Improvements in or connected with Otter or Trawl Boards for Fishing Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, Ord May, 7007
Complete Specification Left, 11th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
Date of Application, or may, ro07
Complete Specification Left, 11th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Otter or Trawl Boards for
Fishing Purposes.
We, WILLIAM LENGFIELD, and CHARLES EDWIN WARD, of the Firm of Lengfield
and Ward, of Neptune Street, Shipwrights, and GEORGE HENRY WISE, 100 Rosa-
Tuond Street, Hessle Road, Blacksmith, both in Hull in the County of Yorkshire,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
The object of our invention is to prevent otter or trawl boards from falling over
when trawling, and to allow of such boards being drawn in easily, and preventing
them catching on the sea bottom or against boulders or the like, and also of their
being drawn up the vessels side with greater ease.
We construct our invention as follows: —
We place on the inner face of each board, (that being the side or face to which
the towing chains or the like are attached,) a runner or runners of any suitable
size, the said runners or wheels may be mounted in brackets, or let into the board
itself, and they may turn loosely on a spindle, or on antifriction runners if desired.
When the boards are being towed through the water, the wheel, standing out at
right angles from the face of the board, is horizontal in the water, thus being
buoyed up, and keeping the board in an upright position.
If by any means the boards happen to tilt over and go to the bottom, they would
fall on their inner faces, and therefore the runner or runners would revolve on the
sea bottom, and would surmount boulders and other obstacles, thus tending to
preserve the boards from damage, they would also allow of the boards being more
easily drawn up the sides of the vessel, as such runners would revolve on the
vessels side and thus obviate the friction which is caused by the boards themselves
bearing against the vessels sides.
If desired, in place of having a wheel or runner we may employ a square, semi-
circular, or other suitably shaped projection, to take the place of such wheel. With
our improvements the otter boards are applicable to sailing vessels such as smacks
or the like.
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Improvements in or connected with Otter or Trawl Boards for
Fishing Purposes.
We WILLIAM LENGFIELD and CHARLES EDWIN WARD, of the Firm of Lengfield
and Ward, of Neptune Street, Shipwrights, and GEORGE HENRY WISE, 100 Rosa-
mond Street, Hessle Road, Blacksmith, all in Hull, in the County of Yorkshire, do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
Pic 81

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of our invention is to prevent otter or trawl boards from falling over
on their sides when trawling also to prevent them catching on the sea bottom or
against boulders or the like and to allow of their being drawn up the vessel's side
with greater case.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
1
Fig. 1. Shows inside view of an otter or trawl board for fishing purposes with a
wheel or runner let into the board according to our invention.
Fig. 2. Shows plan view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. Shows a front view of an otter or trawl board with a projection on either
side in place of a wheel.
Fig. 4. Shows inside view of an otter or trawl board with a projection on it in
place of a wheel such projection being preferably hinged to form a flap.
Fig. 5. Is a front view of Fig. 3 showing hinged projections or flaps on both sides
in place of a wheel or wheels.
Fig. 6 Shows a front view of an, otter or trawl board with a wheel on one side
and a projection on the other side.
We construct our invention as follows:-We place on the inner face of each
board A that being the side or face to which the towing chains or the like Bare
attached, a runner or runners C of any suitable size the said runners or wheels C
may be mounted in brackets 1) or let into the board itself and they may turn loosely
on a spindle E or on antifriction runners if desired.
> .
When the wheel C. is let into the board A we may form a bearing to take such
wheel preferably by hollowing out: the board (as shown at Fig. 2) and placing two
bars of iron or any other suitable material in the recess thus formed, such
bars are dished or hollowed to take the axle or spindle E of the wheel C.
If desired balls or other antifriction runners may be placed in the bearing for
such spindle to turn on thus allowing of an easy movement of the wheel and
preventing it sticking.
When the boards A are being towed through the water the wheel C standing out
at right angles from the face of the boards A are horizontal in the water thus being
buoyed up and keeping the boards in an upright position. If by any means the
boards A happened to tilt over in the water and go to the bottom they fall on
either their backs or faces and therefore the runner or runners C would revolve on
the sea bottom and would surmount boulders and other obstacles thus tending to
preserve the boards from damage they would also allow of the boards being more
casily drawn up the sides of the vessel as such runners would bear against and
revolve on the vessel's side and thus obviate the friction which is caused by the
flat sides of the boards themselves bearing against the vessel's sides.
If desired in place of having a wheel or runner we may employ a square semi-
circular or other suitably shaped projection or projections G to take the place of
such wheel.
These projections G may be either rigid as shown at Fig. 3 or may be hinged
jointed or the like so forming a flap to swing as shown at Figs. 4 5 and 6.
Such projections or flaps G are connected to the boards A by hinges H a stop J
may be employed to prevent such projection, or flap. opening too much and if desired
a chain or the like K may be attached to an eyebolt or the like L on the board A
such chain being for the purpose of engaging with a link M or the like on the
projection or flap G to keep the said projections or flaps up in any desired position.
When such projections are hinged or jointed we preferably attach a strip of
wood or any suitable material,G' to the board just above and the same thickness
as the flap which is hinged to it by this means they lay flat against the, board
when not in use and when in use can be drawn up to stand out at any suitable
angle from the board as shown in dotted lines (see Fig. 5) so acting as wings for
keeping the board in an upright position.

page_text: If desired a recess may be made in the board directly underneath the flap and
of a depth of about the thickness of such flap to allow of the said flap fitting within
such recess when not in use so that it does not stand off the side of the board when
the boards are being drawn over the vessel's side.
Where such recess is formed the flap may be hinged or connected to the top edge
of the recess instead of a strip or the like G¹ as shown in Figs. 4 5 and 6.
In place of having a wheel running through the board or a wheel on either side
or a projection or flap on either side we may employ a wheel C on one side of the
board and a projection or flap G on the other side see Fig. 6.
With our improvements the otter boards are applicable to sailing vessels such as
smacks or the like it having hitherto been found impossible to work them satis-
factorily from sailing vessels as when the vessel had not sufficient way on owing to
lack of wind or other causes the boards could not keep in an upright position
in the water but fell over on their sides thus closing the mouth of the net.
If desired a hollow tube may be let into the wheel or wheels or an air tight
chamber may be formed therein as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2 for the purpose
of giving greater buoyancy to the said wheel and causing it to float when in water
this together with the bearing surface of such wheel or wheels in the water when
the boards are in use causes such boards to keep in an upright position. See Fig.
Otter boards provided with our improvements can be put into the sea and will
settle down into the sea in an upright position the wheels or projections or flaps
standing out from the sides of the boards acting as wings or floats to balance such
boards with such part bearing on the water it is almost impossible for the boards
to tilt over.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim
is:-
1. In connection with otter or trawl boards for use with fishing nets for trawling
purposes, the employment of a wheel or runner C, mounted on one side of each
boaid A, or two wheels or runners C, mounted one on each side of each board A
or a wheel or runner C let into the board A, and projecting through either side
and with or without hollow tube or chamber, in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as shown and described.
2. Constructing otter or trawl boards applicable to fishing nets for trawling
purposes, with projections or hinged flaps, in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as shown and described.
3. In connection with otter or trawl boards applicable to fishing nets for trawling
purposes, the employment of a flap or flaps such as G, hinged at H, and provided
with a stop J, chain K, eyebolts M, in the manner and for the purposes,
substantially as shown and described.
4 Constructing otter trawl boards applicable to fishing nets for trawling
purposes, with a wheel C on one side of such board, and a projection or flap G on
the other side, in the manner and for the purposes, substantially as shown and
described.
5. Constructing otter boards A, with wheels C, flaps or projections G, on one
or both sides for the purpose of acting as buoys for balancing purposes, so that the
boards will keep in an upright position, in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as shown and described.
1
100%
JOHN E. WALSH,
Savile Street, Hull and Crossley Street, Halifax,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.