Pedally operable boat propulsion apparatus

May 1, 1962 c. w. kiker, jr 3,032,001

PEDALLY OPERABLE BOAT PROPULSION APPARATUS

<img file="US3032001A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US3032001A_D0002.tif" />

May 1, 1962 c. w. kiker, jr 3,032,001

PEDALLY OPERABLE BOAT PROPULSION APPARATUS

Filed Aug. 17, 1960

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3032001A_D0003.tif" />

<img file="US3032001A_D0004.tif" />

<img file="US3032001A_D0005.tif" />

3,032,001

Patented May 1, 1962

United States Patent Office

3,032,001

PEDALLY OPERABLE BOAT PROPULSION APPARATUS

Charles W. Kiker, Jr., Blue Ridge, Ga., assignor of onetenth to Gadget-of-The-Month Club, Inc., North Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of California

Filed Aug. 17,1960, Ser. No. 50,111

Claim. (Cl. 115—25)

The present invention consists of pedally operable boat propulsion apparatus adapted to be quickly and easily mounted on opposite sides of a boat and used for effectively propelling a boat along the surface of a body of water by operating a pair of foot pedals. It should be noted that the apparatus can also be very easily dismounted from the boat for convenient portability and/or storage and for subsequent remounting on another boat, if desired.

It should be noted that the muscles operating legs and feet of a person are stronger than the muscles operating arms and hands of a person. Therefore, the apparatus of the present invention, which is pedally operable, may be conveniently and easily operated for substantial periods of time even by relatively inexperienced persons who might have great difficulty in rowing a boat in a conventional manner for the same period of time.

Furthermore, rowing requires considerable skill, while the pedally operable boat propulsion apparatus of the present invention requires virtually no skill for successful use.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention is readily adjustable for use with boats of different widths and boats having different side wall heights. Additionally, it is adjustable so as to vary the depth of the positioning of the pair of water-engageable propulsion means with the water on each side of the boat, which results in different propulsion characteristics.

It is an object of the present invention to provide pedally operable boat propulsion apparatus of the character referred to above which is of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread use thereof.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter and will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful study thereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, one exemplary embodiment is illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying two sheets of drawings and is described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary oblique view of a rear end portion of a boat showing one exemplary embodiment of the pedally operable boat propulsion apparatus of the present invention in mounted operative relationship with respect thereto.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows 2—2 of FIG. 1 showing the apparatus of the present invention in elevation and showing the diagrammatic boat in cross-section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 3—3 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the longitudinal telescopically engaged splined shaft and tube means comprising a part of the linkage means connecting the pedals with the corresponding water-engageable propulsion means. All portions of the apparatus behind the plane of the section are removed for drawing simplification reasons.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in ele5 vation and partly in vertical section, taken in the direction of the arrows 4—4 of FIG. 1 and illustrates the independent mounting of each of the shafts carrying each of the pedals so that the pedals may be independently operated by the feet of a person using the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the right hand water-engageable propulsion means shown in FIG. 2, with the plurality of movable elements thereof in substantially closed contiguous positions for use during a rearwardly directed power stroke movement thereof in the 15 direction of the arrow.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 5 but shows the plurality of movable elements of the propulsion means in open non-contiguous positions for use during a forwardly directed return stroke movement thereof in the 20 direction of the arrow.

FIG. 7 is an exploded oblique view of one of the waterengageable propulsion means showing in detail the plurality of movable elements and the means for controllably interconnecting them for movement between the power 25 stroke positions shown in FIG. 5 and the return stroke positions shown in FIG. 6. ~ ~

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the points of pivotal attachment of the rear movable element of the propulsion means shown in FIG. 7 with respect to 30 the vertical shaft (which is shown in cross-section and which carries a key shown in top plan view).

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the points of pivotal attachment of the far movable element of the propulsion means shown in FIG. 7 with respect to 35 the vertical shaft (which is shown in cross-section and which shows the key in top plan view).

FIG. 10 is a view generally similar to FIGS. 8 and 9, but illustrates the keyed attachment of the central one of the plurality of relatively movable elements (comprising 40 the propulsion means) to the vertical shaft. It should be noted that this particular central element is not movable with respect to the shaft but is movable relative to the other two members best shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one 45 illustrative embodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form wherein it includes a pair of water-engageable propulsion means, indicated generally at 20, adapted to be mounted on opposite sides of a boat, indicated fragmentarily at 21, by suitable controllably en⁵⁰ gageable and disengageable mounting means, indicated generally at 22, and each of which removably engages the top edge 23 of opposite sidewall parts 24 of the boat 21.

The invention also includes pedal operating means and means for mounting same within the boat 21 for opera⁵⁵ tion by the feet of an occupant thereof, with the pedal operating means 26 being effectively interconnected with respect to the water-engageable propulsion means 20 by suitable linkage means, indicated generally at 25, whereby operation of the pedal operating means 26 by a person ⁶⁰ sitting on the seat 27 will effectively cause rearward power stroke movement of each of the propulsion means 20 and forward return stroke movement thereof whereby to effectively propel the boat 21 through a body of water indicated fragmentarily at 28.

3,032,001

In the specific example illustrated, the pedal operating means 26 comprises two foot pedals 29, each fixedly connected to a tube 30 having its inner end independently rotatably mounted in a central bearing member 31 and having its outer end effectively interiorly grooved or splined and receiving a splined shaft 32, as best shown in FIG. 3, whereby to be in positive rotative engagement with respect to the splined shaft 32 but to be longitudinally slidable with respect thereto for adjustment purposes whereby to allow the entire apparatus to be extended or shortened for cooperation with boats having different widths between the side wall portions 24 thereof.

The independently mounted tubes 3Φ and splined shafts 32 comprise a portion of each of the independent linkage means 25, which further includes a rotary drive member 35 fixedly carried at the outer end of each of the shafts 32, a corresponding vertically spaced rotary driven member 36, and drive belt means 37 interconnecting same for power transmission therebetween. In the specific example illustrated, the rotary drive member 35 and the rotary driven member 36 each have grooved partially circumferential edge portions frictionally receiving the drive belt means 37, which is shown as comprising a conventional pulley V-belt. However, it should be noted that it may comprise a sprocket chain and the drive and driven members 35 and 36 may be provided with sprocket teeth, if . desired, or various other rotary power transmission linkages may be. provided. Each of the drive belts 37 is provided with controllably adjustable turn buckle means 38 for controllably tightening or loosening the drive belt 37. with respect to the rotary drive member. 35 and rotary driven member 36.

Each of the mounting means 22 contains an extension portion E which rotatably supports and mounts the lower rotary drive .member 35 and which adjustably carries at its upper end, by way of suitable adjustment means 39, a transverse shaft 40 fixedly connected to the upper rotary driven member 36, thus providing an arrangement where the vertical distance between the lower rotary drive member 35 and the upper rotary driven member 36 can be adjusted in accordance with the height of the side walls 24 of various different-sized boats 21. This is made possible by reason of the turn buckles 38,. which allow each of the drive belts 37 to be correspondingly lengthened or shortened.

Each of the upper transverse , shafts 40 is rotatably mounted in the bearing portion 41 and extends outwardly and is provided with a lower vertical shaft 42 which carries the two side elements 43 and the center element 44 of each of the propulsion means 2® for arcuate rearward power stroke movement in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 5 when said elements are in the closed contiguous positions shown in FIG. 5 and for arcuate forward return stroke movement in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 6 when said elements are in the partially open non-contiguous position shown in FIG. 6·

It will readily, be understood that the closed power stroke position of the elements 43 and 44, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5,. effectively defines a substantial waterengaging area across the area of power stroke movement thereof (shown by the arrow in FIG. 5) and that said elements, when in the open non-contiguous position shown in FIG. 6, effectively define a substantially lesser waterengaging area across the direction of return stroke movement thereof (shown by the arrow in FIG. 6) whereby to effectively propel the boat through the water as a result of rearward arcuate power stroke movement and forward arcuate, return stroke movement alternately produced by forward and rearward pivotal operation of the pedals 29, which may be simultaneous or alternate. It should also be noted that effective steering control of the boat may be provided by differentially operating each of the propulsion means 20.

In the specific form of water-engageable propulsion means 20 illustrated, each of the side elements 43 is pivotally mounted on the lower shaft portion 42 and has an arcuate cutout C cooperating with a key 45 car5 ried by the shaft whereby to allow limited arcuate movement of said outer side elements 43 between the closed position shown in FIG. 5 and the open position shown in FIG. 6, which movement will be caused by the force of water exerted there against during the rearward power 10 stroke and the forward return stroke. In the form illustrated, the central element 44 is non-rotatively keyed by the key 45 to the lower shaft portion 42, causing it to remain in its central position shown in both FIGS. 5 and 6. It should be noted that the central or intermediate 15 element 44 has edge shoulders 46 adapted to receive correspondng edge portions 47 of the outer elements 43 when they move into the closed position shown in FIG. 5.

It will readily be understood that the pro-pulsion means 20 just described in exemplary only and may be modified 20 substantially within the basic spirit and scope of the present invention. Indeed, the propulsion means may assume a variety of forms wherein relatively movable elements move between substantially closed positions when in the power stroke configuration and substantially 25 open positions when in the return stroke configuration.

This may be provided entirely by pivotal movement of said elements as a result of water force exerted thereagainst or may include means for positively moving the elements between the closed power stroke configuration 30 and the open return stroke configuration.

The junction of the upper end of the vertical shaft portion 42 with the horizontal shaft portion 40' on each side of the boat may include controllably operable vertical adjusting means, such as is indicated generally at 48, 35 for adjusting the overall height of each of the propulsion means 29.

In certain forms of the invention this adjusting means 48 and also the adjusting means 39 may be modified or eliminated entirely, if desired. In certain forms of 40 the invention intended for a boat of fixed size, the splined shaft-in-tube arrangement best shown in FIG. 3 may also be modified or eliminated entirely, if desired.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise -and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to· include substantially ₅₀ equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.