Boat Turn-brake

Abstract

The present invention is primarily concerned with a device and its method of use with small fishing, utility and pleasure boats to prevent their grounding on the water bottom or to protect their propulsion unit from contact therewith. This is accomplished by the present invention which comprises an adjustable shaft member fitted in a cooperating support assembly mounted on the boat. The elevation of the shaft is adjusted such that its end strikes the water bottom before the bottom of the boat or its propulsion unit does so.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is concerned with devices for indicating a safe water depth while operating a boat in shallow waters as well as to prevent grounding of the boat.

A constant problem that faces the operator of a small fishing, utility or pleasure boat is that of grounding the boat in shallow waters. Boats of this class, which are generally less than twenty feet in length, are generally equipped with a propulsion unit, e.g., an outboard engine, which can be extensively damaged by virtue of its contact with the water bottom. The water bottom is usually covered with various debria, such as oyster shells, gravel, etc., which chews up the propellar, or the pump intake becomes clogged with mud which can cause damage to the water pump.

Aside from the above, mechanical problems, there are other problems that can arise when a boat operator proceeds in shallow waters. For one, where the boat is bucking a head wind blowing toward the shallow area, unless the water is deep enough for the propellar to operate properly, the boat will continue to drift into a shallower area, and the operator becomes stranded. Thus, with a wind to his back, an operator must approach a shallow area very cautiously.

Another very common problem that faces the shallow water fisherman is that of a falling tide. It is not uncommon for a fisherman to suddenly realize that the water around his boat has become too shallow for him to operate or run his engine.

The above and other problems are avoided by the present invention which provides means that can be easily attached to the transom of a boat and readily operated in a simplified singular manner unlike prior art devices which are not only more complex, e.g., see U.S. Pats. Nos. 202,184 and 2,966,132, but additionally, are not functionally capable of performing the multitude of functions as does the present device. These and further advantages of the invention will be evident in light of its detailed description presented below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 in the drawings depicts a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the instant invention.

FIG. 2 in the drawings is an isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the pole support assembly as mounted on the transom of a boat.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 represents a side elevational view shown partly in section of another embodiment of the pole support assembly.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of means for making the present boat turn-brake portable.

FIG. 6 depicts an isometric view of yet another embodiment of the pole support assembly.

SUMMARY

The present boat turn brake basically comprises a base member which is adapted for attachment on the transom of a small pleasure boat of such design. The base member in turn comprises a hinged assembly provided with a vertically extended sleeve member wherein an elongated shaft or pole member is operably positioned. Clamping means operably connected to the pole member is provided whereby the elevation or height of the pole member can be adjusted and fixed as desired. The sleeve member is spring loaded whereby the pole member is always urged toward an essentially vertical position. The spring action is provided to prevent shock and subsequent bending of the pole member upon it engaging the water bottom or some foreign object.

The present method of preventing a boat from running aground in shallow water comprises positioning the vertically adjustable pole or shaft member at one corner of the transom of the boat on either side; and adjusting the vertical depth of the shaft member such that it extends beneath the bottom of the boat to a depth sufficient to prevent the boat from grounding whereby upon the boat entering shallow water, the extended shaft contacts the water bottom and causes the boat to pivot around the shaft and away from the shallow area.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the drawings, the boat 10 is provided with the transom 11 to which the transom plate assembly or pole support assembly 12 is operably attached by suitable means (not shown), e.g., wood screws or the like. The pole support assembly 12 in turn further comprises the hinge assembly 13 which further comprises the pole support and guide sleeve means 14. The hinge is mounted upon or attached to the plate assembly 12 by suitable means (not shown), e.g., by bolts, welding, etc.

The resilient stop member 15 is provided for cushioning the sleeve assembly 14 upon it being moved rearward and returned to its essentially vertical position. The assembly 15 preferably comprises the resilient rubber member 16 which is mounted upon the bracket member 17 which in turn is affixed to the base member 12. The stop assembly 15 is positioned such that the pole is oriented in an essentially vertical position when the pole and sleeve assembly is at rest against it.

The pole and sleeve assembly is constantly urged toward a vertical position by virtue of the spring load assembly 18. The latter in turn further comprises the cable means 19, one end of which is operably attached to the sleeve assembly 14 and its other end to the spring means 20. The pulley means 21 and 22 are provided for guiding the cable 16 which in turn transfers the load on the spring 20 to the sleeve assembly 14. The scale means 23 in cooperation with the crank assembly 24 to which it is operably connected by virtue of the cable means 25 is provided for adjusting the load as desired on the sleeve assembly 14.

FIG. 2 in the drawings shows in greater detail the location of the pulleys means 21 and 22. FIG. 2 also depicts the preferred location of the base assembly 12 which can be positioned on either side of the transom 11 or the propulsion unit 26 pursuant to the operational procedure as discussed hereinafter.

FIG. 3 depicts another embodiment of the present invention. In that design, the sleeve assembly 30 is connected to the base assembly 31 by virtue of the hinge means 32 in a manner similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1. The spring assembly 33 is provided as a shock absorber for absorbing the impact of the sleeve assembly 30 upon it being moved or shoved downwards toward the transom of the boat, e.g., when the pole 12 is released suddenly from an inclined position or should it be shoved forwards toward the boat transom. The spring assembly 33 is attached to the base assembly 31 and can be attached to the sleeve assembly 30. Where the latter is not affixed to the spring assembly 33, the individual springs 34 and 35 are supported by suitable spring guides (not shown) to maintain the assembly 30 in a relatively fixed position capable of absorbing impact from the sleeve assembly 30.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4 which depicts partly in section another design of the pole support assembly, the hinge member 53 is rotatably mounted upon the base assembly 54 by virtue of the extended pin member 55. By virtue of such design, the hinge assembly 51 can pivot laterally around the pin member 55 to allow the pole 12 positioned in the sleeve assembly 56 which is attached to the hinge assembly 51 in any conventional manner to shift sideways. This minimizes the possibility of pole 12 bending due to the boat shifting laterally.

The materials of construction employed in the construction of the present device are not critical as long as the material is sufficiently strong to withstand the forces involved in its use and are preferably corrosion resistant, especially when utilized in a salt water environment. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 which illustrates a portable design of the present device, a light weight material is preferred, such as cast aluminum.

FIG. 5 illustrates another manner of attaching the base assembly 40 to the transom of a boat. The base assembly 40 is provided with the portion 41 which overlaps the transome 11 in a manner of design similar to a conventional mounting bracket as provided on an outboard engine. The portion 41 is provided with the butterfly calmp assembly 42 for clamping the base assembly 40 onto the transome 11. The sleeve assembly 43 is connected to and mounted upon the base assembly 44 in a similar fashion as the other embodiments described above. The spring assembly 45 is also provided as shock absorber means for the same purposes as discussed supra.

FIG. 6 depicts a preferred hinge design which incorporates the spring means 50 in the body of the hinge assembly. The hinge assembly 51 is designed such that the spring means 50 urges the hinge members 52 and 53 toward each other to achieve the same results as discussed above.

The spring load to be placed upon the rod 12 in any of the embodiments is mainly dependent upon the weight of the boat on which it is installed. A distinct advantage of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is the fact that the spring load assembly 18 allows a boat operator to adjust the load on the rod 12 to accomodate his particular boat, as well as to vary its operating procedure. However, for small utility, fishing or pleasure boats of the 20 foot and under class, the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 6 offer sufficient design flexibility to allow the use of spring means having an acceptable spring constant, such that a given design will be flexible enough for use on a wide range of craft. For example, for a 15 foot glass boat weighing approximately five hundred pounds and powered by two 18-horsepower outboard engines, the rod 12 would normally be set about 18 inches below the skegs. This dimension is added to that of the distance from the centerline of the hinge assembly which serves as a fulcrum point. That dimension for the above craft would be about 32 inches which makes the moment arm a total of about 50 inches. It was found that with the boat running at fast idle speed (about 4 MPH) in forward gear, a force of 100 pounds applied to a position on the sleeve 14 at a distance about 1 foot from the centerline of the hinge 13 by the winch spring system 18, the boat would stop in about 30 inches of water, then turn to the right, pivoting on the sleeve 14 encircling the grounding rot 12 without more than 15.degree.-30.degree. angulation of the rod. When a complete about face is made (180.degree. ), slight acceleration of the outboard engines brings the boat back to deeper water from which it originally came. This is accomplished without utilizing the runner mechanism whatsoever, the grounding rod or resistance arm 12 doing the steering.

Based upon the above results, the design and operation of the present device for a specific application would be based upon the following data and formula. The torque force per pound of boat is 100 feet pounds divided by 500 pounds which equals 0.2 feet pounds per pound. The torque force per pound of boat per inch of resistance arm is 0.2 divided by 50 which equals 0.004 feet pounds per pound per inch. Thus, the formula for computing the torque force becomes TF = 0.004 WR where W equals the weight of the boat in pounds and R equals the length of the resistance arm in inches. It can be also seen that the spring force gain which is defined as the number of feet pounds per degree of rotation is equivalent to about 1 (100 feet pounds divided by 90.degree. which would be the maximum arcuate path of travel for the resistance arm).

The recommended operating procedure is as follows. When the operator feels or notices the rod begins to ground, he pulls back on the controls and sets the engine in neutral-idle. This will cause the boat to stop immediately. The boat can then be turned about face 180.degree. to the right by shifting into forward gear or to the left by shifting into reverse gear, depending upon the conditions, e.g., wind, current, obstructions, etc. The boat will literally "turn on a dime" and then, upon slight acceleration in forward gear, proceed back to deeper water from which it came.

If the grounding rod is set at 6 to 12 inches below the propellar in the example set forth above, the force required to turn the boat will be about 70 pounds. In such instance, the boat will turn in about 18 to 24 inches of water, allowing 6 inches of the rod for angulation and sinkage in the mud.

Rod settings from 18 to 36 inches are used mostly as shoal indicator settings. Force settings at less than 100 pounds may be employed for this purpose.

It has been found that for unusual conditions of wind and current resistance, the most efficient and positive turn around is in reverse gear where strong power may be applied to the throttle.

In normal operation, the grounding rod is kept in the boat (as you would a boat paddle or boat hook) to be used where needed for shallow waters. However, should the operator forget to raise or remove the rod and while running, strike an obstruction, then the spring system will allow the rod to spring upwards without damage to the device. At high speeds, the drag caused by the water resistance to the rod becomes so great that it becomes obvious to the operator that the rod is down.

In light of the above, it can be seen that the present device has the following uses: prevents damage to the lower unit of a boat's propulsion unit; prevents a boat from being grounded in mud; can be employed as a shoal indicator by a fisherman on the way to a fishing site to prevent him from being trapped by a falling tide; serves as a tide change indicator since as the tide falls, the collar clamped on the rod moves upwards indicating a falling tide; serves as a noiseless anchor in shallow waters; allows drift fishing without fear of being carried by wind and current into a shallow area and becoming grounded; makes it possible to approach the shore line while attempting to beach a boat without fear of grounding the lower unit; serves as a convenient anchor for beaching a boat along a shore line and prevents the stern from swinging in and allowing the lower unit to be grounded; and additionally serves as a lighting rod.

Claims

I claim:

1. A method of preventing a boat from running aground in shallow water comprising:

a. providing a vertically adjustable shaft member at one corner of the boat on either side of the propulsion unit for the boat; and

b. adjusting the vertical depth of the shaft member such that it extends beneath the bottom of the boat to a depth sufficient to prevent damage to the boat's propulsion unit whereby upon the boat entering shallow waters, the extended shaft contacts the water bottom and thereby causes the boat to pivot around the shaft away from the shallow area.

2. Boat turn brake means comprising:

a. base means adapted for attachment to the transom of a boat; said base means being further defined in that it is provided with a sleeve portion adapted to receive extended shaft means; said sleeve portion being pivotably mounted upon said base means whereby shaft means operably mounted in said base means is allowed to pivot backwards upon the shaft engaging the water bottom;

b. shaft means adapted for mounting within the sleeve portion of said base means; said shaft means being further defined in that it is provided with adjustable means whereby its elevation can be set as desired by the boat operator; and

c. resilient spring means operably connected to the sleeve portion of said base means for constantly urging said shaft means to assume an essentially vertical position.

3. The boat turn brake means of claim 2 further characterized as comprising:

d. adjustable spring loading means operably connected to said resilient spring means whereby the force exerted upon said shaft means by said resilient spring means can be adjusted.

4. The boat turn brake means of claim 3 further characterized as comprising:

e. scale means operably connected to said adjustable spring loading means for indicating the force placed on said resilient spring means.

5. The boat turn brake mean of claim 4 further characterized in that:

said base means is further defined as comprising pulley means connecting said resilient spring means to the sleeve portion of said base means.

6. The boat turn brake means of claim 2 further characterized in that:

said base means is further defined in that the pivotably mounted sleeve portion is operably connected to said base means whereby the sleeve portion can be laterally rotated.

7. The boat turn brake means of claim 2 further characterized in that:

said base means is further defined in that it is provided with a clamping portion for clamping to the transom of a boat for ease of installation and removal.

8. The boat turn brake means of claim 2 further characterized in that:

said resilient spring means is operably installed in the pivotable connection between the sleeve portion and the base portion of said base means.