IMPROVEMENTS IN ROW BOATS HAVING SLIDING SEATS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROW BOATS HAVING SLIDING
SEATS to be as follows:-
"
The present invention relates to row boats provided with sliding seats and has
for its object to obtain greater freedom in the movement of the seat.
It is well known that the invention of sliding seats has considerably improved
the propulsion of boats by oars, lessening the labour of the rowers.
It is important
then that the seat should be as free to move as possible and be able to yield freely
to the impulsion given to it by the body of the rower.
Now the arrangement at present in use according to which the seat is simply
furnished on the under side at its four angles with little rollers running upon the
level edge of the boat or else upon a fixed seat below, is very imperfect; the rollers
frequently set fast and they not having sufficient rolling power to surmount
the accidental obstacles which they meet.
It is proposed consequently to mount the seat upon wheels of as large a diameter
as the depth of the boat will admit, and to provide for these rolling upon hollow
rails arranged upon a special frame in the bottom of the boat.
The wheels as well as the attachments, the rails and the frame are all kept
within suitable limits of weight so as to secure the movement of the sliding seat
without adding weight to materially impede the progress of the boat.

page_text: I SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROW BOATS HAVING SLIDING
SEATS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present Invention relates to row boats provided with sliding seats, and has
for its object to obtain greater freedom in the movement of the seat.
It is well known that the invention of sliding seats has considerably improved
It is important
the propulsion of boats by ours, lessening the labour of the rowers.
then that the seat should be as free to move as possible and be able to yield freely
to the impulse given to it by the body of the rower.
Now the arrangement at present in use, according to which the sent is simply
furnished on the under side at its four angles with little rollers running upon the
level edge of the boat or else upon a fixed sent below, is very imperfect; the rollers
frequently set fast and they not having suflicient rolling power to surmount the
accidental obstacles which they meet..
It is proposed consequently to mount the seat upon wheels of as large a diameter
as the depth of the boat will admit and to provide for these rolling upon hollow
rails arranged upon a special frame in the bottom of the boat.
The wheels as well as the attachinents, the rails and the frame are all kept within
suitable limits of weight so as to secure the movement of the sliding seat without
adding weight to materially impede the progress of the boat.
The annexed drawings represent the arrangements as I prefer that they should
be made for the sliding seat.
Figure 1 is a plan, and
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a row boat showing the general arrangement
of the seat, and its carriage.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the seat and carriage to a larger scale.
Figure 4 shows a plan of the same.
Figure 5 is a transverse section showing one side of the boat and a back view of
one half of the seat and carriage or rolling system,
A is the shell of the boat. B is the sliding seat supported on a frame. C of wood
or other sufficiently strong and light material. This frame supports beneath the
front and back part of the seat two steel axes D D each carrying a pair of bronze
wheels E. These wheels, which are kept at a suitable distance apart by their axes,
roll upon the rails F which are fixed upon two boards G placed upon the bottom' of
the boat. These boards only occupy the centre part of the boat where the rolling
movement of the seat takes place. The boards are held in place by one or several
cross pieces so arranged as not to bear upon the shell.
The hollow form shown by the drawing is given to the rails F in order to lighten
them.
I do not desire to limit myself to these arrangements for it may be convenient
to substitute for the four wheels two side wheels with a third wheel rolling on an
intermediate rail or other like combination.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is the construction of boats with sliding seats mounted upon wheels rolling
upon rails arranged at the bottom of the boat substantially as described above.
Dated this 11th day of October 1884.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.