Patent CA-2294675-A1 (CA)
Inventor: RAPS GERARD
IPC: B63H5/16
Filed: 2000-01-04
Abstract: The propeller safety guard described in this invention is specifically designed to protect a human in the water in proximity of a vessel equipped with an outboard motor or inboard-outboard drive from injury caused by the rotating blades of the propeller. The Propeller Safety Guard is a wire mesh type enclosure covering the perimeter of the propeller as well as the rear plan of the propeller. The upper section of the guard is bolted to the underside of the outboard motor anticavitation plate. The lower section of the guard is bolted to the skeg of the outboard motor by a connecting mounting bracket which has along gated holes to allow for adjustability in order to locate the ideal position on the motor skeg for mounting the guard.   This guard encloses the propeller from the two most dangerous exposures, the rotating propeller tips and the rear of the propeller. The forward section of the propeller is to some extent protected by the lower leg of the outboard motor. In the past several patents have been issued for propeller guards to keep weeds and fishing lines out of the propeller and to a limited extent provide protection for humans. None of these inventions have been successful as they were cumbersome devises, expensive to manufacture and created too much drag. Commercially these devices proved to be not practical.      The advantages of this illustrated invention is: 1) Protection to humans from the two most vulnerable areas of the propeller. Firstly the rotating tips of the propeller and secondly the exposed aft area of the propeller which causes injury by the vessel in reverse. 2) The Propeller Safety Guard is relatively inexpensive to manufacture which allows for an affordable purchase price for the average boater. 3) The Propeller Safety Guard, because of it's unique design, creates a minimum amount of drag. 4) Because of the design of the upper and lower mounting brackets there is a large range of adjust ability available to allow the guard to be installed on the vast majority of outboard motors and inboard-outboard drives on the market.     5) The Safety Guard can be installed by the boater easily without special tools. Referring to more detail of the invention it is noted that the propeller safety guard described in the drawings is in every instance mounted to the lower leg of a conventional outboard motor or stern drive unit. More specifically the guards upper mounting plates are mounted below the anti cavitation plate of the motor and the guards lower mounting bracket is mounted to the skeg of the lower leg.  Therefore the guard is enclosing the two most vulnerable exposed surfaces of the rotating propeller. Figure 2. The propeller safety guard described in this invention consists in general of a cage like wire mesh enclosure No 1 and No 2 supported structurally by two circular rings, No 3, at the rear of the guard and one circular ring, No 4 at the front of the guard. Said circular rings are welded to the circulator wire mesh, No 1 and welded to the flat wire mesh, No 2. The upper mounting plate, No 5 is welded to the circular wire mesh, No 1, with a 2" wide open center section to allow proper positioning over the propeller. The upper mounting plate has a radiused cut out to allow clearance for a anode mounted in lower surface of anti cavitation plate. Additionally the upper mounting plate, No 5 four holes to allow for mounting guard below anti cavitation plate. No 7 describes the two lower L-shaped mounting brackets. Each mounting bracket has on the radius portion two holes, if when mounting on the skeg of the lower leg, line up perfectly with each other. Elongated holes allow for adjustment in unison with adjustable slide plate, No 6. The rectangular section of described lower mounting bracket, No 7 are bent 90 degree in relation to radiused portion of each mounting bracket. The adjustable slide plate, No 6 is welded on the lower inside of No 3 and 4 circular rings and elongated holes allow adjust ability with L  shaped mounting brackets , No 7. The re-enforcement plate, No 8, is located below the adjustable slide plate, No 6. This re-enforcement plate is a rectangular plate with four holes matching the adjustable slide plate, No 6 and the two lower mounting brackets, No 7, locked into position with fasteners, No 9. Bolt lock nut and flat washer No. 10, total of four each, fasten the Safety Guard to the underside of anti-cavitation plate of motor.