position, the apparatus is locked into
position by means of locking bar 94 which is secured to
transom 28 by means of locking assemblies 96 and 98. Finally,
in cold weather operation, a pair of ice runners or skis 100
and 102 are fitted to the underside of boat 30.
Therefore, in actual operation such as on a frozen
lake, boat 30 is propelled by means of propeller 12. In this
condition, ice ~rea 78 is in the upward condition as shown in
dotted lines in FIG. 10. Of course, whenever it is desired to
slow or stop boat 30, rod 80 is pulled upwardly, which action,
~'30 through lever 82, causes ice ~reak 78 to be lowered to the
position shown by means of solid lines in FIG. 10. The V-
shaped configuration of ice break 78 and the fact that it is
disposed perpendicular to the direction of travel o~ boat 30
allows it to easily impact the ice in a irictional manner.
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10313
_ The more ice break 78 is lowered, the greater the break ng
action that will occur. When not in use, ice rea~ 78 can be
locked in a raised position by means of pin arrangement 104 in
cooperation with apertures 58 of locking bar 56.
As discussed above, generally in connection with
FIG. 3, in order to reverse direction of boat 30, the entire
apparatus is simply rotated 180 degrees by manipulation of
spring loaded plunger 54 and cutout segments 50 and 52. As
shown in FIG. 11, a safety mechanism in the form of switch 106
is supplied. Therefore, when it is desired to rotate the
entire apparatus, plunger 54 is withdrawn by means of lanyard
108 a distance sufficient to allow rotation of ring 48. As
ring 48 is rotated, cam follower 110 of switch 106 enters the
appropriate cutout segment 50 or 52 causing engine 10 to be
stopped through the action of switch 106. As the rotation of
ring 48 continues, cam follower 110 reaches either protruding
portion 112 or 114 of ring 48. This in turn activates switch
106 thereby allowing engine 10 to be restarted and plunger 54
generally simultane~usly enters corresponding cutout segment
50 or 52.
Therefore, it can be seen that, in the normal
operation of the assembly shown in FIG. 11, boat 30 can be
steered generally through an arc of àpproximately 30 degrees
which e~uates to the transverse distance of travel of plunger
54 in cutout segments 50 and 52. When plunger 54 is withdrawn
and the apparatus is rotated, switch 106 acts to stop engine
10 when the propeller is directed generally perpendicular to
the direction of travel thereby eliminating the possibility
that the engine might be started when the propeller thrust is
more toward one side o~ the boat which might cause it to
capsize.
With reference to FIG. 12, engine 10 is mounted in
an inverted position wherein spark plugs 116 and 118 extend
downwardly and wherein engine 10 is mounted to framework 44 by
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means of bolts 120 and 122. In order to absorb the vibration
of engine 10, framework 44 is mounted on mounting plate 124 by
means of rubber mounts 126 and 128. The engine is mounted in
this configuration to keep the major weight low relative to
the boat for a low center of gravity and a short drive belt
length.
In order to prevent pylon 16 from sliding upwardly a
distance greater than that desired, safety cap 130 is secured
to mounting plate 128 by means of bolts 132 and 134. In order
to provide necessary stabilization, portion 136 of safety cap
130 extends downwardly into pylon 16. Also shown in FIG. 12
is housing 138 of the safety mechanism shown in detail in FIG.
11 .
FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 6 in that engine 10 and
propeller 12 along with associated apparatus are mounted
intermediate the bow and stern of boat 30 on gunnels 64 and 66
and adjacent seat 140. In this configuration, fixed or
pivotal rudder 40 or ice ~rea~ 78 are operated independently
of the apparatus propulsion system in the form of propeller 12
and associated apparatus elements.
Therefore, by the apparatus according to this
invention, propulsion means is provided which is adaptable to
existing boats or other similar vehiclès. At the same time,
the apparatus is easy to us~ and extremely safe to operate.
