IMPROVEMENTS IN ROWING-BOATS to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROWING-BOATS to be as
follows:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in rowing boats, and has for its object
to permit the muscular power exerted by a rower or rowers, to be transmitted in a
more direct manner than heretofore to the oar, or oars, or sculls, and to lengthen
the stroke without shifting the centre of gravity to and fro along the boat as has
hitherto been the case when sliding seats were used.
The said invention consists essentially in connecting the stretcher with the
rowlock or rowlocks carrying the oar, or oars, or sculls pulled by the oarsman, whose
feet rest against the stretcher, and in making this connection so that the stretcher
and the rowlock will slide together a certain distance along the boat in the course of
each stroke of the oar or oars. The parts connecting the said sliding stretcher
with the said sliding rowlock are, by preference, so constructed that the distance
traversed by the stretcher will be about one-fourth longer than that traversed by
the rowlock attached thereto.
The present improvements may be applied to boats with or without outriggers.
After finishing the stroke the oarsman, whose foot or feet are attached to the:
stretcher by a belt or band, as in other known kinds of rowing boats, draws the
stretcher with his foot or feet towards himself and thus brings the stretcher,
together with the rowlocks attached to it, back into position.
It has been found desirable to have the distance traversed by the stretcher longer
than that traversed by the rowlock. For this purpose the parts connecting the
stretcher with the rowlock may be provided with any suitable intermediate
arrangement of pulleys and cords acting like a sheave-block, so that the rowlock
moved by the sliding of the stretcher will be caused to slide a shorter distance than
the stretcher. The power exerted by the oarsman's feet against the stretcher_will
thereby, when transmitted to the rowlock, be correspondingly increased. Thus
if the stretcher, slides as much as. cighteen inches whilst the pulleys and cords
-

page_text: transmitting the stretcher's motion to the rowlock cause the latter to slide only
twelve inches, the decrease in the distance traversed by the rowlock will result in a
proportionate increase of the power exerted on the rowlock by the movement of
the stretcher.
It is evident that the above described system of connecting together a sliding
stretcher with a sliding rowlock or with sliding rowlocks is applicable to pair oared,
four oared, and other kinds of rowing boats.
Dated thin th
1001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co, Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN ROWING-BOATS 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 rowing-boats and has for its objects to permit the
muscular power exerted by the legs of a rower or rowers to be transmitted in a
more direct manner than heretofore to the oar or oars, or sculls, and to lengthen
the stroke without shifting the centre of gravity to and fro along the boat as has
hitherto been the case when sliding seats were used.
The said invention consists essentially in connecting the stretcher with the
rowlock or rowlocks carrying the oar or cars, or sculls, pulled by an oarsman, whose
feet rest against the stretcher, and in enabling the stretcher and rowlock or
rowlocks to slide together along the boat in the course of each stroke of the oar
or oars.
The present improvements may be applied to boats with or without outriggers.
In the accompanying drawing
Figures 1 to 4 show the invention applied to an inrigged boat and
Figures 5 and 6 show its application to an outrigged boat.
In all the said Figures A indicates the stretcher, B the rowlock, C the parts
connecting the stretcher with the rowlock, and E the seat.
Figures 1, 3 and 5 show the position of the stretcher A and rowlocks B just
before the oarsman begins to pull the oars through the water, and Figures 2, 4
and 6 show the position of the said parts at the finish of the stroke.
After finishing the stroke the oarsman whose feet are attached to the stretcher by
a belt or other known device, as in other known kinds of rowing boats, draws the
stretcher with his feet towards himself and thus brings the stretcher, and the
rowlocks attached to it, back into the position shown in Figures 1. 3 and 5.
It has been found desirable to cause the distance traversed by the stretcher to be
longer than that traversed by the rowlock. For this purpose the parts C connecting
the sliding stretcher with the sliding rowlock may be provided with any suitable
intermediate arrangement of pulleys or levers. In the arrangement shown in

page_text: Figures 5 and 6 the rowlocks B are each provided with a prolongation to which one
end of a lever is pivotted, the other end of which is pivotted to a prolongation of
the stretcher A. By this arrangement as will be seen on comparing the Figures 5
and 6 the stretcher A will slide a greater distance than the rowlocks B at each
stroke.
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 :-
First. In a rowing boat, the combination of a sliding stretcher with a sliding
row lock, in such a manner that the pressure of the legs of a rower will be
transferred direct from the stretcher to the rowlock, and therefore also to the oar
resting thereon.
Second. In a rowing boat, the combination of a sliding stretcher with a sliding
rowlock and with a mechanical.device causing the distance traversed by the row lock
to be shorter than that traversed by the stretcher.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.