IMPROVEMENTS IN ROWING BOATS
Year: 1885

page_text: I SAMUEL RUSSELL of Apperton Villa, Stanwell in the County of Middlesex,
Architect, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROWING BOATS to be as follows:-
For the purposes of this Invention a rowing boat is constructed with rowlocks
capable of sliding backward and forward in the longitudinal direction of the boat,
and with the seat, or seats, stationary.
To enable a rowlock to slide two horizontal bars, of suitable lengths, parallel to
a line drawn from stem to stern and ranging laterally with each other are fixed at
any convenient distance from stem or stern. One in the transverse centre and
near the bottom the other on the edge, or gunwale, of the boat; or supported at a
convenient height and distance on the outside of it by projecting struts. A frame
of triangular or other suitable form the base sliding on the central bar and the
apex, to which a rowlock is fixed, on the side bar, may be moved backward and
forward by the legs of the rower. Or the central bar may slide in guides and the
frame be fixed to it.
By these means the blade of the oar may be made to traverse a greater distance
than with a sliding seat, yet without forming a wider angle, and a more even keel
be maintained by the non-shifting of the rower. These results-other things being
equal-necessarily giving greater speed.
For a person using a pair of sculls the above arrangement would of course be
carried out on both sides of the centre bar.
•

page_text: I, SAMUEL RUSSELL, of Apperton Villa, Stanwell, Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The main feature or principle of my invention is the moving of the rowlocks of
a rowing boat backward and forward in the longitudinal direction of the boat by
the person or persons rowing, the seat or seats being fixed, whereby the blade of
the oar is made to traverse a greater distance than with a sliding seat, yet without
forming a wider angle, and without extra action on the part of the rower.
The invention will be fully understood by the accompanying drawings and the
following description: Figure 1 represents a plan, figure 2 a transverse section, and
figure 3 a longitudinal section of a boat for one rower fitted with my arrange-
ments for moving the rowlocks. In all the figures like letters refer to like parts.
A is a bar of wood or iron running longitudinally in the centre of the boat and
sliding in guides E and F. Passing under the seat H at E and over the top of the
boat at F. The bar A. being accommodated to the difference of level of the slides
by means of a double bend near its centre as shown at M figure 3. Or it may be
straight, in which case the in-covering of the boat must be lowered for a distance
of about twenty inches from the well in the direction of the stern to allow the
bar A to pass over it. Or the well itself may be lengthened to the same extent,
with a cross bar to carry the guide F. Two iron rods C and B have each one end
fixed about twelve inches apart to the bar A, and project from it laterally, both on
the same side; their outer ends being welded together and formed with a socket D
for carrying a swivel rowlock. These two rods rest near their outer ends D on a
bar K of wood or metal, solid or tubular, about two feet long and parallel with
the bar A, and at a level necessary to bring the rowlock to a convenient height
above the seat, the bar K being supported and held in position by two brackets L, L,
attached to and projecting at right angles from the side of the boat, one at each
end of the bar K. A corresponding arrangement being carried out on the opposite
side of the bar A, it, and the rods carrying the rowlocks may be moved as one
piece backward and forward by the legs of the rower by means of a foot-rest or
stretcher attached to the bar A, a simple means of doing which would be by fixing
a rod of iron to the under side of the bar A, at right angles with it and projecting
about five inches on either side, on which two clogs with toe straps and heel rests
could turn. But I find that when the legs are drawn in, the lower the heel and
the flatter or more horizontal the sole of the foot the greater and more easy will
be the forward stretch of the arms and body. On this account the following
arrangement will be desirable: R is a piece of flat iron of the same width as, and
fixed at one end to, the under side of the bar A, descending perpendicularly, or
nearly so, to within an inch of the burdens and strengthened by the strut R.
The stretcher is of the form shown at N with a central opening through its
substance from the upper side to about half way in the direction of its lower side,
the opening being wide enough to clear freely the bar A when the top side of the
stretcher is turned upwards. An iron plate having a slot S through which the

page_text: iron R passes is fixed across the lower end of the opening in the stretcher and on
the under side. The iron T strengthened by the tie rod U forms a rest for the
heels, whilst the toes are held by the straps V, V; or instead of heel rest and toe
straps clogs or shoes may be fixed on the stretcher to receive the feet. The heel
end of the stretcher is suspended within about an inch of the burdens by wires J J,
or other suspenders one on either side from the rods B, on each of which is a stud
or other stop to prevent the wires slipping inwards towards the bar A. Sometimes
as will be hereafter described the rower has but one set. of rods C, B, and some-
times none.
In the former case the rod B may be continued for about six inches
on the opposite side of, and corresponding angle with, the bar A to carry one of
the two wires J, J, and in the latter case one central wire may suspend the
stretcher at the heel end from the bar A, or a rod about one foot long may be
fixed horizontally at right angles across the bar A to carry the wires J, J. It will
be seen that by the rise and fall of the slot S on the upright R the stretcher will
accommodate itself to the varying and natural position of the feet, the heels being
always at the lowest point the boat will admit of and the feet taking a horizontal
position as the legs are drawn in and the toes turning upwards as they are struck
out, the central opening in the stretcher allowing them to pass on either side of
the bar A. To reduce friction and render the sliding action more easy rollers may
be fixed at E and F for the bar A to run on, and a light plate of metal W,
preferably of brass, be brazed across the under side of the rods C and B in a
position to slide on the bar K.
A modification of the arrangements above described is shown at figures 1 and 2
where the rowlock is carried at the extreme end of a bracket P turning on a pivot
as near to the side of the boat as possible, as shown at X, and the rods C and B
before described and now repeated at C, B¹, are forked at their junction and
turned forward, or in the direction of the seat, the blades of the fork passing one
on the upper side and the other on the under side of the top bar of the bracket P
in which, and near to the rowlock, is a slot through which a pin fixed perpen-
dicularly in the blades of the fork is free to work as shown at Y. The outer ends of
the rods C and B being in this case carried by the bracket P, the brackets L L and
bar K will not be required. Or the motion of the rods C' and B¹ may be conveyed
to the bracket P and rowlock by means of a short connecting rod as shown by the
dotted line figure 1, and a greater or less range may be given to the rowlock by
varying the point of connection on the bracket P. As there would in this case be
no upward or downward strain on the bars C, B1, they might rest and slide on the
wash-board where one is used; when no wash-board is used the bar K and
brackets L, L, as before described will be necessary but with a projection of but
five or six inches from the side of the boat.
An advantage of the rowlocks being thus carried by pivotted brackets would be
that as the oars are brought on a line, at the half stroke, the rowlocks would have
reached a greater distance from each other, thereby allowing the hands to pass on
an even line without crossing one over the other, as at present, which necessarily
gives the oars an unequal dip.
I sometimes find it convenient to have the bar A. fixed and the rods C and B and
stretcher made to slide on it, for which purpose I prefer to make the bar A of iron
tube, the rods Cand B and stretcher being attached to another tube concentric with
the first and just large enough to slide freely on it.
Having described my invention as applied to boats for one rower I will now
explain its application to boats for two and more rowers. In a boat for two pairs
of sculls I prefer to use the pivotted brackets, in which case the stern rower only
need have the rods C and B, with connecting rods from his rowlock brackets to
those of the bow.
For two or four oars each man would have one or other of the arrangements
I have described. Or four oars may be as hereafter described for six or eight.
For six or eight oars the bow and stern rowers would each have the rods C
and B on both sides, all the other rowers being without them, and all rowlocks

page_text: carried on pivotted brackets connected from bow to stern on each side by wire or
light wire rope.
If preferred the bow man may have the rods C, and B behind
instead of in front of him, and in. such case they should be reversed, that is to say,
their outer ends should tend backward instead of forward as drawn. Whatever
the number of rowers the bar A must in all cases be continuous, passing in guides,
fitted with rollers when preferred, under each seat with a stretcher attached for each
rower.
.
It must be borne in mind that of the rods C and B the greater strain is on B
it must therefore be the stronger, and both bars must be stronger in proportion
to the work they have to do, that is to say, the number of rowlocks they have to
move.
Figure 4 is a section, and figure 5 a side view of the bar A, when made of iron,
and guide F, showing the attachment of the rods C to the bar A in a manner
allowing them to pass the guide F, a portion of the web of the bar A being cut
away as at Z to admit the bolt Q. When the bar A is made of wood a plate of
iron or brass about three quarters of an inch wider than and sufficiently long to
take the slide of the bar A is screwed to its under side, the plate sliding in the
guide F. If made of oak about one inch square will be a suitable size for the
bar A. But whether of wood or iron or other material its substance must be
slightly increased in proportion to increase of rowers.
I have said the bar A may be straight; in such case, and where wash-boards are
used the rods C, B, instead of being fixed to the bar A, may require to be raised
about two inches above it in order that they may clear the wash-boards. This
may be done by attaching the rods C, B, to a flat bar of iron running parallel
with and directly above the bar A, the two ends being turned down and secured to
the bar A.
Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the advantage of my moving rowlock over the
sliding seat. From a to b is the stretch of the arms in both cases; from 6 to c is
the extra stretch afforded by the sliding seat. d is the fixed rowlock, the sliding
rowlock travelling from e to d, a distance corresponding with the slide of the seat.
With the sliding seat and fixed rowlock the stroke commencing at c and ending
at a moves the blade of the oar from f to g. With the fixed seat and sliding
rowlock the stroke commencing at b and ending at a moves the blade of the oar
from h to g. The arrow indicates the direction in which the boat is supposed to be
moving.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The contrivances by which a person or persons when in the act of rowing, may
move the rowlocks forward and backward in the longitudinal direction of the boat,
substantially as hereinbefore described and drawn.
Dated this seventeenth day of October 1885.