Improvements in Boat Disengaging Gear
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1897-Accepted, 9th Oct., 1897
Improvements in Boat Disengaging Gear.
FREDERICK JOHN SWEETING Marine Surveyor 23 Rood Lane City. I do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I fit a straight Iron post instead of a curved Davit. To this post is fitted a short jib
head constructed of a flat plate with Angles on each side about two feet from top of
post, the jib head is supported by a bar from the top of Post on which it revolves to
the end of jib and also by a bracket plate forming a knee, underneath the jib head
also revolving on a stop worked on the upright post. On the jib I fit a travelling
shackle with rollers to travel on Angles in & out. To the lower part of shackle the
Boats tackle is hooked, to the upper part is fitted a pall & this works in a ratchet
cut in the top of plate forming middle piece of jib head, this ratchet & pawl hold the
Boat at any distance out on the jib that may be required. To release Boat from
chocks I provide chocks on one side of the Boat either of metal or partly of metal
and of wood of sufficient size and strength to hold the Boat in place: to these I fit
double action levers connected by bolt acting under the Keel, and these levers with
the gripe bolts are so arranged that by moving either lever all four Gripes and chocks
are released at the same time.
LOLL
October 1906
I FREDERICK JOHN SWEETING of 23 Rood Lane in the City of London Marine
Surveyor 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:-
The present apparatus or gear, which is commonly used for releasing small boats
hung on davits from ship sides, has on many occasions proved ineffective, and takes
considerable time to clear the boat from chocks and gripes, the boat having to be
lifted before she can be swung out.
The improvement. I claim in my invention is that the boat does not require to be
lifted out of chocks, whether the boat is fitted on the ship's deck or on a skid beam.
I provide what I call inside and outside chocks in which the boat lies, 2 chocks for
each end of the boat, 4 in all; the inside chocks are permanently fixed in position;
the outside chocks are fixed on a long pivot bolt which passes through both chocks; on
each end of the bolt I fix next the outside chock a double action lever working on the
bolt and controlling the gripe bolts that serve to keep the boat on the chocks; these
chocks are actuated by a lever fitted to and forming a continuation of each chock
on the other side of the long pivot bolt, the pivot bolt being the fulcrum: I make
this lever to move up and down one side of each inside or fixed chock, and I keep it

page_text: (lever) down (and the outside chock is then up holding the boat) by a bolt which
runs through the other or fixed chock and protrudes sufficiently to catch the lever:
these bolts may be withdrawn and pushed back by independent levers (one for each
bolt) fixed to the other side of each inside chock, or one releasing lever may serve for
both bolts I adopt the latter device. When the bolts are withdrawn the chock
levers spring up, the chocks fall away and (the chocks being fixed on the through
bolt) the gripe bolts are withdrawn simultaneously and the boat is thereby released.
I fix the releasing levers on a strong wooden bar which bar is fixed between and
supported by the inside chocks.
The chocks may be made either of wood or metal, or partly of wood and partly of
metal, and they will of course be of sufficient size and strength and particularly the
outside chock and lever to hold with the gripes the boat with a certain amount of
weight in it, even when there is a heavy sea on.
Sheet 1 is an elevation of one end of boat showing chocks in the position necessary
for holding the boat.