IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOATS FOR PICNIC AND PLEASURE PARTIES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Octavius Hayes, of Eaton Villa,
Belvidere, in the County of Kent, Paymaster in the Royal Navy,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOATS
FOR PICNIC AND PLEASURE PARTIES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Octavius Hayes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd June 1871.
I, EDWARD OCTAVIUS HAYES, of Eaton Villa, Belvidere, in the
County of Kent, Paymaster in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
BOATS FOR PICNIC AND PLEASURE PARTIES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE
FURNITURE AND FITTINGS APPERTAINING THERETO," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates,-
:-
Firstly. To the construction of picnic and pleasure boats or punts,
whereby greater strength and safety can be obtained than is usual, and
more room above deck at the will of the occupants.

page_text: Secondly. To making and arranging the furniture, such as the seats,
so that they can' be turned over the gunwales to increase the width,
and also to permit of the occupants sitting round the tables when
the latter are raised up from the deck for the purpose of dining or
otherwise.
And, thirdly. To making and arranging the fittings so that they can
be used for other purposes.
The hull or shell of the boat is made into, say, three divisions,
superposed; the lower one is divided into longitudinal air-tight cells
or chambers for the purpose of giving steadyness and increased powers
of floatation; the middle division serves for stowing or holding spars,
ropes, chains, and other necessaries; while the third or upper one is
for the occupants.
The chairs are made with two seats, and the backs or some other
part of them have pins or studs which take into holes or eyes provideḍ
for them on the sides of the boat, and with swivel pins or joints to
enable them to be turned over either to the inside of the boat or to
the outside. The centre portion of the upper deck is formed of loose or
moveable pieces which have jointed arms or legs under them so that
they can be lifted to a higher level, and form table tops or additional
seats.
The boat is divided or parcelled off into compartments for holding
the various articles, fittings, or apparatus that may be required for the
cooking of food, stowage of baggage and other goods, and some of the
flaps or portions of the coverings are so arranged that they can be
jointed together to form fishing punts, canoes, landing boards, or stages,
as well as to support awnings or coverings.
Provision is made for arranging and working the sails or other means
of propulsion without interfering with the comfort of the occupants,
and in cases of need the upper deck can be covered with a carpet, and
be used for dancing or other exercise, advantage being taken of making
all the loose pieces available for more than one purpose.
The seats or chairs can be arranged in clusters to form settées or
couches, and can be removed from the boat, as well as some of the other
furniture and fittings, to enable the party to hold thier picnic or other
pleasure on shore.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Octavius Hayes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
OCTAVIUS HAYES, of Eaton Villa, Belvidere, in the County of Kent,
Paymaster in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Octavius Hayes, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Octavius Hayes, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Octavius Hayes, my
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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BOATS FOR PICNIC AND PLEASURE PARTIES,
AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE FURNITURE AND FITTINGS APPERTAINING
THERETO," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Octavius Hayes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, 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 Edward Octavius Hayes, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates,―
Firstly. To the construction of picnic and pleasure boats or punts,
whereby greater strength and safety can be obtained than is usual, and
more room above deck at the will of the occupants.

page_text: Secondly. To making and arranging the furniture, such as the seats,
so that they can be turned over the gunwales to increase the width,
and also to permit of the occupants sitting round the tables when
the tables are raised up from the deck for the purpose of dining or
otherwise.
And, thirdly. To making and arranging the fittings so that they can
be used for other purposes.
The hull or shell of the boat is made into say two or three divisions
superposed; the lower one is divided into longitudinal air-tight cells or
chambers for the purpose of giving steadiness and increased powers
of floatation; the middle division serves for holding or stowing spars,
ropes, chains, and other necessaries, while the third or upper one is for
the occupants.
The chairs are made with two seats, and the backs or some other part
of them have pins or studs which take into holes or eyes provided for
them on the sides of the boat, and with swivel pins or joints to enable
them to be turned over either to the inside of the boat or to the outside.
The centre portion of the upper deck is formed of loose or movable
boxes, which have jointed arms or legs under them, so that they can be
lifted to a higher level and form table tops or additional seats.
The boat is divided or parcelled off into compartments for holding
the various articles, fittings, or apparatus that may be required for the
cooking of food, stowage of baggage, and other goods, and some of the
flaps or portions of the coverings are so arranged that they can be
jointed together to form fishing punts, canoes, landing boards or stages,
as well as to support awnings or coverings.
Provision is made for arranging and working the sails or other means
of propulsion without interfering with the comfort of the occupants, and
in cases of need the upper deck can be covered with a carpet and used
for dancing or other exercise, advantage being taken of making all the
loose pieces available for more than one purpose.
The seats or chairs can be arranged in clusters to form settées or
couches, and can be removed from the boat, as well as some of the other
furniture and fittings to enable the party to hold their picnic or other
pleasure on shore.
The manner in which I construct and arrange the hull and the
accessories of a boat for the purposes named is shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and a side view of a boat in
the condition it would be when ready for receiving a number of visitors
for a picnic bout, or for a pleasure party desirous of enjoying a trip
on the water; the hull of the boat is formed with a flat-shaped bottom a
3 with sides b, b, sufficiently high to ensure the safety and the comfort
of the occupants. The upper portion of the bottom has partitions in
or on it at the sides and at the bow and stern, to which a flooring c, c,
is secured to form water-tight compartments for increasing the stability,
each compartment being hermetically sealed or closed by the tight
fitting cover or flooring aided by a luting of india-rubber or a compound
of some suitable body capable of resisting the pressure of water to a
considerable extent, or in lieu of forming compartments in this manner
air-tight tubes horizontally laid and secured can be arranged either
lengthwise or transversely of the boat. In the Drawings I have shown
the two additional sides or portions d, d, and a central portion e as
forming water-tight compartments lengthwise of the vessel; these
floorings or covers being arranged at a higher level than the other
portions c, c, so as to form spaces between them into which the foot
boards or stretchers f.f, can be fitted when the boat has to be moved
by sculls or oars through the water, the side walls of the raised portions
being fitted with inclined or dovetailed projections g, g, for receiving the
footboards ff, and also the central seat frames or uprights h, h, one of
which is shown separately in Figure 3, the surface of the raised portions
being used for passages or gangways from one end of the boat to the
other. If the party is large and a greater immersion of the boat is caused
I prevent the entrance of water to the spaces by a false gunwale i, which
I fit upon the edges of the sides b, b, by staunchions j, which enter holes
made for their reception in the upper surface, the top of the staunchions
having shoulders to embrace the top of the false gunwale to bind it
firmly in position. The false gunwale is of flexible material and the
sides are hinged or jointed to the end portion or portions which can
also be jointed for packing purposes, as will be understood by referring
to Figure 4. This gunwale can be made to assume the shape of the
hull by the staunchions or by clips in any suitable manner. Some of
the staunchions have extensions k, k, with holes in them for supporting
bars l, on which a series of chairs or seats m, m, can be arranged as
represented in Figure 5, the chairs or seats m, m, being so shaped that
they can project over the outside of the gunwale to give room for
some of the visitors to move about without inconveniencing the rowers,

page_text: a sufficiently rigid seat being obtained by the back legs of the chairs
abutting against the gunwale and upon the top of the sides d, d.
Detached views of the chairs or seats are given at Figures 6 and 7,
these showing the positions into which they can be arranged. The
frames h, h, for the central seats are so made that the seats n, n,
Figure 8, can be slid or forced into position as required, and are
removable at will. I fit other uprights or staunchions o, o, into apertures
provided for them, which uprights are capable of supporting an awning p
through the assistance of transverse pieces or girders either bolted to
them or arranged to drop into sockets; by this means the rowers and
also the party sitting at the sides can be protected from the heat of
the sun as well as from rain, they can also be protected from cold winds
by providing side screens. I prefer that the awning main staunchions
should be arranged in the centre line of the boat fore and aft, the two,
if only two be used, supporting a girder of 1 form as in Figure 9, over
and from which the awning can be suspended to prevent sagging, the
lower edges of the awning being tied down to longitudinal pieces which
I
drop or take into the side staunchions in any convenient manner.
propose to fit a light and an ornamental framing, such as I have shown
in Figure 10, at each end of the awning to give the appearance of
solidity and strength as well as a finish to the upper part, which framing
may be composed of pieces hinged or jointed together, that when not
required they can be folded into a small compass, as in Figure 11, and
within the limits of some of the spaces formed between the decks and
the bottom of the boat. The chairs or seats m, m, are in some cases
pivotted upon upright pins so that they can turn round and be brought
inboard; the back being hinged at its bottom allows it to be thrown
over into the reversed position, or the frames of them can be arranged
as shown in the Figures, when by the aid of stretchers 9 they can be
made to assume any position and rendered capable of being used as
ordinary chairs or seats without the pins before spoken of. The awning
staunchion o¹ can be used to pivot the mast when necessary; by this
means a sail can be employed to assist the rowers or be used alone as
desired.
I have before indicated that the various appendages or fittings of my
boat can be used for other purposes, and this will be clearly understood
by referring to some of the detached Figures. For instance, the pieces
which form the upper deck can be used as tables, one of these pieces

page_text: being shown in Figure 12; the under side of this piece has four legs
hinged to its under side, so that they are capable of being brought into
a vertical position, the flooring portion being brought up to about the
level of an ordinary table.
In the plan view, Figure 13, I have shown the boat as having 6 of
these tables r, r, so that when the chairs are brought in board the
party can seat themselves at them. The pieces forming the upper deck
flooring at the bow and stern can also be used either as landing or
spring boards, as in Figure 14, or when turned bottom upwards as
washing utensils or as supports for a stove or other apparatus, so that
in some cases the cooking for the party can be going on, say, at the
stern while the passage is being made. Again, some of the pieces could
be utilized as supports to wings or screens, so that the deck could be
divided into compartments to form cabins, the wings or screens being
hinged to fold up into a small compass when not required, and be
stowed away under the flooring where there is sufficient space for
receiving all the fittings or accessories which are not required for
immediate use.
I have in Figure 15 shown a screen with projecting feet or pieces 8, 8,
which are intended to lodge into the pieces 9, 9, the upper part of it
being arranged to receive the 1 girder or a portion of it if it is in pieces,
so that with the awning or the sails one or more compartments or cabins
can be formed.
For fishing, shooting, or punting excursions some of the pieces are
also available as they can be used as rafts, or should, say, the bow piece,
shown in Figure 14, be a folding piece and be grooved, it can be opened
out as there shown when the seats Figure 8 or some other pieces can
be secured by staunchions, whereby a punt or raft could be formed as
desired. This piece is shown with hinged staunchions t, t, which can
be turned up to support a light screen frame capable of being placed
at any angle, or as a flat roof over the heads of the party fishing, shooting,
or punting, as the case may be. A light screen frame such as I propose
is shown in Figure 16. There are also arranged at the sides of the
boat long narrow vessels u, u, divided or not into compartments, into
which provisions or other necessaries can be stored; these vessels when
empty can be used as canoes or paddlers; the two vessels are capable of
being lashed together, as shown in Figure 17, or be kept at a distance

page_text: apart by lashing portions of the flooring or other detachable pieces to
them.
All the pieces forming the accessories to my boat are available for
use upon shore, so that should a picnic party be formed on either a
moderate or an extensive scale, every article necessary for their comfort
and their safety can be taken with the boat.
I need not explain every use to which the pieces herein-before spoken
of can be put, whether as fitted to the boat or for a pleasure party upon
shore, as it will be understood that as every separate piece is shaped
or prepared for fitting or arranging into several distinct articles.or
purposes, the crew or the attendants in charge must form an opinion of
their own and use the necessary judgment to provide the party with
the protection and the comforts placed under their care and within
their reach.
It will be understood that the staunchions can be stuck into the
ground, so that the awning can form a tent or marquee, under which the
tables, screens, seats, and chairs can be placed and arranged, and which
with the sails can be enclosed, the cooking of food and other acts being
carried on in the boat or on the field and outside of the tent. The
seats n, n, can be arranged as rout seats or settées, each one being
capable of adjustment in its neighbouring one, the tables forming trays
or boxes on which the small articles can be placed for moving them
from place to place; w, Figure 18, is a nut for running on or off the
chair rod, to connect or disconnect, as desired, each pin or lug on
the staunchion being threaded for the purpose.
In the following somewhat detailed description of a boat of a given
length and breadth it will be understood how I propose to construct one,
reserving to myself, however, the right to vary the dimensions or mode
of fitting the various parts to suit circumstances, a flat bottomed boat 50
feet long by 10 feet wide at greatest beam contain hermetically sealed
tubes sufficient in number to carry with safety double the number of
persons that could be carried with comfort in a boat of this length and
breadth, so arranged with a novel fitting of the necessary furniture of an
open boat as in itself to be at once a light rowing boat and a foundation
of a superstructure giving great space and comfort. In this boat perfect;
safety is secured by there being in the lower floor such a sufficiency of
floating power that half the tubes could receive damage even to filling

page_text: without endangering life or property; flush floors or decks are gained by
the ordinary impediments, thwarts, seats, &c., being here made movable,
thus securing an uninterrupted walk the whole length of the boat.
The two strips running down the centre of this floor or chamber shew a
floor sunk 6 inches for the feet of the rowers, still leaving an under-
lying space 3 inches deep of air-tight tubes; over this floor or chamber
of hermetically sealed tubes is added the furniture necessary for the
picnic party or the boating party, whether for hours or for weeks, the
furniture consisting of forms, tables, &c., together with a safety punt
and two safety canoes forming another flush deck, the whole surrounded
by a removable continuous side, giving a further reserve of safety;
this floor, covered with a carpet from bow to stern, gives protection
from any
accidental sudden rush of water inboard over the gunwhale,
which sometimes happens if a boat is incautiously handled when going
through locks.
One great advantage possessed by this boat is, that she can be soon
made to assume many phases, from the picnic boat with a deck of
furniture surrounded by chairs to the light rowing boat for a crew.
The dotted lines Figure 1 show the underlying partitions 9 inches
deep covered by a diagonal planked bottom and deck, the interior paid
over with a solution of india-rubber or some analogous substance form
the hermetically sealed longitudinal tubes, the longitudinal partitions, 10
in number, with the sides of boat forming 11 tubes, this number being
doubled by a water-tight bulkhead crossing the boat at her greatest
beam, 28 feet from bow; the other bulkheads or partitions across the
boat are given for strength, but allow the passage of water, which in case
of a leak in any part of a tube can be pumped free at its end forward or
aft, as the case may be, the apertures v are small tubes to insert a hand
pump when required, the tubes being secured by a hermetically sealed
key stopper; the dot and dash lines shew strengthening pieces for the
steps of the awning staunchions and the mast. The sockets inserted in
the hermetically sealed floor are to be water-tight, and in no case to
reach the bottom of the boat, but to rest on an additional bed of wood
at least half an inch thick. The removable side is made continuous and
portable by 4 hinges, each hinge the whole depth of the side; the bolt
or pivot of the hinge at bow and the centre one at stern to be a tube
for a bolt staunchion to drop into, and like the other staunchions fit
into the hermetically sealed floor; the hinges at the stern give the side

page_text: a certain amount of play, so that these two points (bow and stern) can
never be out of the true; no other part of the removable side has a fixed
point with relation to the underlying floor of tubes, but is kept in place
by passing between an inner and an outer row of staunchions, and
secured water-tight to the deck by the pressure of the shoulder of the
staunchion. The staunchion 26½ inches long, the bottom half inch,
to be a screw 8½ inches to be sunk in the sockets at 17 inches from
bottom, to have a shoulder to get with the half inch of screw at the end,
the necessary pressure to fix the side water-tight to the deck, if necessary,
the edge pressing the deck to be covered by a strip of fearnought or
india-rubber. The staunchions to have a cross piece or crutch head 6
inches long to meet the sides of the chairs, the staunchions being 2 feet
apart and the chairs 18 inches wide, the head of the staunchions to
pivot the reversible chair at the seat to be 9 inches from the edge and
18 inches above the floor of tubes. The chairs when outboard give
width sufficient for the tables to be placed on each side of the boat,
with passage between for the attendants, or, if preferred, the chairs can
be swung inboard to tables placed along the centre of boat. The mode
of securing the removable side prevents any misfit through shrinking or
swelling of side at the bow hinge; the removable sido is flush with the
side of the lower portion of boat, but immediately curves slightly in board
to get a three-inch ledge 16 feet from the bow, this three-inch ledge
being continued to and round the stern for the ends of the reversible
chairs to lodge on when turned outboard. The outer row of staunchions
to commence at 15 feet from bow, all staunchions forward of this to be
on the inside when the outer row of staunchions commences, the inner
row following a line % of inch inside the outer row need be but few,
one always being placed at the boat's greatest beam.
Box Table. Each pair of tables to form a box for conveying stores,
&c.; sockets to be fixed on the inside for a sufficient number of tie pins
to keep the sides flush and steady when used as a box or settee. On
board the tables can also be used as a settee by resting the legs on the
lowest floor of boat, the top being 14 inches above the upper deck or
floor.
Mast.―24 feet long 3 inches diameter to pivot on awning staunchion
10 feet from deck of the hermetically sealed floor, the pin on which the
mast pivots to have an eye at its end and on its securing nut to receive
two guys secured one on either side of chain locker.

page_text: -
-
Punt. Figure 14, 19 feet long, 4 feet wide, 4%, inches deep, folding
across centre marked
when folded (9 inches deep), placed im-
mediately before mast to form part of the upper flush deck; the grooves
on deck of punt for awning staunchions are extended 9 inches beyond
the pivot to allow the staunchions to slope forward or aft to an angle
of 45°.
Movable Folding Bulkheads.-These bulkheads are portable and easily
removed, and allow the cabins to be easily extended, reduced, or
altogether removed. The steadying lines are ornamental ropes from
sides of awning, to be placed so that they may hang between the chairs
round boat's side.
Awning. To pivot on its staunchions that it may swing to any side
pressure instead of bending or carrying away its staunchions. The two
outside girders of awning to fix on beam and side rods by the ends of
beam, being slightly reduced so as to be readily taken to pieces; all
interior girders to travel along the beam and connecting side rods.
Movable Thwart or Seat Forms.-The edges at the sides of legs to be
dovetailed to slide up and down the thwart slides.
The thwart slides are pieces with dovetailed edges for the movable
thwarts or forms to slide up and down that the sculls or oars may
be kept at the best angle for rowing; the metal crutches or rowlocks
can be likewise raised or lowered by three inches if screwed at their
end to allow for a varying draught of water; the thwarts and their
slides can be used on shore as forms or benches. There is a ledge at
back, % of an inch from top, to serve as support for the portion of deck
between canoes and tables.
Stretcher. In position for use as shipped at angle of 30°; when
not in use as a stretcher to be fixed along the sides of the rowing com-
partments; the ledge at back, upper edge 6 inches from bottom of
stretcher, helps to support the tables.
Chairs. The exterior lengths are made in one piece, the interior
lengths are to hinge at centre, with a butt hinge like the ordinary 2 feet
carpenters' rule, as each chair when opened out as two crosses can be
used as supports for a cot when the chairs are not carried round the side
of boat; an ornamental rope can be rove through the staunchions.
Punt and Canoes, 4½ inches deep (when opened out) are constructed
with air-tight tubes similar to the hermetically sealed floor of the boat.

page_text: The awning for punt or canoes is flat, it slopes 4 ways, the sockets for
the staunchions being made with two arms for ties, the two canoes
(folded) with these ties can be used as one canoe.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
Invention,―
Firstly. The construction of the hulls of boats, punts, and canoes in
the manner recited, and in or to which the several improvements herein.
before described can be applied, for making the same available as a
picnic or pleasure boat, or as a light rowing boat.
Secondly. The construction and arrangement of the fittings or ap-
pendages to or for such hulls, which fittings or appendages are capable
of being used for other purposes as described.
Thirdly. I claim the construction and arrangement of the tables,
seats, uprights and other appliances, as herein-before described, which
enable them to be used upon the shore as well as in the boat.
Fourthly. I claim the construction and the employment of the folding
chairs as herein-before described, whether such are supported upon pivots
or other appliances fitted in or to a boat of the form and shape before
spoken of or on shore as ordinary chairs.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Octavius Hayes, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of December, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
EDW. OCTS. HAYES. (L.S.)