Improvements in the Method of and in Means and Appliances for the Propulsion of Boats.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and in Means and Appliances for
the Propulsion of Boats.
I, ROBERT WERNER, of 7 Moritz-strasse, Dresden, Saxony, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of my Invention is to provide improved means for propelling boats by
manual power, and to enable the operator to sit with his face looking forward.
And in order that my said Invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my Invention and Figs. 2 to 6 are detail views.
a is a boat. is one of the rowlocks, in which the rods of the propeller / works.
The rod s is usually made of wood, to which the cone bis fitted. This cone may be
made of thin metal, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, or of solid wood, as shown in Fig. 4.
The base of the cone may be a circular plane, as shewn in Fig. 2, or of a cup or
concave form, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4. care screw plugs for filling, or partially
filling the cone with water, sand, or other suitable material for ballasting the cone,
and rendering its specific gravity nearly equal to that of water, in order that the
same may just float in the water. When made of light wood the cone is ballasted
with lead or other metal for a similar purpose. Some kinds of wood however are of
suitable specific gravity to require no ballast.
The rowlock kis shewn in position in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 a plan.
Fig. 5 is a section of the same, and
In Fig. 6a is a portion of the side of the boat. is a plate bolted to the side of
the boat by bolts and nuts o o. The plate t is pivotted to the plate u by the pin p,
and the plate d is fitted to the plate by means of distance bolts cc, which carry
rollers, capable of rotating upon the bolts c c.
An equal number of rowlocks is fitted on each side of the boat.

page_text: The method of using my Invention will be understood on reference to Fig. 1.
The operator sits with his face towards the head of the boat. The handles s of the
propellers are passed through the rowlocks on each side, the cones bb being buoyed
up by the water. The operator grasps the handles ss and draws them backwards
and forwards longitudinally, the motion being kept as near to a horizontal line as
practicable. The backward stroke drives the boat forward. The forward movement
of the propeller is minimised by its form.
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 :-
1. The improved method of propelling boats by means of propellers, each propeller
consisting of a handles and cone b, working backwards and forwards in rowlocks k,
substantially as herein before described and shewn on the drawings.
2. The general construction, combination, and arrangement of the several and
respective parts together forming my improvements in the method of and in means
and appliances for the propulsion of boats, substantially as herein before described and
shewn on the drawings.