IMPROVEMENTS IN SLIDING SEATS AND STRETCHERS FOR ROW BOATS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SLIDING SEATS AND STRETCHERS FOR ROW BOATS a communication to me from
abroad by James Jeremiah Turpel of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Storekeeper, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in sliding seats
for rowing boats or shells and has for its object to enable the sculler to recover
more rapidly and with less labor than in a boat fitted with the ordinary sliding
seat.
The Invention consists in a boat constructed with a sliding seat and a sliding
stretcher which are connected to slide in opposite directions, which seat is combined
with a spring to move it forward and thus facilitate the recovery of the oarsman.
According to this Invention a sliding seat of the usual construction is held to
slide between or ou two rails held longitudinally on a suitable frame in the boat.
A rod projects towards the rear from the seat pivoted at its rear end to the upper
end of an upright lever pivoted to a bar projecting from the rear of the frame above
mentioned.
A spiral spring surrounding the rod is held between the rear of the seat and a
cross piece through an aperture of which the rod passes.
The stretcher is secured to a cross piece held to slide in longitudinal grooves
formed in longitudinal plates in the boat, or the stretcher can be arranged in any
other suitable manner to slide in the direction of the length of the boat. The
stretcher is also connected by rods to the lower end of the upright lever before
referred to as attached to the seat rod. The nut or collar on the rod at the rear
of the seat is adjustable along the rod to vary the pressure of the spring as
required.
The operation is as follows: When the oarsman makes a stroke the seat is moved
L
1
2

page_text: moves in the same direction and by means of the upright lever moves the rods
connecting with the sliding stretcher in the reverse direction. After the finish of
the stroke when the oaraman recovers, the spring upon the seat rod expands and
pushes the seat in the forward direction, the sliding stretcher being drawn in the
backward direction.
The oarsman need not pull back the seat after the stroke and thus can expend
all his force and power on the stroke. The recovery is very rapid and the oarsman
is thus enabled to row very fast in a boat provided with the improved sliding seat
and stretcher,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Win. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
SLIDING SEATS AND STRETCHERS FOR ROW BOATS (a communication to me from
abroad by James Jeremiah Turpel Storekeeper of Halifax Nova Scotia) and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in sliding seats
for rowing boats or shells and has for its object to enable the sculler to recover
more rapidly and with less labour than in a boat with the ordinary sliding seat.
The invention consists in a boat constructed with a sliding seat and a sliding
stretcher which are connected to slide in opposite directions which seat is combined
with a spring to move it forward and thus facilitate the recovery of the oarsman.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification in which similar letters of reference indicato corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a boat provided with the improved sliding
seat and stretcher.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same,
Figure 3 is a cross sectional elevation of the same.
The sliding seat A of the usual construction is held to slide between or on two
rails B held longitudinally on a suitable frame B¹ in a boat C. A rod D projects
towards the rear from the seat and has its rear end pivoted to the upper end of an
upright lever E pivoted to a bar F projecting from the rear of the frame B¹.
A spiral spring G surrounding the rod D is held between the rear of the seat A
and a cross piece H through an aperture H' of which the rod D passes.
The stretcher J is secured to a cross piece K held to slide in longitudinal
grooves K¹ formed in longitudinal plates L in the boat, or the stretcher can be
arranged in any other suitable manner to slide in the direction of the length of
the boat. The lower end of the lever E is connected by rods M with the stretcher.
The nut or collar d on the rod D at the rear of the seat is adjustable along the rod
to vary the pressure of the spring G as required The operation is as follows:-
1
If the oarsman makes a stroke, the seat is moved in the direction of the arrow a¹
and the spring G is compressed. The rod D is moved in the same direction and by
means of the lever E moves the rods M and the sliding foot board J. in the reverse
direction. After the finish of the stroke, when the oarsman recovers, the spring G
expands and pushes the seat in the inverse direction of the arrow a', the sliding
stretcher being drawn in the direction of the arrow a¹. The oarsman need not
pull back the seat after the stroke, and thus can expend all his force and power on
the stroke. The recovery is very rapid and the oarsman is thus enabled to row
very fast in a boat provided with the improved sliding seat and stretcher.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. A row boat provided with a sliding seat and a sliding stretcher connected
together and mechanism for causing the said seat and stretcher to automatically
return to their normal position, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. A row boat provided with a sliding seat and with a sliding stretcher which
are combined to move in opposite directions, substantially as herein shown and
described.
3. The combination with a row boat, of a sliding seat and a sliding stretcher, a
lever swinging in the vertical plane, and connecting rods for connecting the seats
and stretchier with the ends of the said lever substantially as herein shown and
described.
4. The combination with a row boat, of a sliding seat and a sliding stretcher, of
a spring for moving the seat forward and of devices for connecting the seat and
stretcher in such a manner that they slide in opposite directions, substantially as
herein shown and described.
-5.-The combination with a row boat, of the sliding seat A, the sliding stretcher J,
the-lever-E, the connecting rods-D and M connecting the ends of the levers E with
the scat A and the stretchier -J-respectively, the spring-G-and the cross piece H,
substantially as herein shown and-described.