IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT LOWERING APPLIANCES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Grayson of Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Ship builder for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT
LOWERING APPLIANCES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Grayson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th July 1882.
CHARLES GRAYSON, of Liverpool in the county of Lancaster, Ship Builder,
IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT LOWERING APPLIANCES
The object of my invention is to provide appliances whereby boats can be safely
lowered into the water from ships' sides and, elsewhere and whereby also the
instant they are in the water they are entirely free from davits, falls, and every
other gear heretofore generally deemed necessary.
The appliances consist mainly of a cradle of novel construction hereafter
described in which the boat rests when in board and during lowering in com-
bination with davits, winches, blocks and falls. The cradle has eye bolts or the
like for the falls, and it and the boat are lowered together by right and left ropes
or chains over winch barrels and any ordinary or suitable davits and falls. Other
lowering apparatus may be used. The cradle taken by itself has a rigid keel
and rigid side pieces, the latter encircling or surrounding the boat at about the
gunwale so as to serve as a guard during lowering. Inside the said rigid side
pieces there are india rubber or other fenders to prevent damage from the rising
and falling of the waves and the consequent swinging or surging of the cradle
and boat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Grayson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th January 1883.
CHARLES GRAYSON of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Shipbuilder,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS
"
=
The object of my invention is to provide appliances whereby boats can be safely
lowered into the water from ships sides and elsewhere and whereby also the
instant they are in the water they are entirely free from davits falls and every
other gear heretofore generally deemed necessary.
The appliances consist mainly of a cradle of novel construction hereafter
described, in which the boat rests when in board and during lowering in com-
bination with davits, winches blocks and falls. The cradle has eye bolts or the
like for the falls and it and the boat are lowered together by right and left ropes
or chains over winch barrels and any ordinary or suitable davits and falls, other
lowering apparatus may be used. The cradle taken by itself has a rigid keel and
rigid side pieces the latter encircling or surrounding the boat at about the gunwale
so as to serve as a guard during lowering. Inside the said rigid side pieces there
are india rubber or other fenders to prevent damage from the rising and falling
of the waves and the consequent swinging or surging of the cradle and boat.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig 1 is a side elevation, fig 2 a plan and fig 3 an end view of boat lowering
appliances constructed in accordance with my invention and consisting mainly in
the combination of the cradle a. a' davits b winch c and blocks and falls d. The
cradle a rests when in board on the chocks e on the spar deck f, and such cradle
consists essentially of a rigid metallic keel a and side pieces a' connected by ribs 2
or binding pieces a³. The side pieces a¹ are fitted with india rubber or other
elastic fenders g. The said fenders may be continuous. as shown or they may be
divided into several parts, h are eyebolts secured to the cradle at each end. The
falls are hooked to the said eyebolts. is the boat shown resting in the cradle on
deck and free from the cradle in the water, the latter condition being shown in
connection with figs 1 and 3. The winch c is constructed with a barrel j to which
the two ends of the fall ropes or chains d' (by preference steel wire ropes are used)
are attached so that the said ropes or chains are equally received or delivered by
the motion of the said barrel. Guides are provided to prevent the ropes or chains
riding whilst being wound on the barrel. The barrel is operated by hand through
gearing, or steam or other power may be used to give motion thereto. A brake
lever and brake k are provided for regulating and checking the speed of the
delivery of the fall ropes or chains when the cradle and boat are being lowered.
The lowering of the said boat is easily controlled by one man in charge of the
brake lever, and the cradle by its construction acts efficiently as a fender to prevent
the boat being stove in or otherwise damaged when in board or when being.
lowered or raised.
The appliances above described may also be used for raising a boat if required.
In this case it is desirable to provide the bow and stern of the boat with a snap
book or equivalent through which the fall ropes or chains may be reaved when the
boat is over the cradle. The said snap hooks or their equivalents guide the fall
ropes and with them the cradle in its ascent and so secure that the cradle shall
rise immediately beneath the boat and lift it free from the water. Instead of snap

page_text: hooks or their equivalents secured to the boat thimbles provided with free ended
ropes or their equivalents may be fitted around the fall ropes or chains. In this
case the free ends of the ropes or their equivalents are rove through rings or
otherwise attached to the bow and stern of the boat.
Having now described and illustrated the said invention in such manner that
others will be enabled to carry my improvements into effect. It will be evident
that if it is desired to lower the boat very rapidly in case of great danger the
lowering may be effected by the use of any ordinary tackle on board the boat
itself.
I claim
The combination of the fender cradle, the blocks falls and davits for safely
lowering boats into the water from ships and elsewhere substantially as herein
specified
The combination with the fender cradle blocks falls and davits, of the winch all
substantially as described and operating as setforth.
In Witness Whereof I the said Charles Grayson have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty fifth day of January in the year of Our Lord, one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.