Improvements in Steering Apparatus for Racing or other Boats, or Vessels of Any Kind.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steering Apparatus for Racing or other Boats, or
Vessels of Any Kind.
―:
I, WALTER PERCIVAL WETHERED of Great Marlow, in the County of Bucks.,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to racing or other boats, sailing or steam ships, barges or
vessels of any kind, and consists of improvements in the steering apparatus whereby
the said boat or vessel may be caused more readily and promptly to answer its helm
and to turn in a circle of smaller radius than can be effected by the usual rudder.
To effect my purpose I add to the usual stern rudder a supplementary rudder at
the bows of the boat or vessel, and I connect the two rudders to one another in
Buch a manner that the two rudders shall act simultaneously with one another but
at opposite angles to the keel so as jointly to cause the turning of the boat or vessel
about its own centre between the said rudders.
The operation of the stern rudder may be by yoke lines, tiller, by wheel apparatus
or steam steering gear as already known.
To connect the two rudders in order that they shall act simultaneously I may
employ lines, rods, wires, or chains, according to the size and character of the boat
or vessel.
In the case of a racing boat in which the rudder is provided with a cross bar, to
which the yoke lines are attached, the forward rudder may also be provided with
such cross bar and the two cross bars of the two rudders may be connected by lines
or wires, crossing one another in order to relatively reverse the action of the two
rudders either in front of the stern rudder, or behind the bow rudder and carried on
suitable rollers round the coaming of the open part of the boat in which the
rowers sit.
In larger vessels the connections would be by chains or rods passing round the
deck under the bulwarks. In such cases also the top of the rudder head might
conveniently be a horizontal wheel, with sockets or sprockets, into or over which
the chain would engage so as to cause the rudder wheels and heads to turn in either
direction with the movement of the chain. Instead of such chains crossing one
another to cause the relatively reverse action of the rudders, the cliain may, by
riding rollers, be caused to pass in a reverse direction round one rudder wheel as
compared with the other.
The rudders may be either below the keel in the case of small boats or recessed
into the keel or dead-wood in the case of larger vessels.
1000
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steering Apparatus for Racing or other Boats, or
Vessels of Any Kind.
I, WALTER PERCIVAL WETHERED, formerly of Buckland Hill, Maidstone, in
the County of Kent, but now of Great Marlow, in the County of Bucks. Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :---
My invention relates to racing or other boats, sailing or steain ships, barges, or

page_text: vessels of any kind, and consists of improvements in the steering apparatus, whereby
the said boat or vessel may be caused more readily and promptly to answer its
helm, and to turn in a circle of smaller radius than can be effected by the usual
rudder.
To effect my purpose, I add to the usual stern rudder a supplementary rudder at
the bows of the boat or vessel, and I connect the two rudders to one another in
such a manner that the two rudders shall act simultaneously, with one another, but
at opposite angles to the keel, so as jointly to cause the turning of the boat or
vessel about its own centre between the said rudders.
The operation of the stern rudder may be by yoke, lines, tiller, by wheel apparatus,
or steam steering gear or by any other means as already known.
To connect the two rudders, in order that they shall act simultaneously, I may
employ lines, rods, wires, or chains, according to the size and character of the boat
or vessel.
In the case of a racing boat, in which the rudder is provided with a cross-bar, to
which the yoke lines are attached, the forward rudder may also be provided with
such cross-bar, and the two cross-bars of the two rudders may be connected by lines
or wires, crossing one another, in order to relatively reverse the action of the two
rudders, either in front of the stern rudder, or behind the bow rudder, and carried
on suitable rollers round the coaming of the open part of the boat in which the
rowers sit.
In other vessels, large or small, ironclads, steamships, or of any other description,
connections would be by chains or rods passing round the deck under the
bulwarks.
In such cases also the top of the rudder-head might conveniently be a horizontal
wheel with sockets or sprockets, into or over which the chain would engage, so as
to cause the rudder-wheels and heads to turn in either direction with the
movement of the chain.
Instead of such chains crossing one another, to cause the relatively reverse action
of the rudders, the chain may, by riding rollers, be caused to pass in a reverse
direction round one rudder wheel as compared with the other.
The rudders may be either below the keel in the case of small boats, or recessed
into the keel or dead-wood in the case of larger vessels, or in front of and behind
the keel respectively.
And in order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a racing boat fitted with my steering apparatus.
Figure 2 is a deck plan, and,
Figure 3 is a bottom plan of the same.
Figure 4 is an elevation of any launch or vessel fitted with my steering
apparatus.
Figure 5 is a deck plan, and
Figure 6 is a bottom plan of the same.
Like letters refer to similar parts in the various figures.
A is the usual rudder situated at the stern of a boat or vessel, operated by yoke
lines, tiller, wheel apparatus, or steam steering gear in any convenient way.
To give the boat or vessel a quicker and more powerful action in answer to the
helm, causing the boat or vessel to turn in a circle of smaller radius than heretofore,
I apply a supplementary rudder B at the bows of the boat or vessel, and I connect
the two rudders to one another in such a manner that they shall diverge in opposite
directions from the keel of the vessel, so as to mutually co-act in the turning of
the vessel in the same direction.
In the case of a racing or small boat as in Figures 1 to 3 in which the rudder is
usually provided with cross bars C C', I connect the cross bar C of the stern
rudder by lines or wires D. either in front of the stern rudder A or behind the bow

page_text: The connecting lines or wires are carried on suitable rollers around the coaming
The two rudders
or sides of the boat, so as to be out of the way of the rowers.
are thus simultaneously operated by the usual yoke lines attached to the cross
bar C of the stern rudder A..
In larger vessels, as in Figures 4 to 6, the arrangement is practically the same,
except that the top of the rudder-head would most conveniently be a horizontal
sprocket wheel, into which a chain Di would gear, and form the connection between
the stern and bow rudder, or any other connection between the stern and bow
to make the two rudders operate
rudder may be used, which will serve
simultaneously.
In order that the bow rudder B may work in a reverse angle as compared
with the stern rudder, the connecting chains may be crossed between the two
rudders, or more conveniently to save obstruction of deck space, the connecting
chain may be made to take a reverse direction round one rudder head B, as shown
in Fig. 5 by guiding rollers d, d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a boat or vessel the combination of a usual stern rudder with a supple-
mentary bow rudder connected by lines, chains, or rods, so that both rudders
move simultaneously in reverse angles to the line of the keel, substantially as
described.
2nd. The arrangement and construction in a boat or vessel of two combined bow
and stern rudders with line, chain, or rod connections thereto, substantially for the
purposes as described and illustrated herewith.
Dated this 24th day of April 1893.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.