Improvements in Folding Boats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1895
Improvements in Folding Boats.
I, CAMPBELL MELLIS DOUGLAS of 25 Palace Street Berwick-on-Tweed,
North Britain, Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Army Medical Staff, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of folding boats of
the kind for which Letters Patent were granted to me dated the 15th day of
September 1893 No. 17,402 and the improvements relate chiefly to the means
of securing in position the removable ribs by which the boat is kept distended and
to the means of imparting the necessary buoyancy and self-righting capacity to
the boat.
The boat is constructed as before of a waterproof canvas skin attached to a
keel and to gunwales hinged to the stem and stern posts of the keel so as to be
capable of folding down closely alongside of the keel the canvas being stiffened
in the longitudinal direction by battens which maintain the form of the boat and
in the transverse direction by ribs which keep the boat distended and are removable
to allow of its being collapsed. In order to fix the ribs securely in position and
yet adunit of their being readily mounted and dismounted the upper ends are
tenoned and received in brackets fixed to the gunwales against the underside of
which latter the shoulders of the tenoned ends bear, whereby the gunwales are
supported under the strain of the distended canvas skin. The ribs are placed in
position by a sliding movement of the rib along the keelson after its tenoned ends
have been inserted in the brackets of the gunwales whereby the rib is brought to
the upright position and its shouldered ends are caused to bear against the gunwales
with an upward thrust by which the gunwales are raised to and maintained at the
position required for the distension of the canvas. The ribs are maintained in
this position on the one hand by abutting against stops on the keelson and on the
other hand by the flooring board which acts as a stop for the one rib by engaging
between cleats thereon and for the other rib by a cross batten on the underside of
the flooring. The flooring is prevented from longitudinal motion by engaging
with a lug fixed to the keelson and is held down at the one end by its engagement
with the said cleats and at the other by a turn-button or equivalent fastening.
Instead of providing folding bulkheads and air chambers at the ends of the boat,
permanent buoyancy and self-righting capacity are imparted to the boat by cork
belts lashed to the outer sides of the boat below the gunwales in such a way as to
admit of the belts being folded inwards over the gunwales when the boat is
collapsed.
10t 1
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Folding Boats.
I, CAMPBELL MELLIS DOUGLAS of 25, Palace Street, Berwick-on-Tweed,
North Britain, Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Army Medical Staff, 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 improvements in the construction of the folding boat
for which Letters Patent were granted to me dated the 15th day of September 1893
No. 17,402 and the improvements relate chiefly to the means of securing in
position the removable ribs by which the boat is kept distended and to the means
of imparting the necessary buoyancy and self-righting capacity to the boat.
The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a sectional side elevation, and Figure 3 a cross
section of the boat when distended.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the boat when collapsed, the loose parts being
removed.
The boat is constructed as before of a waterproof canvas skin a attached to a
keel b and to gunwales c hinged to the stem and stern posts de so as to be capable
of folding down closely alongside of the keel, as shewn in Figure 4, the canvas
being stiffened in the longitudinal direction by battens f which maintain the form
of the boat, and held distended in the transverse direction by ribs g g' which bear
against the longitudinal battens f and engage with the gunwales e in such manner
as to be removable to allow of the boat being collapsed. In order to fix the
ribs g g securely in position and yet admit of their being readily mounted and
dismounted the upper ends are tenoned, as at h, and engage in brackets i fixed to
the gunwales c, the shoulders h' of the tenoned ends bearing upwards directly
against the underside of the gunwales whereby to support the latter under the
strain of the distended canvas skin. Each rib is placed in position by first inserting
its tenoned ends in the brackets i of the gunwales, the rib being in an inclined
position, and then sliding the bowed part of the rib along the keel until the
rib is brought to the upright position and its shouldered ends are caused to
bear against the gunwales with an upward thrust by which the gunwales are raised
to and maintained at the position required for the distension of the canvas. The
ribs g g are maintained in this position on the one hand by abutting against
stops k k fixed on the keel and on the other hand by cross battens n n attached to
the underside of the flooring board 1, these battens also serving to maintain in
position longitudinally the flooring board which is further secured towards one end
(riz.-that which is first inserted in place) by being passed beneath and between
cleats m m attached to the rib 9 and towards the other end by a turn button r
pivoted to a projection p upstanding from the keel and passing through a slot o in
the board. ss are removable seats each held in position by notches s'engaging
with the rib, and by a folding bracket s so hinged to its underside as to rest on
the flooring board or keel when unfolded.
Instead of providing folding bulkheads and air chambers at the ends of the boat,
as described in my former patent, permanent buoyancy and self-righting capacity
are imparted to the boat by cork belts t lashed to the outer sides of the boat below
the gunwales by cords u so as to admit of the belts being folded inwards over the
gunwales, if desired, when the boat is collapsed.
In order to prevent their being accidentally lost, all loose parts may be
permanently attached by cords to the main framework of the boat, such cords
being of sufficient length to permit of the parts being set up in position.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described improvements in folding boats consisting in the means
of engaging the ribs with the gunwales and securing the ribs in the upright
position by stops on the one hand and by the floor board on the other substantially
as described.
2. The combination, with the folding boat, of cork belts lashed to the sides of
the boat so as to admit of being folded inwards when the boat is collapsed
substantially as specified.
Dated this 19th dor of November 1896
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.