Improvements in the Propulsion of Boats.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Boats.
I, PIERRE dit ALFRED LAFORESTERIE, of 75 Rue Saint Louis, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
This invention has for its object to provide a novel system of propulsion, which
with slight modification may be applied to any size or form of boat.
The
To this end my invention consists in the application to boats of a number of
oscillating levers the lower ends of which pass through the shell of the boat and
are each furnished with a movable paddle or plate in such a manner, that the latter
will reverse its position at the end of each oscillation or back and forward movement
of the lever and thus alternately cut through or offer resistance in the water.
said levers are each furnished with a socket suitably pivoted to the side of the boat
which permit the oscillation of the paddle lever and a partially rotary movement
of the paddle or plate independent of its lever. The upper end of the paddle lever
is furnished with a stud arranged to move in a groove formed in one side of a box
through which the paddle lever projects. At each end of the said groove is a stop
pin against which the stud of the paddle lever abuts at the end of each oscillation
and which causes the paddle or plate to make a quarter of a turn.
The said paddle levers are fixed to the boat in pairs, one at the rear and one
in or about the middle, those at the rear being straight and tied together by a cross
har so as to facilitate a simultaneous movement of the two paddle levers, if necessary
by one hand, and permit of operating the rudder with the other hand, whilst the
paddle levers in or about the middle of the boat are bent so as to facilitate the side
manipulation of the boat.
To prevent the water entering the boat through the box within which oscillate
the paddle levers, a plate is attached to the latter which forms a section of a circle
and is adapted to slide at each side in a groove in connection with other similar
plates which overlap and hook on to each other so as to allow of being slid under-
neath each other or extended by the movement of the paddle lever and thus keep
the respective portion of the said box always closed.
In lieu of actuating the said paddle levers by hand, they may be actuated in any
convenient manner by motive power.
Dated this 31st day of October 1892.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Boats.
I, PIERRE dit ALFRED LAFORESTERIE, of 75, Rue Saint Louis, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Gentlemen, 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 :-
This invention has for its object to provide a novel system of propulsion which,
with slight modification may be applied to any size or form of boat.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to
be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 a plan showing one half of a boat constructed
in accordance with my invention.
In carrying out my invention the improvements consist in the application to
boats of a number of oscillating levers A, B, & F, G, the lower ends of which pass
through the shell C of the boat and are each furnished with a movable paddle or
plate V, in such a manner, that the latter will reverse its position at the end of
each oscillation or back and forward movement of the said levers and thus alternately
cut through or offer resistance in the water. The said levers are each furnished
with a socket c suitably pivoted to the side of the boat, which permit the oscillation
of the same and a partially rotary movement of the paddles or plates V independant
of their lever. The upper end of the paddle levers A, B, & F, G, are each
furnished with a stud i arranged to move in a groove o formed in one side of a
box H through which the said levers project. At each end of the said groove
stop pins, s', against which the stud abuts at the end of each oscillation of the
said paddle levers and which causes the paddles or plates V to make a quarter of a
turn.
is a
The said paddle levers are fixed to the boat in pairs, one pair A, B, at the rear
and one pair F, G, in or about the middle, those at the rear being straight and tied
together by a cross bar (not shown) so as to facilitate a simultaneous, more
effective and regular movement of the two paddle levers and permit, if necessary, of
operating the same by one hand and the rudder J with the other hand, or by means
of a steam or other motor whilst the paddle levers F, G, in or about the middle of
the boat are bent, so as to facilitate the side manipulation of the boat.
The pivots a of the rear paddle levers A, B, are supported by a bracket E, fixed
to the side of the boat whilst the pivots a' of the paddle levers F, G, are supported
in the shell C of the boat. The latter arrangement is preferably as it offers no
resistance to the water.
I may also remark that the form of the paddles or plates V of the levers A, B,
differ from that of the levers F, G.
In Fig. 2, B1, B2, shows the particular section of the levers A, B, two corners
of which are rounded off, whilst the other remain at a suitable height, is furnished
with the stud i. The levers A, B, can turn freely in the sockets c which move
with the pivots a and it will readily be understood that the propulsion will take
place in the direction of the arrow. For instance the lever B in the position indicated
in the drawing has given off work and the paddles or plates V are ready to return
and cut the water, the stop pins against which the stud i abuts limiting the
movement of the lever B exactly to a quarter of a revolution which brings it into
the position B, shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, when it is ready to give off work
and thus move the boat. The turning of this paddle or plate is impossible owing
to the two surfaces of the lever having very little play in the groove o of the
box H.
When moving the lever B in the direction indicated by arrow 2 a forward
impulse is given to the boat and when the stud i meets the stop pin s¹ the lever has
also made a quarter of a revolution takes up again a position parallel to the move-
ment, the paddle or plate V which having two sharp edges cuts the water without
giving any resistance whatever.
The arrangement of paddle levers F, G, near the middle of the boat differs
from A, B, only in that their pivots a' are employed in the shell C of the boat and
that the same are at a skew and on their return they move side ways in lieu of in a
vertical plain.
This arrangement has for its advantage a larger impulsive force and to maintain
the boat always steady in spite of rough weather.
To slacken, stop or move the boat backwards the levers and consequently the
paddles or plates V are moved (as shown in Fig. 1, the lever A) alternately
forwards and backwards, without moving the same as far as the stop pins s, s.
It will be evident that the device described may be easily combined with a hand
Hy wheel or motor of any kind.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what we
claim, is-
A new propelling device for boats, consisting of
1st. The combination of levers carrying paddles or plates with sockets D, c
permitting their rotation, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2nd. The combination of the stop pins s, s¹, with the groove o and the stud i
controlling the said rotary movement, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3rd. The combination of the various organs described adapted to present
themselves to the water perpendicular to the course and the whole of the paddle or
plate surface when giving off work and cutting the water parallel to the course,
i.e. without hardly any resistance after they have taken up their initial position,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4th. Actuating the said paddle levers by hand or by a suitable motor and
forming the same straight or bent, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 31st day of July 1893.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.