Improvements in or appertaining to Holding and Disengaging Gear for Boats Carried by Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1908
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
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Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Holding and Disengaging Gear
for Boats Carried by Vessels.
I, LACY TOWNSEND GASKILL, of 62 Chepstow Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has for its object a boat holding and disengaging apparatus which
will not be liable to various defects of existing arrangements, and which is so
arranged that it will liberate a boat from the chocks almost instantaneously and
put it into such a position clear of the vessel's side that it can be lowered in the
water.
By my invention, 1 form the chocks in such a way that the boat is preferably
free to swing outwards on the davits clear of the vessel's side immediately the
holding and disengaging gear is released. This gear comprises two sliding bolts
arranged under the boat on the deck of the vessel, the two sliding bolts being
coupled together by a pivoted handle, one on each side of the pivot, so that the
bolts shall shoot or slide in opposite directions. Transversely around the boat near
or towards each end thereof, I place a chain having eyes at opposite ends, the bolts
aforesaid being adapted to shoot into these eyes, and keep the two ends of the
chain firmly coupled together and in such a way as to hold the boat onto or against
the chocks, so as to prevent it swinging outwards, the sliding bolts aforesaid being
arranged in such a position on the deck of the vessel as to render this possible.
In some cases I hinge the chocks and support them in a sloping position by means
of a leg or arm, and moreover fasten one end of a chain to each chock, pass each
chain through an eye fixed on deck, and then back to the shooting bolts to which
each chain is fastened by having an eye provided at the end. The handle aforesaid
may be locked by means of a catch. The boat is thus held firmly against the
chucks and cannot be disengaged except by the movement of the lever.
To disengage the boat, all that is necessary is to move the lever so that the
bolts shall be shot back out of engagement with the eyes of the chains. By this
means all the chains are instantly and simultaneously released, and the boat, being
suspended from the davits, swings off the chocks clear of the vessel's side, so that
it can be lowered into the water.
1906

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Holding and Disengaging Gear
for Boats Carried by Vessels.
I, LACY TOWNSEND GASKILL of 62 Chepstow Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
nscertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object a boat holding and disengaging apparatus which
will not be liable to various defects of existing arrangements, and which is so
arranged that it will liberate a boat from the chocks almost instantaneously and
put it into such a position clear of the vessel's side that it can be lowered in the
water.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference refer to liko
parts throughout the several figures.
Figure is a front view showing the apparatus when the boat is in its place on
the chocks;
Figure 2 an end elevation thereof;
Figure 3 a plan thereof, part of which shows the boat in position, and the
other part the bont removed, but its position indicated by dotted lines;
Figure 4 an end elevation of the apparatus showing its position when the boat
is enspended from the davits for launching: and
Figure 5 a plan view of a slight modification.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, A. is the boat, which in Figures 1, 2 and 3
is shown arranged resting on the chocks B, C are the davits, D the tackle for
suspending the boat from the davits and raising or lowering it therefrom, and
E the deck of the vessol. Care the ropes which hold the davits permanently in
such a position that when the boat is liberated from the chocks it shall swing clear
of the vessel's side. The chocks 13 are hinged so that they can fall in a direction
transversely to the boat, but are kept from falling by supporting legs or arms
hereafter described, but when these legs or arms are removed, the chocks
fall down, and the boat is free to swing outwards on the davits clear of
the vessel's side immediately the holding and disengaging gear is released.
This gear comprises two sliding bolts and G arranged under the boat
on the deck E of the vessel, the two sliding bolts sliding in fixed guides,
and one end of each coupled to a pivotted lever II, one on each side of the
pivot H, so that the bolt will shoot or slide in opposite directions. Transversely
round the boat, near or towards each end thereof, I place a chain I having eyes J
at opposite ends, the bolts aforesaid by pulling the handle I being adapted to
shoot into and engage these eyes and keep the two ends of the chain firmly coupled
together, and in such a way as to hold the boat on to or against the chocks B so as
to prevent it swinging outwards, the sliding bolts aforesaid being arranged in such
a position on the deck of the vessel as to remler this possible. The handle is kept
locked with the bolts engaging the eyes, by causing the catch to engage a hole
in the lever H. It is preferable to make the chains in sections, that is to say to
use clamps K', which clip onto or engage the gunwales of the bont, and couple the
respective sections of the chain together where they pass the gunwale, thus
avoiding any chafing of the gunwale by the chains. Kare lanyards or stretching
Ecrews to regulate the length of the chains 1. The chocks are supported in
position to receive the bont, by means of legs or arms L, and moreover chains M
at one of their ends are fastened to each chock, or better to the leg or arms L at N.
Ench of these chains M after being fastened to L are passed through an eye or

page_text: sheave O, fixed on deck and then back to the shooting bolts F and G, to which
the other end of each chain is coupled by having an eye provided thereat, through
which the bolts pass. The boat is thus held firmly against the chocks, and cannot
be disengaged except by the movement of the lever.
In launching a boat, all that is necessary is to unfasten the catch P and pull the
handle H in the direction of the arrow. This causes the bolts to be shot back
out of engagement with the eyes of the chains I and M at both ends of the boat.
By this means all the chains, together with the legs which support the chocks, are
instantly and simultaneously released, the chocks fall down on deck and the boat
being suspended by the tackle D from the davits swings off the chocks clear of the
vessel's side. The boat is now in the right position for launching and may be
lowered onto the water. I sometimes use a bridle chain R to check the boat and
allow it to swing out gently, this chain having a few turns taken round any
convenient stanchion on deck.
To place the boat again on the chocks, the eyes on the tackle are hooked into
convenient hooks on the boat. The boat is then raised by the two davits, the
chocks raised and secured by the legs L, the chains I passed round the boat, and
the chain M passed through the eyes. The boat is now pulled sideways by the
bridle R on the chocks and the bolts shot into the eyes of the chain, thus holding
the boat on the clocks.
In Figure 5 an arrangement of my invention is shown which avoids the use of a
certain amount of chain. In this figure, Fare bolts sliding in suitable guides
and operated by a lever R. These levers engage the eyes at the ends of the
chains I and M at one end of the boat, and the chains at the other end are engaged
by an auxiliary bolt G which forms part of the bolt F. It will thus be seen that
there are two sets of bolts on the deck of the vessel and on each side of the vessel,
thus avoiding the horizontal length of chain underneath. In operating the
lever R, the bolts simultaneously release the ends of the chains so as to allow
the boat to swing out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A boat raising, holding and lowering apparatus, in which the parts are so
formed or arranged, that the boat when suspended by tackle from its davits is free
to swing outwards off the chocks automatically, clear of the vessel's side,
immediately the holding or disengaging gear is released, substantially as described.
2. In a boat raising, holding and lowering gear, the combination therewith of
chocks arranged transversely to the boat and hinged at one of their ends to the
deck of the vessel, and legs or supports located at the opposite ends of the chocks,
and adapted to keep the chocks elevated when required to support the boat, but allow
the chocks to fall down when the boat is released substantially as described.
3. In a boat raising holding and lowering apparatus having davits for suspending
the boat, and chocks for resting the boat on, the combination of two or more
bolts sliding longitudinally in fixed guides on the deck of the vessel by the
movement of a handle or lever, and chains adapted to be passed transversely
round the boat in such manner that when the boat is required to be stowed on
deck these chains being engaged by the bolts, shall keep the boat resting on or
against the chocks, while to launch the boat, the bolts are slid longitudinally to
instantly and simultaneously release the chains, thus enabling the boat to swing
off the chocks clear of the vessel's side substantially as described.
4. In a boat raising, holding, and lowering gear, the combination of chains
adapted to be passed transversely round the boat, chocks hinged so that they
can fall transversely to the boat but prevented from falling by supporting legs
or arms, chains for keeping these legs upright so as to support the chocks, and
a mechanism worked by a lever or other hand device (which can itself be locked)
locking the ends of the chains aforesaid so as to keep the boat firmly on the

page_text: chocks and prevent the chucks from falling, until the lover or other hand dovice is
unlocked, substantially as described.
5. The general arrangement of parts substantially as described in reference to
Figures 1 to 4 inclusive and Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of November 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.