Trolling Attachment For Boats

Abstract

A trolling attachment for boats comprises a mounting bracket for attachment to one side of a boat and having a tubular support sleeve within which is rotatably and slideably accommodated a rod at the lower of which is secured a flat, substantially planer blade. The blade may be so oriented to the longitudinal axis of the boat as to impede forward progress thereof or to deter lateral drift of the boat. The blade is adjustable vertically to positions either above or below the boat keel. The supporting sleeve is adjustable relative to the mounting bracket so as to enable the blade supporting rod to be positioned in a vertical plane, regardless of the configuration of the boat.

Description

The invention disclosed herein relates to an attachment especially adapted for use in conjunction with small boats so as to enable the latter to be used more effectively by fishermen in trolling operations. More particularly, the invention relates to an adjustable trolling attachment which is operable to control both the forward speed and lateral drift of a boat to which it is attached.

Small boats of the kind used by fishermen in trolling operations are shallow draft and, consequently, are affected by winds. For example, a boat trolling in a cross wind is acted on by the wind so as to tend to be driven to one side or the other of the desired course. Even though such a boat is provided with motorized driving means, the driving motor must be operated so slowly during trolling operations that it rarely is able to compensate for the drift of the boat. In those instances in which trolling operations must be conducted in the direction that the wind is blowing, it quite often occurs that the speed of the boat, due to the wind, is greater than it should be for proper trolling. The excessiveness of the speed is magnified by the necessity of maintaining the driving motor in operation for purposes of controlling the direction of travel of the boat.

An object of this invention is to provide an attachment for boats of the kind described and which makes it possible to operate a boat at proper trolling speeds regardless of the direction of the wind.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trolling attachment for boats and which is adaptable to substantially all of the fishing boats currently in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character described which is economical, simple to use, durable, and which does not interfere with normal use of the boat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a boat equipped with an attachment constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front end view, on a reduced scale, of the attachment applied to a boat; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, isometric view of the attachment applied to a boat .

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted for use in conjunction with any one of a number of different makes of shallow draft fishing boats, a typical one of which is represented generally by the reference character 1. The boat 1 has a keel 2 and sides 3, each of which terminates in a rail 4.

Adapted for attachment to the boat 1 is a mounting bracket 5 comprising a body section 6 terminating at its opposite ends in flanges 7 and 8 extending in the same direction and normal to the body section 6. The flange 8 is provided with a pair of parallel slots 9 and is adapted to overlie a flange 10 of an anchor member 11 which terminates at its other end in a mounting flange 12. The flange 10 has slots 13 which register with the slots 9 so as to accommodate locking screws 14 by means of which the flanges 8 and 10 may be secured in any selected position of relative adjustment such as to accommodate any conventional rail 4 and enable the flange 12 to bear against the inner surface of one side 3 of the boat. Screws 15 may be used to secure the flange 12 to the side 3. When the flange 12 bears against the inner surface of the side 3 and the flange 7 bears against the outer surface of the side 3, the bracket assembly 5 is rigidly attached to the boat. To stabilize the assembly 5, the body section 6 is provided with a pair of links 16 each of which is pivoted at one end as at 17 to the flange 7 and fixed at its other end by a screw 18 to a bracket 19 that is secured to the boat side 3.

Mounted on the bracket assembly 5 is an elongated tubular support or sleeve 20 having two pairs of diametrally opposed notches 21 in its upper end. Two of the notches extend fore and aft of the boat and the other two extend laterally of the boat. The support 20 is rockably mounted on the body section 6 by means of a clamp such as an eye bolt 22 pivotally secured to the body 6 adjacent the lower end of the latter. A second clamp or U-bolt 23 having parallel legs extends through a selected pair of a plurality of openings 24 at the upper end of the body 6 and arranged on the arc of a circle having its center at the point where the clamp 22 is secured to the body 6. Both the clamp 22 and the clamp 23 are provided with wing nuts or the like (not shown) by means of which the support 20 may be drawn snugly against abutment blocks 25 and 26 carried by the respective clamps so as to secure the support 20 against axial movement relative to the body portion 6. Alternatively, the members 22 and 23 may be welded to the sleeve 20.

The construction and arrangement of the member 20 and its supporting structure are such that the clamp 23 may pass through any selected pair of openings 24 so as to enable the member 20 to be adjusted angularly relative to the bracket 5, thereby enabling the shaft 27 to be supported in a truly vertical position notwithstanding the inclination to the horizontal of the rail 4.

An elongated shaft 27 is accommodated in the sleeve 20 and is both rotatable and axially slideable relative thereto. At the upper end of the shaft 27 is a handle 28 and fixed to the lower end of the shaft 27 is a flat, substantially planer, plate like blade 29 formed of rigid material such as steel or aluminum. The length and width dimensions of the blade are considerably greater than its thickness dimension. The blade 29 has a notch 30 in its upper surface adjacent the shaft 27 for a purpose presently to be explained.

Means is provided for locking the shaft 27 against rotation relative to the sleeve 20 and comprises a pin 31 adapted to pass through a transverse opening (not shown) in the shaft 27 adjacent the handle 28 and have its opposite ends accommodated in a pair of the notches 21. The pin 31 may be secured to one end of a chain 32, the opposite end of which is fixed as at 33 to the body portion 6. The shaft 27 also has an axially spaced, transverse opening 34 which also may accommodate 31 when desired, thereby permitting the blade 29 to be supported in a selected one of two vertically adjusted positions.

To condition the apparatus for operation, the bracket assembly 5 is secured to the boat 1 in the manner disclosed so that the supporting sleeve 20 is in an upright position. Initially, the shaft 27 will be in an elevated position such that the clamp 22 and its associated apparatus will be accommodated in the notch 30, as is illustrated in FIG. 3, the purpose of which is to permit nesting of the blade 29 and the lower mounting structure of the bracket 5 and assure that the blade 29 does not extend below the keel 2 of the boat. The blade 29 may be maintained in this position by inserting the pin 31 through the opening 34 when the latter is adjacent the upper end of the sleeve 20.

When it is desired to use the boat for trolling purposes, the pin 31 may be removed from the opening 34, whereupon the shaft 27 and the blade 29 may be lowered. If the trolling course is cross wind, the blade 29 may be arranged so as to parallel the longitudinal axis of the boat, as shown in FIG. 1, and the pin 31 fitted into the fore and aft aligned slots 21 so as to maintain such position of the blade. In this position of the blade 29, it preferably extends below the keel of the boat and itself functions as a keel to resist lateral movement of the boat due to the cross wind.

If it is desired to troll downwind, the shaft 29 may be raised slightly from the position shown in FIG. 1 so as to clear the pin 31 from the fore and aft notches 21, whereupon the shaft may be rotated 90.degree. and moved downwardly so as to seat the pin 31 in the lateral notches 21. In this position of the shaft 27, the plane of the blade 29 will be transverse to the longitudinal axis of the boat, as shown in FIG. 2, and the blade will serve as a brake to impede forward progress of the boat. Thus, the speed at which the boat moves downwind through the water is less than otherwise would be the case.

When the boat moves to and from fishing areas, the blade 29 normally will be supported in its raised position, as shown in FIG. 3. Should the fisherman overlook raising of the blade prior to entering shallow water, or should under water obstructions be encountered during trolling operations, the freedom of the pin 31 to move upwardly out of the slots 21 will make it possible for the blade 29 to be raised by its engagement with the under water obstruction or bottom and thereby prevent damage to the trolling attachment or to the boat.

This disclosure is representative of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A stabilizer for a watercraft having a bottom and a longitudinal axis, said stabilizer comprising an elongate rod having fixed to one end thereof a flat, rigid blade having greater width and length than thickness; bracket means; means for securing said bracket means on said craft; mounting means supported by said bracket means for angular movement relative thereto and mounting said rod in a substantially vertical position for rotation about its own axis and with said blade at the lower end of said rod and below the level of the bottom of said craft; and lock means cooperable between said mounting means and said rod for locking the latter in a selected one of two positions in which the length of said blade respectively is parallel to said axis of said craft or is substantially normal to said axis of said craft.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting means mounts said rod for vertical adjustment, and including means for supporting said rod in a position in which said blade is above the level of the bottom of said craft.

3. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a sleeve accommodating said rod.

4. The construction set forth in claim 3 including means for locating said sleeve in a selected one of a number of angularly adjusted positions relative to said bracket means.

5. The construction set forth in claim 3 wherein said bracket means comprises a pair of relatively adjustable members and means for securing said pair of members in a selected one of a number of adjusted positions.

6. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said lock means comprises notches in said mounting means and means carried by said rod for removable accommodation in said notches.