Removable outboard motor bracket for a boat swim platform

A removable outboard motor bracket that mounts on a swim platform on the rear end of a power boat, and which permits an outboard motor carried on the bracket to be lowered into the water for use and raised vertically out of the water when not in use, and which can be quickly and easily removed for storage purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
The field of art to which this invention pertains may be generally located 
in the class of devices relating to supports. Class 428, Subclass 640, 
Outboard Motor Supports, United States Patent Office Classifications, 
appears to be the applicable general area of art to which the subject 
matter similar to this invention has been classified in the past. 
2. Background Information 
It is well known in the power boating art to provide an auxiliary outboard 
motor for trolling and other purposes. In many instances the auxiliary 
outboard motor is attached to a swim platform mounted on the aft end of 
the power boat. The prior art mounts for mounting an outboard motor on a 
swim platform are all mounted in such a manner that when it is desired to 
discontinue use of the auxiliary outboard motor, the motor must be tipped 
to an inoperative horizontal position so that the boat may then be 
propelled by the regular propulsion unit. Under such circumstances the 
motor shaft with the propeller protrudes rearwardly behind the boat to as 
much as three feet and when the boat is swung around or maneuvered, a 
safety hazard is created since the rearwardly protruding outboard motor 
structure may hit pilings, a dock or other boats. The problem solved by 
the present invention is the elimination of the aforementioned safety 
hazard created by a protruding inactive outboard motor attached to the 
swim platform of a power boat. 
Examples of prior art outboard motor supporting devices which include 
outboard motor supporting linkages are disclosed in the following U.S. 
Pat. Nos.: Machlan 3,032,304 issued May 1, 1962; Horton 3,674,228 issued 
July 4, 1972; Langley 3,874,318 issued Apr. 1, 1975; Brock, et al 
3,930,461 issued Jan. 6, 1976; Metcalf 3,948,472 issued Apr. 6, 1976; 
Pipoz 3,990,660 issued Nov. 9, 1976; Meyer et al 4,013,249 issued Mar. 22, 
1977; Alter 4,279,6032 issued July 21, 1981; Baird 4,634,390 issued Jan. 
6, 1987. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention provides a removable outboard motor bracket which is adapted 
to be mounted to a swim platform on the back of a power boat. The outboard 
motor bracket enables an outboard motor to be lowered into the water for 
use, and raised to a substantial vertical position out of the water when 
not in use. The outboard motor bracket includes a mounting means which is 
adapted to be seated on the upper surface of a swim platform on the back 
of a power boat, and retainer means for removably securing the mounting 
means to the swim platform. The outboard motor bracket further includes a 
linkage assembly which comprises a front link and a rear link. The lower 
ends of the front and rear links are pivotally mounted to the mounting 
means. The upper ends of the front and rear links are pivotally mounted to 
an outboard motor mounting pad attachment bracket means. A locking lever 
has a lower end pivotally attached to the mounting means, and is 
operatively connected with the linkage assembly so as to lock the linkage 
assembly in the lowered outboard motor position as well as in the raised 
or "up" outboard motor storage position. 
One of the principal features of the invention is the provision of a 
removable outboard motor mounting bracket which affords movement of the 
motor between an operating position and a storage position with minimum 
effort. 
Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a mounting 
bracket which affords substantially vertical movement of the motor during 
travel from the operating position towards the storage position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 
generally designates an outboard motor bracket, made in accordance with 
the principles of the present invention. The numeral 11 generally 
designates a conventional swim platform which is secured to the aft end or 
transom of a power boat. The numeral 12 generally designates a 
conventional outboard motor which is carried by the outboard motor bracket 
10. FIG. 1 shows the outboard motor 12 in an elevated or motor storage 
position, and FIG. 2 shows the outboard motor 12 in a lowered position for 
operation in the water. 
The outboard motor bracket 10 includes a mounting member or mounting means 
generally indicated by the numeral 13. The bracket mounting member 13 
includes a pair of elongated horizontal plates 14 which are laterally 
spaced apart. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the mounting member plates 14 is 
provided with an integral vertical flange 15 of a first height which 
extend from the rear end 18 of the plate 14 toward the rear end 19. A 
second vertical flange 16 of a greater height is integrally formed on each 
plate 14 and it is integral with the front end of the first named flange 
15. The flange 16 terminates at a point spaced rearwardly from the front 
end 19 of each plate 14. 
The spaced apart mounting plates 14 are fixedly connected at their front 
ends by a transverse connector plate 20 which is disposed over the top 
front end portions of the plates 14 and fixedly secured thereto by any 
suitable means, as by welding. As best seen in FIG. 3, the rear ends of 
the mounting plates 14 are secured together by a transverse, vertical 
plate 21 which is fixedly secured to the plates 14 by any suitable means, 
as by welding. It will be understood that the aforementioned parts of the 
bracket mounting member 13 may be made from any suitable material, as for 
example, from aluminum, or stainless steel. The hereinafter described 
other parts of the outboard motor bracket 10 may also be made from any 
suitable material, as for example, aluminum or stainless steel, and from 
any suitable structural shape as for example, round or squared tubing, and 
angle iron. 
The bracket mounting member 13 is releasably secured to the swim platform 
11 by the following described retainer means. A horizontal, transverse 
plate 24 is fixedly secrued to the lower end of the transverse, vertical 
plate 21 by any suitable means, as by welding. As shown in FIG. 1, when 
the outboard motor bracket 10 is positioned on the swim platform 11, the 
horizontal plate 24 is positioned under the swim platform 11 and the 
vertical, transverse plate 21 is positioned against the rear, transverse 
end 25 of the swim platform 11. It will be seen that the vertical, 
transverse plate 21 and the horizontal, transverse plate 24 thus function 
with the mounting plates 11 to from a C-shaped retainer member which seats 
over the rear end 25 of the swim platform 11 and retains the outboard 
motor bracket 10 against movement toward the front end 26 of the swim 
platform 11. The last described retainer structure also restrains the rear 
end of the outboard motor bracket 10 from movement upward or downward 
relative to the swim platform 11. It will be understood that the vertical 
space between the transverse plate 24 and the mounting plates 14 is made 
to a dimension commensurate with the thickness of the swim platform 11, so 
as to provide a snug fit between the plate 24 and the mounting plates 14. 
As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, the outboard motor bracket 10 is provided 
with a further retainer member 27 which comprises a transverse bar made of 
any suitable material, as for example, aluminum. The transverse retainer 
bar 27 is fixedly secured to each of the mounting plates 14 by any 
suitable means, as by a pair of suitable machine screws 28. As shown in 
FIGS. 2 and 7, the transverse retainer member or bar 27 is adapted to be 
seated in a transverse slot 30 formed between a pair of the transverse 
wood strips 29 which form the swim platform 11. The retainer member 27 
prevents fore and aft movement of the outboard motor bracket 10. 
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the retainer means for the outboard motor 
bracket 10 further includes a retainer bolt 34 which is positioned at the 
front end of the outboard motor bracket 10. As shown in detail in FIG. 7, 
the retainer bolt 34 is provided with a substantially U-shaped handle 35 
which is fixedly secured to a nut 36 by any suitable means, as by welding. 
The nut 36 is affixed by any suitable means, as by welding, to the upper 
end of the retainer bolt 34. The retainer bolt 34 is shown in FIG. 7 in a 
position to clamp or retain the rear end of the outboard motor bracket 10 
in a fixed position on the swim platform 11. The retainer bolt 34 extends 
downwardly through a hole 37 formed through the transverse plate 20, and 
thence downwardly through the longitudinal opening 38 between the mounting 
plates 14, (FIG. 3) and then through one of the transverse slots 30 in the 
swim platform 11, and then through a hole 39 formed through a metal 
retainer plate 40. The metal retainer plate 40 is fixedly secured to the 
lower side of the swim platform 11 by any suitable means, as by a 
plurality of suitable wood screws 41. A nut 42 is fixedly secured, as by 
welding, to the lower side of the retainer plate 40, and the retainer bolt 
34 is adapted to be threaded through the nut 42 for retaining the front 
end of the outboard motor bracket 10 securely in place on the swim 
platform 11. As shown in FIG. 7, one end 33 of a safety cable 43 is 
mounted around the upper end of the retainer bolt 34 in a position between 
the lower end of the nut 36, and the upper side of a washer 32. The washer 
32 is fixedly secured to the retainer bolt 34 by any suitable means, as by 
welding. 
The outboard motor bracket 10 further includes a linkage assembly 
comprising a front link 44, a rear link 45, and a pair of attachment 
brackets 46 which carry a wood pad or block 47 on which the outboard motor 
12 is mounted in the conventional manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower 
end of the front link 44 is positioned in the opening 38 between the 
mounting plates 14. The lower end of the front link 44 is rotatably 
supported between the mounting plate flanges 16 by a suitable pivot shaft 
48 which extends through suitable openings through the flanges 16 and the 
lower end of the lower link 44, and is secured in place by suitable nuts 
49 on the ends thereof. As best seen in FIG. 3, the lower end of the rear 
link 45 is pivotally mounted in the opening 38 between the mounting plates 
14 on a suitable pivot shaft 50 which is mounted in suitable openings in 
the mounting plate flanges 16 and secured in place by any suitable means, 
as by press fit. 
As best seen in FIG. 3, the upper end of the front link 44 is rotatably 
mounted on a suitable pivot shaft 51 which is operatively mounted in 
suitable holes formed through the flanges 52 of the attachment brackets 
46. The shaft 51 is held in position by suitable lock nuts 53. The upper 
end of the rear link 45 is also pivotally mounted between the flanges 52 
of the attachment brackets 46 by a suitable pivot shaft 54 and lock nuts 
55. 
The attachment brackets 46 are laterally spaced apart as shown in FIG. 3, 
and they are each fixed to the front side of a wood pad 47 by a pair of 
suitable bolts 58 and lock nuts 59. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper ends of 
the links 44 and 45 are pivotally mounted between the attachment flange 52 
at positions vertically spaced apart from each other, with the upper end 
of the upper link 44 positioned at the upper ends of the brackets 46. 
As best seen in FIG. 3, a locking lever 60 is provided for locking the 
outboard motor bracket 10 in each of the elevated and lowered positions. 
The locking lever 60 is mounted with its upper end slidably positioned in 
a vertical slot 61 formed through the upper end of the upper link 44. The 
lower end of the locking lever 60 is slidably mounted in a similar 
vertical slot 62 formed through the upper end of the rear links 45. The 
lower end of the locking lever 60 is pivotally mounted on the rear link 
shaft 54. 
As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, when the outboard motor bracket 10 is moved 
to the elevated or "up" position, a lower hole 64 formed through the 
locking lever 60 is aligned with a hole 65 formed through the front link 
44. A locking pin 66 is slidably mounted through the holes 65 and 64, and 
retains the outboard motor bracket 10 in the elevated or "up" position, 
and in a locked condition. 
As shown in FIG. 5, a pull ring 67 is fixed to the head of the locking pin 
66 by any suitable means, as by welding. When it is desired to pull the 
locking pin 66 outwardly, or to the right, as shown in FIG. 5, to release 
the locking lever 60 from a locked position from the front link 44, the 
pull ring 67 is moved from the solid line position shown in FIG. 5 
outwardly, or to the right, to the dotted line position indicated by the 
numeral 67a. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a spring arm 68 has its lower end 
fixedly secured to one side of the front link 44 by a pair of suitable 
rivets 69. As best seen in FIG. 6, the spring arm 68 has a longitudinal 
slot 71 formed therethrough, through which the body of the pin 66 is 
mounted. The slot 71 permits the pin 66 to slide therein when the spring 
arm 68 is moved outwardly to the position 68a to allow the locking lever 
60 to be released from the front link 44. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the upper 
end of the safety cable 43 is secured around the lower end of the spring 
arm 68. 
FIG. 8 shows a modification of the invention in which an assist spring 74 
is mounted on the rear link pivot shaft 50 for assisting the movement of 
the outboard motor bracket 10 to the "up" position shown in FIG. 1. The 
lower end 75 of the spring 74 is wound around the shaft 50 in a position 
just inwardly of one of the mounting flanges 16 with the extreme end 
thereof 76 mounted in a slot 77 formed in the periphery of the shaft 50. 
The upper end 78 of the spring 74 extends transversely of the outboard 
motor bracket 10 and engages the lower side of the front link 44. It will 
be seen that when the outboard motor bracket 10 is manually moved from the 
lowered position shown in FIG. 2 to the "up" position shown in FIG. 1, 
that the spring 74 will assist in the upward movement. 
FIG. 8 shows a further modification of the invention in which the U-shaped 
handle 35 for the retainer bolt 34 is mounted directly on the upper end of 
the bolt 34 instead of on a nut 36 as shown in the first embodiment of 
FIG. 7. 
FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of the invention which is adapted for 
use on a different swim platform 74 which is formed from a continuous 
piece of material such as wood, and with no slots, as the slots 30 formed 
in the swim platform 11. In the modification shown in FIG. 10, the 
transverse retainer bar 27 would be replaced by at least two cylindrical 
retainer lugs 76 which may be cylindrical in overall shape, but with a 
tapered peripheral surface to make them somewhat conical in cross section 
shape, as shown in FIG. 10. The cylindrical retainer lugs 76 would be 
positioned transversely in suitable holes 75 formed in the continuous 
surface swim platform 74. The lugs 76 would be retained in position on the 
bottom of the mounting plates 14 by suitable machine screws 77. It is 
preferable that at least two of the retainer lugs 76 be employed. 
It will be seen that the outboard motor bracket 10 of the present invention 
is adapted to enable an outboard motor 12 to be mounted on a swim platform 
and to be lowered into the water for use, and to be raised vertically out 
of the water in a quick and easy manner. The bracket 10 is raised manually 
from the lowered position shown in FIG. 2, so as to raise the motor 12 to 
the "up" position shown in FIG. 1, wherein the outboard motor 12 is in a 
substantially vertical position above the water in a position whereby it 
does not protrude rearwardly from the swim platform any considerable 
distance. When the outboard motor bracket 10 is in the "up" position as 
illustrated in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis of the pivot shaft 54 for the 
rear link 45 moves forwardly, a slight horizontal distance relative to the 
horizontal axis of the pivot shaft 51 for the front link, so as to provide 
an over-the-center condition which substantially locks the outboard motor 
bracket 10 in the "up" position shown in FIG. 4. The safety locking pin 
66, however, is always used in the "up" position to assure that the 
outboard motor bracket 10 remains in a safe "up" position. The locking pin 
66 may also be employed when the outboard motor bracket 10 is in the 
lowered position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, so as to prevent accidental 
upward movement of the outboard motor bracket 10 during use of the 
outboard motor 12. 
After removing the outboard motor 12, the outboard motor bracket 10 may be 
quickly and easily removed from the swim platform 11 by merely releasing 
the retainer bolt 34 from the nut 42, and swinging the front end of the 
bracket upwardly and moving the entire bracket rearwardly, so as to slide 
the locking horizontal plate 24 clear of the trailing end of the swim 
platform 11, and then manually lifting up the bracket 10. FIG. 3 shows the 
outboard motor bracket 10 sitting on the deck 78 of a power boat 79, and 
in a stored position with the locking pin 66 in a locking position to hold 
the links 44 and 45 against any accidental movement.