GB2170759A

GB2170759A - Boat

Info

Publication number: GB2170759A
Application number: GB08503702A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan William Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-02-13
Filing date: 1985-02-13
Publication date: 1986-08-13
Also published as: GB8503702D0; GB2170759B

Abstract

A boat (10) which can self-launch from a sloping beach (19) comprises a hull (11) and wheels (12, 13). Front wheels (12) are mounted on legs (14) secured at pivot (15) to the hull (11). Rear wheel (13) is mounted on a parallelogram support structure (22) secured by a bracket to the stern wall of the boat (10). For launching, the boat (10) is supported by the wheels (12, 13) and rear wheel (13) is driven by an engine driven pump (31) and hydraulic motor. When the boat (10) is in sufficiently deep water the legs (14) are pivoted upwardly and rearwardly and the rear wheel (13) is raised so that substantially all of wheels (12, 13), legs (14) and support structure (22) are out of the water and do not contribute to the drag of the boat (10) in the water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Boat This invention relates to boats, and in particular to boats suitable for use in fishing at sea or in a lake.

Many places from which people desire to launch a boat do not have a jetty or other suitable launching facility, but simply consist of a shallow sloping beach of sand, shingle or the like. In such cases it is customary to tow the boat, mounted on a trailer, by means of a motor vehicle, preferably of the four wheel drive country vehicle type. Many people do not have the use of such a vehicle, and even with the use of such a vehicle there are many places where it is difficult and/or dangerous, for example where there is soft sand, to drive a vehicle to the water's edge. Furthermore one has to drive the vehicle and trailer back to a place of safety after the launch and return on foot to the boat, which is inconvenient and time consuming and usually necessitates a second person staying with the boat in the meantime.It is an object of the present invention to provide a boat which is self-launching so as to avoid the abovementioned undersirable procedure when launching the boat from a shallow sloping beach, and to avoid a similar procedure in reverse when the boat returns from a voyage.

The invention provides a boat having a plurality of wheels attached thereto, each wheel being mounted on a support structure which is pivotal between an operative position in which the boat may be supported with said wheels in contact with the ground, and an elevated inoperative position in which the boat may float in water with at least a substantial part of said wheels and said support structure above the water line. Preferably said boat comprises driving means coupled with at least one of said wheels and operable to drive said one wheel in rotation. Said driving means may com prise an engine and flexible coupling means cou pling said engine with said one wheel. Said coupling means may comprise a hydraulic pump connected to said engine, an hydraulic motor con nected to said one wheel and flexible pipes con necting said pump with said hydraulic motor.

Said boat may comprise three wheels, one of said wheels being disposed at the stern of said boat and being coupled with said engine, and two wheels being disposed forwardly thereof. Said one wheel may be mounted on a parallelogram linkage support structure so as to move substantially up wardly relative to said boat between said operative and inoperative positions. Said two wheels may each be mounted on a support leg which is pivotal upwardly and rearwardly of said boat between said operative and said inoperative positions.

One embodiment of boat in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the boat in an on shore configuration, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the boat in an at sea configuration, Figure 3 is a rear view of the boat in an on-shore configuration, Figure 4 is a side elevation to a larger scale of the front part of the boat, and Figures 5 and 6 are plan and side elevations to a larger scale of the stern of the boat.

The boat 10 shown in the figures comprises a hull 11 on which are mounted two front wheels 12 and onr rear wheel 13. As shown more clearly in Figure 4 each front wheel 12 is mounted on a leg 14 secured at pivot 15 to the hull 11. The pivot 15 preferably comprises a common spindle passing through the hull 11 and having both legs 14 mounted thereon so as to be movable together. Alternatively the legs 14 may be mounted on individual pivots 15. For each leg 14 a locating strut 16 is provided which is pivotally secured at one end thereof by a pin 17 to the leg 14 adjacent the wheel 12. The other end of the strut 16 is releasably securable to a fastener 18 attached to the hull 11.In the operative position shown in Figures 1 and 3, and in full lines in Figure 4, the legs 14 extend downwardly from pivot 15 and the free ends of struts 16 are secured in fasteners 18 so that the wheels 12 are below the hull 11 and are in contact with the ground 19. When the boat 10 is floating in water 20 the wheels 12 are raised to the inoperative position as shown in Figure 2 and in broken lines in Figure 4 so as to be clear of the water line 21. To achieve this transformation the free ends of struts 16 are released from fasteners 18 and the struts 16 are moved to an intermediate position 16a (see Figure 4), the struts 16 pivoting about their pivot pins 17. The struts 16 together with the legs 14 and wheels 12 are then moved to the inoperative position, the whole structure pivoting about spindle 15.This operation is performed manually, although drive means for effecting the transformation could be provided if desired, particularly in the case of larger boats requiring correspondingly heavier wheels and support structure thereof. In this position the legs 14 may be retained by fasteners 18 to prevent inadvertent lowering.

As is shown more clearly in Figures 5 and 6 the rear wheel 13 is mounted on a parallelogram linkage 22 secured by a bracket 23 to the stern wall or transom 24 of the hull 11. Mounted on a second bracket 25 of linkage 22 is the wheel 13 and an hydraulic motor 26 which is operable to drive the wheel 13 in rotation and thereby propel the boat 10 when the wheels 12,13 are in the operative position in contact with the ground 19. The motor 26 and wheel 13 are mounted on bracket 25 so as to be pivotal about a vertical axis 27 and a slot 28 (see Figure 5) is provided in the housing of motor 26 in which a removable tiller 29 (Figures 1 and 3) may be received.By means of the tiller 29 the an gle of the wheel 13 relative to the longitudinal axis of the boat 10 may be altered so as to steer the boat 10 when it is being driven over the ground 19 using the wheel 13 for both propulsion and steer ing purposes. The hydraulic motor 26 is connected by flexible flow and return pipes 30 to an engine driven pump 31 (Figures 1 and 2) via a forward and reverse valve 32. When the boat 10 is floating in water 20 the wheel 13 is raised to its inoperative position shown in Figure 2, and in broken lines in Figure 6, so as to be clear of the water line 21. To achieve this transformation the tiller 29 is removed from the slot 28 and may be stored or used in conjunction with a rudder (not shown) for steering the boat 10 in the water 20.A locking bar 33 is released from the upper member of linkage 22 and is secured to the lower member thereof when the wheel 13 has been raised to the inoperative position. Alternatively a locking bar 33 extending between the two members of linkage 22 may be provided, being released therefrom and resecured thereto whilst lifting or lowering of the wheel 13 is performed. A counterbalance spring 34 may be provided to assist in raising the wheel 13 and resist over-rapid lowering thereof.

The operation of launching the boat 10 is as follows. The boat 10 may be transported to a beach or the like on a trailer towed by a motor vehicle in the conventional manner, and is unloaded onto the beach at a safe location, and with the boat wheels 12,13 in the lowered, operative position. Using the engine driven pump 31 to drive the rear wheel 13, the boat 10 is then propelled across the beach and into the water 20. Once the boat 10 is in the water 20 the normal propulsion means may be brought into operation, be that oars, sail or engine of the inboard or outboard kind, the latter being shown in Figures 3 and 5 at 35. When the boat 10 is sufficiently deep water 20 the engine driven pump 31 is stopped and the wheels 12,13 raised to their inoperative positions. In such positions the wheels 12,13 and a substantial part of the support structure therefor 14,16,22,25 will be above the water line 21 and thereby not contributing to the drag of the boat 10 in the water 20. The above described procedure is carried out in reverse when the boat 10 returns from its voyage.

Claims

1. A boat having a hull and a plurality of wheels attached thereto, each wheel being mounted on a support structure which is pivotal between an operative position in which wheels extend below said hull and said boat may be supported with said wheels in contact with the ground, and an elevated inoperative position in which the boat may float in water with at least substantial part of said wheels and support structure above the water line.

2. A boat according to claim 1, comprising driving means coupled with at least one of said wheels and operable to drive said one wheel in rotation.

3. A boat according to claim 2, wherein said driving means comprises an engine and flexible coupling means coupling said engine with said one wheel.

4. A boat according to claim 3, wherein said coupling means comprises a hydraulic pump connected to said engine, an hydraulic motor connected to said one wheel and flexible pipes connecting said pump with said hydraulic motor.

5. A boat according to claim 4, comprising three wheels.

6. A boat according to claim 5, wherein said one wheel is disposed at the stern of the boat and two wheels are disposed forwardly thereof.

7. A boat according to claim 6, wherein said one wheel is mounted on said hull by means of a parallelogram linkage support structure whereby said one wheel moves substantially upwardly relative to said hull between said operative and inoperative positions.

8. A boat according to claim 6 or 7, wherein each of said two forwardly disposed wheels is mounted on a support leg which is pivotally attached to said hull.

9. A boat according to claim 8, wherein each support leg may pivot upwardly and rearwardly of said boat between said operative and said inoperative positions.

10. A boat according to claim 9, wherein said support legs are mounted on a common pivot spindle so as to be movable together.

11. A boat according to any one of claims 8 to 10, comprising a locating strut having one end thereof pivotally secured to each support leg adjacent the respective wheel and the other end thereof being releasably securable to said hull.

12. A boat according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein said one wheel is mounted on a support structure which comprises a substantially vertical pivot axis whereby said wheel is steerable.

13. A boat according to claim 12, comprising a detachable tiller and a slot in a housing of said hydraulic motor adapted to receive an end of said tiller.

14. A boat according to claim 7 or any claim dependent thereon, comprising a counterbalance spring operable to assist raising of said one wheel and resist over-rapid lowering thereof.

15. A boat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.