Steering mechanism for a boat having a planing hull

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065725-B2
Application number	US-201715477862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A boat includes a planing hull, a propeller, a main rudder, and a pair of flanking rudders. The planing hull has port and starboard sides, a transom, a hull bottom, and a centerline running down the middle of the boat, halfway between the port and starboard sides. The propeller is positioned forward of the transom and beneath the hull bottom. The main rudder is positioned aft of the propeller. The main rudder has a rotation axis about which the main rudder rotates. The flanking rudders are positioned forward of the propeller. One of the flanking rudders is positioned on the port side of the centerline, and the other flanking rudder is positioned on the starboard side of the centerline.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A boat comprising:
a planing hull including a port and starboard sides, a transom, a hull bottom, and a centerline running down the middle of the boat, halfway between the port and starboard sides;
a propeller positioned forward of the transom and beneath the hull bottom, the propeller being configured to accelerate a stream of water as a reverse race when the propeller is rotated in a direction to move the boat in reverse;
a main rudder positioned aft of the propeller, the main rudder having a rotation axis about which the main rudder rotates; and
a pair of flanking rudders, one of the flanking rudders being positioned on the port side of the centerline, and the other flanking rudder being positioned on the starboard side of the centerline, each flanking rudder having (i) a neutral position and (ii) a rotation axis about which that flanking rudder rotates, the rotation axis of each flanking rudder being positioned forward of the propeller and positioned such that each flanking rudder is configured to intersect the reverse race when rotated from its neutral position.

2. The boat of claim 1 , wherein the planing hull includes at least one of lifting strakes, a hard chine, and a deadrise from 0° to 30°.

3. The boat of claim 1 , further comprising a drive shaft for rotating the propeller, the drive shaft being aligned with the centerline when viewed from above.

4. The boat of claim 1 , the boat further comprising a main rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the main rudder post connected to the main rudder and configured to rotate the main rudder about the rotation axis of the main rudder,
wherein, when the propeller is rotated in a direction to move the boat forward, the propeller accelerates a stream of water as a forward race, and the main rudder post is located within outer edges of the forward race when viewed from above.

5. The boat of claim 1 , further comprising a main rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the main rudder post connected to the main rudder and configured to rotate the main rudder about the rotation axis of the main rudder, the main rudder post being positioned on the centerline when viewed from above.

6. The boat of claim 1 , further comprising:
a port flanking rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the port flanking rudder post connected to the port flanking rudder and configured to rotate the port flanking rudder about the rotation axis of the port flanking rudder; and
a starboard flanking rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the starboard flanking rudder post connected to the starboard flanking rudder and configured to rotate the starboard flanking rudder about the rotation axis of the starboard flanking rudder,
wherein the propeller has a diameter, and the port flanking rudder post and the starboard flanking rudder post are positioned forward of the propeller a distance that is less than or equal to three times the propeller diameter.

7. The boat of claim 6 , wherein the port flanking rudder post and the starboard flanking rudder post are located the same distance forward of the propeller.

8. The boat of claim 1 , further comprising:
a port flanking rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the port flanking rudder post being connected to the port flanking rudder and being configured to rotate the port flanking rudder about the rotation axis of the port flanking rudder; and
a starboard flanking rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the starboard flanking rudder post being connected to the starboard flanking rudder and being configured to rotate the starboard flanking rudder about the rotation axis of the starboard flanking rudder,
wherein each of the port and starboard flanking rudder posts is positioned within outer edges of the reverse race when viewed from above.

9. The boat of claim 1 , wherein each of the flanking rudders further has a neutral position and a forward edge that is angled toward the centerline as viewed from above when the flanking rudder is in the neutral position.

10. The boat of claim 9 , wherein each of the flanking rudders further has an aft edge that is angled away from the centerline as viewed from above when the flanking rudder is in the neutral position.

11. The boat of claim 9 , wherein, when viewed from above, the forward edge of the port flanking rudder is angled toward the centerline at a toed-in angle relative to a line that extends parallel to the centerline and intersects the rotation axis of the port flanking rudder, the toed-in angle of the port flanking rudder being from 0° to 10°, and
wherein, when viewed from above, the forward edge of the starboard flanking rudder angled is toward the centerline at a toed-in angle relative to a line that extends parallel to the centerline and intersects the rotation axis of the starboard flanking rudder, the toed-in angle of the starboard flanking rudder being from 0° to 10°.

12. The boat of claim 1 , wherein each of the flanking rudders further has a neutral position and a forward edge that is angled away from the centerline as viewed from above when the flanking rudder is in the neutral position.

13. The boat of claim 12 , wherein each of the flanking rudders further has an aft edge that is toward from the centerline as viewed from above when the flanking rudder is in the neutral position.

14. The boat of claim 12 , wherein, when viewed from above, the forward edge of the port flanking rudder is angled away from the centerline at a toed-out angle relative to a line that extends parallel to the centerline and intersects the rotation axis of the port flanking rudder, the toed-in angle of the port flanking rudder being from 0° to 10°, and
wherein, when viewed from above, the forward edge of the starboard flanking rudder angled is away from the centerline at a toed-out angle relative to a line that extends parallel to the centerline and intersects the rotation axis of the starboard flanking rudder, the toed-in angle of the starboard flanking rudder being from 0° to 10°.

15. The boat of claim 1 , wherein the port flanking rudder and the starboard flanking rudder are each configured to rotate at rotation rates faster than a rotation rate at which the main rudder is configured to rotate.

16. The boat of claim 15 , further comprising:
a main rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the main rudder post connected to the main rudder and configured to rotate the main rudder about the rotation axis of the main rudder;
a main tiller arm connected to the other end of the main rudder post and configured to rotate with the main rudder post;
a flanking rudder post passing through the hull bottom, one end of the flanking rudder post connected to one of the flanking rudders and configured to rotate the flanking rudder to which it is connected about the rotation axis of that flanking rudder;
a flanking rudder tiller arm connected to the other end of the of the flanking rudder post and configured to rotate with the flanking rudder post; and
a linkage connecting the main tiller arm and the flanking rudder tiller arm, the linkage being connected to the main tiller arm at a first connection point and connected to the flanking rudder tiller arm at a second connection point, wherein the distance between the first connection point and the main rudder post is greater than the distance between the second connection point and the flanking rudder post.

17. The boat of claim 1 , wherein each flanking rudder further has an aft edge,
wherein, when the aft

Assignees

• Mastercraft Boat Co Llc

Inventors

• Myers Michael D
• Uggeri Michael J
• Ekern David F
• Huyge Matthew J

Classifications

• B63H25/30

  hydraulic · CPC title

• B63H2025/063

  Arrangements of rudders forward of the propeller position, e.g. of backing rudders; Arrangements of rudders on the forebody of the hull; Steering gear therefor · CPC title

• B63H25/10

  with mechanical transmission · CPC title

• B63H5/125

  movably mounted with respect to hull, e.g. adjustable in direction {, e.g. podded azimuthing thrusters}({outboard units or Z-drives B63H20/00; } movably mounted for steering purposes only, {rudders carrying propellers} B63H25/42) · CPC title

• B63H2025/066

  Arrangements of two or more rudders; Steering gear therefor · CPC title