Improvements in " Boards" for Trawl Nets and their Connections therewith.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 30th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in " Boards" for Trawl Nets and their Connections
therewith.
I, GEORGE ROBERT PURDY, of No. 5 Gardner Street, North Shields, in the
County of Northumberland, Net Curer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an entirely new shape of the boards-sometimes called
"Otter-boards "-used to carry the trawl net and towed by warps from the trawler
having the following advantages.
The improved boards offer less resistance to the water in towing and adjust
themselves to the proper angle to keep the mouth of the net open, relatively to
the net and the warps and on the ground. They carry the trawl net at a greater
height from the ground and thus will catch more fish which swim high.
There are no triangle bars nor chains connected with the boards to foul the side
of the trawler when the net is being brought in and cause difficulty in handling
with danger to life.
These boards according to my invention form in shape a triangle the longer side
of which is vertical to the ground when trawling and has the head rope of the
net attached to its upper end and the ground rope to its lower end. At a point
near the centre on the front side of the board, so fixed as to cause it, when being
towed through the water, to turn to an angle (such as will keep the mouth of
the net fully open and at the same time reduce the resistance to towing) is bolted
an iron or steel cross from the centre of which projects a standard or stanchion"
to the end of which the trawl warp is attached.
«
When the net is brought in these standards or stanchions "house" in pipes
provided for them in the gunwale of the trawler and each of the boards folds
closely against the side of the vessel.
The boards will be loaded in the usual way to keep them in position on the
ground.
Dated this 11th day of February 1897.
Improvements in "Boards" for Trawl Nets and their Connections
therewith.
I, GEORGE ROBERT PURDY of No. 5 Gardner Street, North Shields in the
County of Northumberland, Net Curer, do hereby declare the nature of my caid
TD 977

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
66
My invention relates to an entirely new shape of the Boards-sometimes called
Otter" boards used to carry the Trawl net and towed by warps from the Trawler
having the following advantages:-
The improved boards offer less resistance to the water in towing and adjust
themselves to the proper angle to keep the mouth of the net open relatively to the
net and the warps and on the ground.
They carry the trawl net at a greater height from the ground and thus will
catch more fish which swim high.
There are no triangle bars nor chains connected with the boards to foul the
side of the Trawler when the net is being brought in and cause difficulty in
handling with danger to life.
These boards according to my invention form in shape a triangle the longer
side of which is vertical to the ground when trawling and has the head rope of
the net attached to its upper end and the ground rope to its lower end. At a
point near the centre on the front side of the board, so fixed as to cause it, when
being towed through the water, to turn to an angle, (such as will keep the mouth
of the net fully open and at the same time reduce the resistance to towing), is
bolted an iron steel or other Cross from the centre of which projects a standard
or stanchion" to the end of which the trawl warp is attached.
When the net is brought in these standards or stanchions "House" in pipes
provided for them in the gunwale of the Trawler and each of the boards folds
closely against the side of the vessel. The boards will be loaded in the usual
way to keep them in position on the ground.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a face view, Fig. 1 an edge view of one of my trawl boards, and
Fig. 1 is a section through the line - on Fig. 1 shewing the cross and standard,
all to a scale of 3 inch per foot.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the boards and trawl net as when being towed through the
sea when trawling, looking down from the surface of the water; Fig. 2 is a side
view of the boards and net looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, and 2º
is a view looking into the mouth of the net from the front to a scale of about inch
per foot.
Fig. 3 shews a side view of the Trawler with the boards flat alongside and the
net on deck to about the same scale.
The trawl boards A. are made of hard wood bound round the edges and
diagonally with iron bands B. and loaded by a heavy sole piece C. to cause them
to take and keep in vertical position on or near to the ground. Near the centre
of each board is secured a cross 1). from the centre of which projects a standard E.
jointed at E in such manner that when towing the trawl net it stands erect from
the face, so as to throw the boards to an angle (as on Fig. 2,) and when brought
alongside the trawler to deliver the catch will "house" in "hawse" pipes on the
gunwale the boards then lying flat against the trawler's side (as in Fig. 3) or,
when required to be lifted on deck, the standards will fold flat on the board, (see
dotted lines Fig. 1) and cause no obstruction in stowing away. The standards
have a single or double eye at their outer ends with a pin to which the shackles
F. of the towing warps F1 are attached. The head rope G. is attached to
shackles G on the back of the board at top and the ground rope H. to similar
shackles H at the bottom of the board.
Referring now to Figs. 2, 24 and 2ª it will be seen that the boards, shaped and
mounted according to my invention, are caused to assume such an angle relatively
to the line of the net by the action of the head rope G. and of the ground rope H.
that the mouth of the net is kept fully open both as to width and depth and
that such angle greatly facilitates the passage of the boards through the water
by presenting an inclined surafec, resembling the entrance run of a boat, when

page_text: being towed by the trawler, and that this is effected without triangle bars or
chains which are very liable to cause difficulty and accident by fouling in handling
the net when being hauled in.
Referring now to Fig. 3 which requires little explanation it will be seen that
the boards A. lie close along the gunwale" of the trawler at each end the
standards being now "housed in the hawse pipes indicated by dotted lines. The
net is shewn as having been hauled on deck."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The construction of trawl boards triangular in shape the side or depth
being greater than the width, the head line being attached at the top corner
and the ground line at the bottom corner to shackles on the backs of the boards.
2nd. In such trawl boards the application of a cross to which at or near the
centre of the board, is attached a jointed standard to the outer end of which the
towing warp is connected so that when trawling it stands vertical to the face
of the board and when brought alongside will "house" in pipes in the gunwale
the board lying flat against the side or, when the boards are lifted on deck, will
fold flat.
3rd. The improvements in boards for trawl nets comprising in combination
boards of triangular shape having the head rope attached to the top corners and
the ground rope to the bottom corners to shackles on the backs of the boards,
the boards having a cross on their front sides to which, at or near the centre are
attached jointed standards from the outer ends of which lead the trawl warps the
whole constructed and operating substantially as described and shewn with the
objects hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 16th day of August 1207