REDUCING FRICTION IN THE WORKING OF SLIDING SEATS OF RACING BOATS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I JAMES CHARLES GREEN of Number 21 Great Southsea Street, Southsea,
Portsmouth, in, the County of Southampton, Engine Fitter do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for REDUCING FRICTION IN THE WORKING OF SLIDING
SEATS OF RACING BOATS to be as follows:-
t
The foundation of the whole is composed of a wooden framework or bed, each
end of which is at an equal height from keel of the boat; rivetted to this wooden
framework are 4 brass castings There are 2 steel rods each 2 feet long, and half
an inch square, the ends of which are screwed to the 4 brass castings.
The wooden seat is above all these fittings.
There are rollers attached to the wooden scat above: which rollers traverse from
end to end of the 2 steel rods as the seat is worked. The rollers attached to seat
above are prevented from jumping off the steel rods by having brass tyes, one
of which depends from the fittings of each roller, and go around or under the
steel rods.
The steel rods are fixed to the wooden bed: parallel with each other, as also
with centre line of keel of boat.
The wooden seat has 2 brass plates fixed on the under side of it: which plates
are parallel with each other, and parallel with centre line of keel of boat and are
at a distance from each other on each side of said centre line.
From each end of these 2 plates depend 1 fitting: which contains
roller-i.es
4 of these rollers in all-2 to one steel rod and 2 to the other (these may be called
top rollers).
These rollers revolve and travel over the top surface of the steel rods (as before
inentioned), carrying the rowers body as the seat is worked.-The seats at present
in use have not anything to facilitate the quick movement which is necessary: the
rollers which I have introduced causes the seat to work when the boat is lifted the
slightest degree at the bow or stern, which speaks for its value when compared
with the seats at present in use:-for with the latter the rower has to use exertion
to cause the seat to accompany his movements.
From each end of these 2 plates (which are under the wooden seat) depends one.
spindle on which an additional roller revolves, making 2 of these rollers to each
steel rod (these may be termed side rollers) they revolve against the 2 outside side
surfaces of the 2 steel rods when the boat is not on a level keel, and prevent
friction which would otherwise be caused.

page_text: I JAMES CHARLES GREEN of Number 21 Great Southsea Street Southsca
Portsmouth in the County of Southampton Enginefitter do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for REDUCING FRICTION IN THE WORKING OF SLIDING
SEATS OF RACING BOATS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
It is a seat for racing boats with top and side rollers attached which seat will
work much easier than the seats which are now in use in racing boats and which
latter are terined "sliding seats."
Drawings are sent herewith and the letters used in description herein refer to
them.
The foundation of the whole is composed of a wooden bed "C" each end of
which is at an equal height from keel of boat: this bed may be made as light as is
consistent with strength.
Bed "C" is not shewn full length in figure 1 but in two parts.
Bed "C" may be made any width required, so as to fit into any particular boat:
but if there is any framework or other secure foundation existing in a boat, to
which the parallel wooden bars D D and the slideways E E and the stops P P can
be securely fixed then the Bed C can be dispensed with.
Screwed to Bed C are two parallel wooden bars D D.
Screwed to these parallel wooden bars are two pieces of angle iron E E which
cover the top surfaces and outside sides of the two bars D D: these two pieces of
angle iron forin and are hereafter called slideways.
Bed C with the fittings on it D D and E E may be made any length to suit the
desire of person using the same.
Above the Bed C and tho slideways is the wooden seat F.
Screwed to underpart of seat F is a block of wood "O" termed "Seat, stop."
Screwed to underpart of this seat F are two brass plates G G.
From these two brass plates G G depend four spindles (with shoulders) H H H H
which may be termed "side roller "spindles, as the bottom parts of them form
spindles for carrying the side rollers L, L, L, L.
From same plates G G depend four lugs I, I, I, I-these may be termed lugs for
top rollers, as they take top roller spindles.
;
There are four rollers M, M, M, M-termed top rollers (cach roller contains
fifteen pieces of small wire, which decrease friction by revolving against the
stationary spindle of each roller-see figures 4 and 5 on drawings. These top
rollers revolve on spindles K, K, K, K, which latter are formed by bolts running
through the side spindles H, H, H, H, at the one end and through lugs I, I, I, I, at
the other screw nuts secure ends of spindles K, K, K, K, after they have passed
through lugs I, I, I, I.
There are four rollers L, L, L, L, termed side rollers (with fifteen small pieces of
round wire inside of each of them)—being a similar make to top rollers M, M, M, M,
these side rollers revolve on bottom parts of side spindles H, H, H, H:-below
these rollers L, L, L, L, are thin pieces of metal N, N, N, N, which are fitted on to
bottom ends of spindles H, H, H, H, and secured there by screw nuts,

page_text: These thin pieces of metal N, N, N, N, are termed clips as they extend at one
end into grooves Q, Q, (which are cut in the wooden bars D, D,-figure 3 on
drawing for the purpose of preventing the seat from jumping off the slideways.
These clips extend also in the opposite direction and their outer ends are rivetted
for additional security to wire stays or supports J, J, J, J, which depend from
plates G, G.
"
"
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There are two blocks of wood P P-one being at each end of Bed "C" and
screwed on it midways between the slideways, these are termed bottom stops-
they regulate the distance the seat is to run on the slideways and prevent the seat
from running end ways off the slideways, as when the seat stop 0 comes in contact
with either of the bottom stops P, P, it prevents the seat running any farther.
The materials of which the different parts of this Improved sliding seat are made
are as follows:-Bed C" is made of wood, the bottom stops, and the parallel
bars DD are made of wood, the slideways E E are iron, the seat F and seat
stop "O" are made of wood-plates G G are brass, the spindles H HHH
and K K K K, the rollers M M M M and L L L L, the small pieces of wire inside
them (see figures 4 and 5) the lugs I, I, I, I, the nuts, the wire supports J, J, J, J,
and clips N, N, N, N, are all made of steel, but any hard metal may be substituted
for the metals above mentioned.
This Seat can be worked without having the small pieces of wire inside of the
rollers (as in figures 4 and 5)-that is to say by having eight common rollers
instead of rollers fitted with the small pieces of wire.
The dimensions of all parts are proportionately shown in the accompanying
drawings.
The previous description aided by references by means of letters to the drawings
describes the nature and make of the Invention.
The manner in which the working of this Invention is performed is by the top
rollers M, M, M, M, revolving and carrying the weight of the rower backwards and
forwards along the slideways E, E, on which the seat travels smoothly and with
little friction, the side rollers L, L, L, L, meanwhile keeping the seat running true
and preventing it from shaking and also keeping it running when the boat in
which it is fitted gets off her level keel.
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
That the application of top and side rollers acting upon the slideways reduces
the friction of the improved sliding seat to a minimum and I claim that the
feature of novelty of the Invention consists in the top and side rollers acting on
the slideways whereas the present "sliding seat" bears directly upon the slideways
without any medium whereby the friction is reduced.