IMPROVEMENTS BOATS AND IN THE MEANS OF STEERING THE SAME.
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ayliffe, Farmer, of Cropthorne, in the
County of Worcester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
BOATS AND IN THE MEANS OF STEERING THE SAME.'
IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ayliffe at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th January 1868.
I, WILLIAM AYLIFFE, Farmer, of Cropthorne, in the County of
Worcester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOATS AND IN THE MEANS OF STEERING THE SAME," to be.
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in boats.
In order to steer row boats and other small boats more conveniently
than heretofore, I lead the yoke lines along either side of the boat and
then cause them to pass over cleats or guides to a yoke mounted on
a stud fixed at the bottom of the boat, this yoke being so formed and
placed that it may readily be acted on by the feet of the person pro-

page_text: pelling the boat or other person as the case may be. I also make
boats suitable to be rowed or paddled with staves bound together
with hoops in the same way as a barrel is made. The boat is entirely
enclosed at the fore part and near the stern and usually tapers away
to a point. In the midship portion the staves are cut away on the
upper side of the boat so as to leave an open space for a person or
persons to sit, and the hoops in this portion not being complete they are
firmly secured at their ends. Combings are formed round the opening
so made in the centre of the boat. The fore and aft compartments
of this boat being water-tight the boat will float even should the centre
compartment fill with water. The rudder may be underneath the
aft compartment on a vertical axis passing through it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Ayliffe in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
AYLIFFE, Farmer, of Cropthorne, in the County of Worcester, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Ayliffe, Her special licence, that
I, the said William Ayliffe, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Ayliffe, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOATS
AND IN THE MEANS OF STEERING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Ayliffe, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention; and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
.Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Ayliffe, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :--
This Invention has for its object improvements in boats, and in the
means of steering the same.
In order to steer row boats and other small boats more conveniently
than heretofore I lead the yoke lines along either side of the boat
and then cause them to pass over cleats or guides to a yoke mounted
on a stud fixed at the bottom of the boat, this yoke being so formed
and placed that it may readily be acted on by the feet of the person
propelling the boat or other person as the case may be. I also make
boats suitable to be rowed or paddled with staves bound together
with hoops in the same way as a barrel is made. The boat is entirely
enclosed at the fore part and near the stern, and usually tapers away
to a point. In the midship portion the staves are cut away on the
upper side of the boat, so as to leave an open space for a person or
persons to sit, and the hoops in this portion not being complete they
are firmly secured at their ends and further secured by internal
bands. Combings are formed round the opening so made in the centre
of the boat. The fore and aft compartments of this boat being water-
tight the boat will float even should the centre compartment fill with
water. The rudder may be underneath the aft compartment on a
vertical axis passing through it.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
apparatus such as above described applied to them.
a side view; Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 an end
for one person.
Figure 1 shews
view of a canoe
In these Figures, a is the seat of the boat; b the yoke which is to
be acted on by the feet, each arm of this yoke has a hole or eye formed

page_text: b
through it through which the yoke lines from the rudder yoke are
passed, and the yoke lines are then led back and fixed to rings c or
are otherwise secured near to the seat a, so that the length of the
lines can readily be adjusted by the person sitting on the seat, the
yoke bis capable of turning on a pin b', which is received in a hole
in a longitudinal rib d standing up from the bottom of the boat, several
.holes are made in the rib d, so that the yoke 6 may be placed nearer to
or further from the seat. At Figure 4 is shewn a longitudinal section
of a canoe for three persons, this canoe is fitted with a steering
apparatus such as is above described, the yoke being placed in the
aft compartment so that the person sitting therein may act upon it
with his feet, the yoke might however be placed in either of the other
compartments if preferred. Figure 5 shews a longitudinal section of
'a canoe fitted with a mast, so that the canoe can both be propelled by
a sail and also by paddles; the boat is also fitted with keels d, d, which
can be raised or lowered by cords & so that they can be put in or
out of action by the person seated in the boat. Figure 6 shews
a longitudinal section of a smaller canoe also fitted with similar
steering apparatus, and also with a keel which can be raised or lowered.
Figure 7 shews a longitudinal section and Figure 8 an end view of a
boat for one person which can either be propelled by sculls or by
paddles, in this case the yoke 6 can be placed in either of the positions
shewn by the Drawing according to whether the boat is being pro-
pelled by sculls or by a paddle. A way of fixing outriggers to the
side of such a. boat is shewn at Figures 8 and 9, a side view of the
outrigger separately is also shewn at Figure 10. Figures 11 and 12
show a side view and plan of a boat made according to the second
part of my Invention with staves bound together with hoops, the
'boat shewn in these Figures is made to taper away to a point at each
end, and in the midship portion a rectangular opening e is formed
around which a combing e¹ is fixed as shewn; transverse partitions
are also provided to shut off each end of the boat from the centre
compartment, so that even if the centre compartment were to be filled
with water the boat might still float. Provision is made as shown
for fixing outriggers to the combing e¹ so that the boat might be
propelled by sculls or the boat might be propelled by a paddle if desired.
A keel is fixed to the bottom of the boat, and at the aft end of this
keel the rudder is carried, this rudder is shewn to be worked by a
yoke 6 to be acted upon by the feet as above described, two such

page_text: yokes being provided, one to be used when the boat is being propelled
by sculls, and the other when a paddle is being used.
Figures 13, 14 and 15, Sheet 2, show on a larger scale a side view,
plan, and transverse section of a somewhat similar boat to that shown
at Figures 11 and 12. When boats such as herein described are used
for racing purposes, a floating buoy such as shewn at Figure 13 may
very advantageously be employed for marking the spot at which the
boats are to turn. Floating hoops or rings such as shewn at Figure 14
may very advantageously be used for practising persons in steering
boats such as herein described, the hoops or rings being sufficiently
large in diameter to allow the boats to pass through, the hoop is
supported by floats attached to it so that about one-third of the hoop.
is immersed in the water. The hoop is also kept standing up at right
angles to the water line by a weight attached to it by cords as
shown. A sheet of paper may also be fixed across the hoop or ring
and may have a central bull's-eye marked upon it as shewn. By this
means when a boat is propelled through the ring a record will be kept
of the degree of accuracy with which the boat was steered.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ayliffe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM AYLIFFE. (L.S.)