Improvements in or connected with Collapsable Boats and their Fittings.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Collapsable Boats and their
Fittings.
I, EDWARD LYON BERTHON, of Romsey, Hants, M.A., do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain detail appliances connected with collapsable
boats specially adapted as ordinary, as life and transport boats such as those
used on narrow creeks, inlets, and rivers, also for the landing of stores from ships,
for landing troops, for forming pontoons, or pontoon bridges, or the like for
military purposes.
To carry my invention into practice, I connect to each end of a keel or keelson
a series of eye bolts, these being loosely affixed to hooks or toggles on the ends of
permanently shaped laths or battens which conform to the shape of a boat when
opened out but which lie in compact order when folded in and lashed.
The battens are enclosed in a double, or it may be a single waterproof or sail
cloth jacket or skin, which is also affixed to the top rail or gunwale of the boat.
These battens are preferably built up of veneers cemented with a waterproof
glue, or they may be nailed together for making them as light in weight and as
strong as possible. Certain parts of the top rail on each side are provided with
tie or stretcher pieces which can retain the boat in an open condition and probably
serve as seats.
The keel has a folding flooring secured to it and this is provided at intervals
with chocks to which strainer bars are held, the upper ends being made to engage
under the boat's top rail to stiffen it. The chocks otherwise serve as resting blocks
for seats, spars, ropes, and other necessary appliances.
The stretcher pieces may be so jointed that a lever forming part of same can be
acted upon for lengthening them.
The frame of the boats may be only half the length and two of such can be
united to make a complete boat, or be stood up on end, on say, a river's bank, or in
a field but at a distance apart as to form the ends of a tent, the intervening space
being covered by a sail or otherwise for temporary protection from the weather,
such as in a case of shipwreck, or other cause.
The seats can also be made to fold and when opened out they can be bolted or
ocked to serve also as stays.
Boats made as above recited can be lashed side by side, or at a distance apart
n the water for planks constituting a platform upon which men and animals could
ass for crossing rivers, or as a lighters while loading or discharging a ship
where no wharf exists, or on a shallow beach, and if the boats be made sufficiently
arge field guns and other material of war can be conveyed as well as troops being
anded.

page_text: The locking of the stretcher levers can be effected by a catch or latch which
when struck on the tail end will force the nose over a plate and fix it.
D
201
1
T 1
1000
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Edward Lyon Berthon.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or connected with Collapsable Boats and their
Fittings.
51
I, EDWARD LYON BERTHON, of Romsey, Hants, M.A., 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 relates to certain detail appliances connected with collapsable
boats specially adapted as ordinary, as life, and transport boats, such as those
used on narrow creeks, inlets, and rivers, also for the landing of stores from ships,
for landing troops, for forming pontoons or pontoon bridges, or the like for
military purposes.
To carry my invention into practice, I connect to each end of a keel or keelson,
a series of eye bolts, these being loosely affixed to hooks or toggles on the ends of
permanently shaped laths or battens which conform to the shape of a boat when
opened out but which lie in compact order when folded in and lashed.
The battens are enclosed in a double or it may be a single waterproof or sail
cloth jacket or skin which is also affixed to the top rail or gunwale of the boat.
These battens are preferably built up of veneers cemented with a waterproof
glue, or they may be nailed together for making them as light in weight and as
strong as possible.
Certain parts of the top rail on each side are provided with tie or stretcher pieces
which can retain the boat in an open condition and probably serve as seats. The
keel has a folding flooring secured to it and this is provided at intervals with
chocks to which strainer bars or struts are held, the upper ends being made to
engage under the boat's top rail to stiffen it.
The stretcher pieces may be so jointed that a lever forming part of same can be
acted upon for lengthening them.
My invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the annexed
drawings.
Figure 1 opened out bow or stern end of a collapsable boat having side strips
of wood layers secured at their ends to eye bolts of a flap which is also hinged to the
bow or stern post forming part with the keel or main frame, the canvas being
affixed to the frame and the gunwale and also to the strips, as indicated.
Figure 2 one half side of the end with the strips and gunwale folded downwardly
or collapsed.
Figure 3 represents what might be termed a mid ship section of a collapsable
or folding boat in which two canvases are employed and having the wood layered
strips between, this view also showing a jointed stretcher or strut by which the
side of the boat is made rigid, one end of the strut being set in a recess of the floor-
ing, and the other under the gunwale for straining the canvas, the strut becoming
locked by its upper half being forced down to lie flush with the lower half as shown
at Figure 4.
Figure 5 illustrates a folding boat of my invention in side elevation opened out,

page_text: Figure 6 showing the same boat folded and with the flooring which is hinged
along its central line, as at Figure 4, occupying a position amidship.
Figure 7 is a plan of one of my folding boats showing the position of the struts
which maintain the rigidity of the boat when the strips are opened out and.
prepared ready for use as a boat.
A, A, are strips or battens of wood bent to the desired shape by the ordinary
steaming and mould drying process, these being built up in layers for strength and
secured together in the necessary lengths.
The ends have eye bolts B, B, attached by which said ends can be affixed to the
fore and aft posts C, D, which are preferably part of the keel E and to each of which
the canvas F is secured, the canvas being first' prepared to make it waterproof and
finally varnished to preserve it against the action of the weather.
The canvas is cemented and nailed to the strips and where the nail heads appear
an outer strip is fastened on as a protection against injury. The upper edges
of the canvas are also secured to the gunwale G which with the strip battens A, A,
are attached to folding flaps H, H, which when the struts I, I, are loosened permit
of the folding to reduce the width of the boat and occupy little stowage room.
J, the flooring hinged at the under side centrally to fold upwardly from the centre.
K, K, are chocks or lip pieces on the flooring for the lodgment of the
lower ends of the struts I, I, the upper ends of each being jointed
to lever L capable of being folded downwards and be locked by a
claw catch M when the other end lodged under the gunwale G has been
stretched to make the side of the boat rigid.
The frame of the boats may be only half the length and two of such can be united
to make a complete boat, or be stood up on end on, say, a river's bank or in a field
but at a distance apart as to form the ends of a tent, the intervening space being
covered by a sail or otherwise for temporary protection from the weather, such as in
the case of shipwreck, or other cause. The seats can also be made to fold, and
when opened out they can be bolted or locked to serve also as stays.
Boats made as above recited can be lashed side by side, or at a distance apart in
the water for planks constituting a platform upon which men and animals could
pass for crossing rivers, or as lighters while loading or discharging a ship where
no wharf exists, or on a shallow beach, and if the boats be made sufficiently large,
field guns and other material of war can be conveyed as well as troops being
landed.
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 I
claim is:-
The construction of collapsable or folding boats and the like of built up strip
battens secured at the ends by eye bolts to fore and aft posts forming part of the
keel and having single or double skin of waterproof canvas capable of extension
by lever or jointed struts resting on flooring and under gunwale strips to produce
rigidity when opened out, as described and substantially as shown.
7131
- of Nov. 1900
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Edward Lyon Berthon.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Edward Lyon Berthon.