A PORTABLE EXPANDING LIPE AND MILITARY BOAT, WHICH IS ALSO ADAPTED FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Piercy, of 8, Belgrave Street, Argyle
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Artist, and Samuel Flagg, of the
same Place, Architect, for the Invention of "A PORTABLE EXPANDING LIPE
AND MILITARY BOAT, WHICH IS ALSO ADAPTED FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Scaled the 25th September 1857, and dated the 7th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Piercy and
Samuel Flagg at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 7th April 1857.
I, FREDERICK PIERCY, of 8, Belgrave Street, Argyle Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Artist, and I, SAMUEL FLAGG, of the same Place, Architect, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A PORTABLE EXPANDING
LIFE AND MILITARY BOAT, WHICH IS ALSO ADAPTED FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements in portable expanding life and military and other boats
consist in forming them so that they may be laid quite flat when not in use.
We construct them by preference of boards or pieces of wood of suitable size
and shape, and of a double thickness, one thickness being placed outside and
another inside of a piece of waterproof flexible material, to which the wood
is fixed with screws, rivets, or otherwise. The parts of wood are each in
themselves rigid, and of a form and size adapted for the boat required. The

page_text: bottom is flat and of a rigid piece; the sides are hinged to the bottom by
means of the flexible material, or may be otherwise hinged thereto in addition.
The ends are each formed of three rigid pieces, one for either bow (port and
starboard), united by a tapered middle piece, the wide end of which is the
width of the bottom, to which it is closely hinged by the flexible material.
The bow parts of the wood are some little distance from the sides in the flat,
but against which they abut when in the form of a boat. Ribs along each
side serve as supports for the thwarts or seats, which, when fixed in position
by hooks, straps, or otherwise, sustain the sides of the boat. The bow pieces
are hooked or otherwise secured to the sides, which sustain the ends and
complete the form of the boat. Instead of a sheet or sheets of flexible
material of the full size of the boat in the flat, we sometimes place that
material only at the rigid parts, where they are joined or come together, and
to secure it we carry the flexible material between the outer and inner
thickness of wood or other material to afford the necessary security, or it may
be otherwise secured.
For life boats we use a double thickness of air and waterproof flexible
material, and place cross ribs between, keeping them a little apart to form air
cells; we place rigid boards, planks, or pieces of wood on each side, and
arrange and joint the parts as before. Instead of wood other suitable mate-
rial may be employed, and instead of using flexible material the parts of the
boat may be hinged in metal and furnished with elastic packings at the joints,
so that when formed into a boat the parts abut against each other in a water-
tight manner. The advantages of these boats are that they are light and
portable, and are easily stowed, and can at the same time be got ready for use
with facility.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Piercy and Samuel Flagg in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK 3
PIERCY, of 8, Belgrave Street, Argyle Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Artist, and SAMUEL FLAGG, of the same Place, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her 3

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Frederick Piercy and Samuel Flagg, Her special licence that we, the
said Frederick Piercy and Samuel Flagg, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederick Piercy and Samuel Flagg.
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A PORTABLE EXPANDING LIFE AND
MILITARY BOAT, WHICH IS ALSO ADAPTED FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Piercy and Samuel Flagg, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Piercy, on behalf of myself
and the said Samuel Flagg, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being
had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our improvements in portable expanding life and military and other boats
5 consist in forming them so that they may be laid quite flat when not in use.
We construct them by preference of boards or pieces of wood of suitable size
and shape, and of a double thickness, one thickness being placed outside and
another inside of a piece of waterproof flexible material, to which the wood is
fixed with screws, rivets, or otherwise. The parts of wood are each in them-
selves rigid, and of a form and size adapted for the boat required. The
bottom is flat and of a rigid piece; the sides are hinged to the bottom by
means of the flexible material, or may be otherwise hinged thereto in addition.
The ends are each formed of three rigid pieces, one for either bow (port and
starboard), united by a tapered middle piece, the wide end of which is the
width of the bottom, to which it is closely hinged by the flexible material.
The bow parts of the wood are some little distance from the sides in the
flat, but against which they abut when in the form of a boat.
Ribs along
each side serve as supports for the thwarts or seats, which, when fixed in

page_text: position by hooks, straps, or otherwise, sustain the sides of the boat. The
bow pieces are hooked or otherwise secured to the sides, which sustain the
ends and complete the form of the boat. Instead of a sheet or sheets of
flexible material of the full size of the boat in the flat, we sometimes place
that material only at the rigid parts, where they are joined or come together,
and to secure it we carry the flexible material between the outer and inner
thickness of wood or other material to afford the necessary security, or it may
be otherwise secured.
For life boats we use a double thickness of air and waterproof flexible
material, and place cross ribs between, keeping them a little apart to form
air cells; we place rigid boards, planks, or pieces of wood on each side, and
arrange and joint the parts as before. Instead of wood other suitable mate-
rial may be employed, and instead of using flexible material the parts of the
boat may be hinged in metal and furnished with elastic packings at the joints,
so that when formed into a boat the parts abut against each other in a water-
tight manner. The advantages of these boats are that they are light and
portable, and are easily stowed, and can at the same time be got ready for uso
Figure 2 represents a plan of the same opened out flat in a position for
stowing Figure 3 represents a plan of Fig. 2 inverted, with part of the outer
planking removed; Figure 4 is a transverse section of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is
a transverse section of the boat complete, as at Fig. 1. a, a, is a sheet of
canvass or other pliant material which, if waterproof, will render the whole
boat water-tight without other means, but this pliant material may consist of
plain canvass alone, and if of good substance one thickness may be sufficiently
water-tight; but if not, two or more thicknesses may be added, which will at
the same time strengthen the boat. This canvass or other material a is cut
of the size and shape required for the boat; a surface of wood is then placed
on each side of this flexible material, and secured to each other by screws b, b,
or other through fastenings. The boards or planks forming the surfaces of
wood c and d are placed across each other to render the whole rigid and
of considerable strength without other strengthening pieces; the planks c, c,
are not laid directly across but diagonally, but may be so, or in any other
direction preferred; the planks d, d, are laid in the direction of the length as
being best adapted for passing through the water.

page_text: It will be observed that when the boat is in the flat, as at Fig. 2, that the
gusset-like parts a', a¹, of the flexible material are uncovered, and that the
same is the case between the parts forming the sides A, A, of the boat
and the bottom B, as also between the parts C, C, and D forming the
bows and stern of the boat, which latter parts form hinges on which the
several rigid parts move in altering the form of the boat for stowage or use.
E are two timbers which strengthen the sides of the boat, and also sustain
the thwarts or seats F. These timbers E are fastened through both skins c
and d of the boat, as also are the ribs G, G. I make the pieces F, F, and G
of much the same thickness, so that they may be flush or nearly so when in
the flat, as at Fig. 2. I is a gunwale strake or strip to strengthen that part.
The ends of the ribs G are cut at an angle, so that they abut against each
other when in the form Fig. 1, as seen in the transverse section Fig. 5.
e, e, are pins fixed in pieces E which receive the thwarts F, which have
holes at either end fitting on the pins e, e, which render the sides of the
boat extremely stiff, and at the same time keep the seats in position.
ff, are hooks for the purpose of securing the bows C to the sides A, and
fixing these parts securely together by means of the eyes h, as at Figs. 1 & 5.
At this point also the thwarts or seats are secured by two pins e at each end,
which also forms an additional security for holding the bows C to the sides A.
The thwarts F are secured by ropes g to prevent their being removed or being
lost in case of launching hastily.
When the boat is arranged for use the gusset pieces a¹, a¹, form folds on
the outside of the boat, which may be collapsed close to the boat, and held
by straps i for the purpose; this will materially reduce the obstruction offered
by them in the water.
As before mentioned, instead of the boat being made with a sheet of pliant
material, as represented, the parts A, B, C, and D may be united and jointed
at those points by narrow strips of waterproof material interposed between the
inner and outer planking c and d, as represented by the dotted lines on each
side of the junctions x, x, x, in Fig. 2, which is sufficient to render those
parts water-tight and form the hinge joint. Instead of using waterproof or
pliant material between plankings c and d to form the joints at the points a, x,
the parts of the boat A, B, C, and D may be jointed and secured together by
means of metal hinges. In this case the bevilled edges of the parts A, B, C,
and D at a must be faced with india-rubber, so that those parts when they
come together will by the pressure of contact exercised render the joints
water-tight.

page_text: Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention, intended
to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the
construction of portable expanding boats, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, Frederick Piercy, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.
FREDERICK PIERCY. (L.S.)