IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF SAILING AND OTHER BOATS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ebenezer Poulson, of 8, Martin Street, Ber-
'
mondsey, in the County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF SAILING AND OTHER
BOATS."
Sealed the 15th November 1872, and dated the 21st May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ebenezer Poulson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st May 1872.
I, EBENEZER POULSON, of 8, Martin Street, Bermondsey, in the County
of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF SAILING AND
BOATS," to be as follows:-
OTHER
This relates to improvements upon a previous Invention patented
by me on the 6th day of May 1867, No. 1323, whereby the stability
and buoyant properties of boats when under canvas or otherwise are
increased to a great extent.

page_text: The Invention consists in attaching to each end of the "horse" upon
which the main sheet rides or traverses one end of a rod or bar which
passes through a fixed thwart of the boat, and extends to near the
bottom, where it is bent upwards, and then again at right angles to be
attached to the boat by a lug or projection on the under side of the fixed
thwart, its end being free to move in a slot or hole in the boat's side.
In lieu of attaching the rod or bar to the horse it can be attached to
a false or upper thwart upon which men can be seated, and thus act
as ballast by their weight, which becomes distributed or thrown as
it were to the bottom of the boat by the action of the rod or bar.
When the horse is attached to the bent rod or bar the drag or strain
is upwards, or the reverse of that which happens when the false seat is
depressed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
filed by the said Ebenezer Poulson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER
POULSON, of 8, Martin Street, Bermondsey, in the County of Kent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Ebenezer Poulson, Her special licence, that
I, the said Ebenezer Poulson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Ebenezer Poulson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF SAILING AND OTHER BOATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Ebenezer Poulson, 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

page_text: 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 Ebenezer Poulson, 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 relates to improvements upon a previous Invention patented
by me on 6th day of May 1867, No. 1323, whereby the stability and
buoyant properties of boats when under canvas or otherwise are increased
to a great extent.
The Invention consists in attaching to each end of the "horse "
upon which the main sheet rides or traverses one end of a rod or bar
which passes through a fixed thwart of the boat and extends to near the
bottom, where it is bent upwards, and then again at right angles to
be attached to the boat by a lug or projection on the under side of the
fixed thwart, its end being free to move in a slot or hole in the boat's
side. In lieu of attaching the rod or bar to the horse it can be attached
to a false or upper thwart, upon which men can be seated, and thus
act as ballast by their weight, which becomes distributed or thrown
as it were to the bottom of the boat by the action of the rod or bar.
When the horse is attached to the bent rod or bar the drag or strain is
upwards, or the reverse of that which happens when the false seat is
depressed.
The Invention will be well understood by reference to the annexed
Drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a sailing
boat with a fixed rail, bar, or seat a, above which is a false thwart or
tie bar 6 connecting the two ends of the "horse" b¹ upon which the
ring or traveller c of the sail boom tackle is free to move from one side
to the other in the usual manner. The ends of the horse are secured
to the tie bar by rods d, d, which pass through the fixed rail a and are
carried downwards to flooring or foot boards e, e, and then bent so that
the flooring can be secured to them in a rigid manner. The bars are
then bent upwards again, as shown, and then outwards towards the sides
of the boat as at f, where they are pinned or jointed to lips or lugs g, I,
fixed upon the under side of the fixed rail a, the extreme ends h, h,
F

page_text: passing into [apertures in the boat's sides, and against the walls of
which the ends bear upon an excessive strain being put upon the
horse.
The action of this apparatus for securing the safety of sailing boats
is on the sail tacking across to catch the wind, as shown more par-
ticularly in Figure 2, a view of the boat complete, the travel and pull
of the traveller c causes a strain upon the end i of the horse, this tends
to lift the rod d, and that end of the flooring e, but the flooring is
prevented from lifting by reason of the extension f¹ and piece being
hung upon the centre, whereupon the end h catches against the wall
of the aperture, offers a resistance to the boat's gunwale being carried or
brought over to such a degree as to ship water or to be dangerous to the
occupants, the tendency being to lift that side of the boat, and to draw
down the opposite side by the force of the wind rather than to depress it
as is the case with ordinary sailing boats.
The view shown in Figure 1 may be considered as taken through
the bow portion or through the stern, both ends or one end only being
fitted with the same kind of apparatus. If both ends are fitted the
forward one will serve for the traveller of the forsail, the aft one to
serve for the mainsail, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 3 represents a midship section of the boat; here the seat
proper \ is fitted to the two rods d, d, which become depressed under
the weight of the persons sitting upon it, the lower ends of these rods
being bent at right angles or nearly so for the attachment of the floor
in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figure 1. The
bars lead up to jointed levers which are pivotted to the lips or lugs,
so that the extreme ends can bear freely against the walls of the notches
or apertures in the boat's sides only in the reverse direction to those
shewn in Figure 1. By this means the weight of the persons sitting in
the boat is utilized for steadying the same, and enables the boat to sail
without false ballast, a circumstance of immense importance to skiffs,
wherries, gigs, and other small boats without sails, the whole weight
of the occupants being thrown to the bottom or near to the bottom of
the boat. The same may be said of this property in the case of persons
standing in the boat, as also of luggage carried therein; the whole
weight is received by the flooring, consequently the boat contains
what might be termed a natural ballast, and that always in proportion
to the weight carried or the amount of immersion desired. Small war

page_text: vessels (gun boats) may have the apparatus fitted, whereby the weight
of the gun forms the ballast, and carries the centre of gravity below the
water line, the gun being above.
Figure 4 represents a modification of the plan shown in Figure 1,
the difference being the dispensation of the tie bar and the rigid bend
at k, otherwise the action is the same.
The three plans shown separately in Figures 1, 3, and 4, can be used
in the same boat as in Figure 2, or they can be used singly or either
two of the plans as desired.
The Invention consisting of, and to which claim is herein made,-
Firstly. To fitting sailing boats with an apparatus capable of resisting
the strain of the sail or canvas, substantially as herein-before described
and shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4 of the Drawings.
Secondly. To fitting rowing and sculling boats with an apparatus
capable of throwing the weight of the occupants to near the bottom and
below the water line of such boats, substantially in the manner described
and shewn in Figures 2 and 3 of the Drawings annexed.
And lastly, I claim the combination of the apparatus herein-before
described and shown to row boats which are capable of carrying sails,
whereby the strain or force of the wind upon the sails tends to lift the
depressing side and to depress the lifting side of the boat, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Poulson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.