Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02479413 2004-08-30
ADJUSTABLE BOAT FENDERS SYSTEMS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a fenders system for a boat and more particularly
relates to an
adjustable system of providing a plurality of fenders around a boat such that
the vertical position
of the fenders may be varied from a remote location.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cylindrical shaped vinyl or polyvinyl fenders or fenders are commonly provided
around
the sides of a boat for absorbing the impact between the boat and the dock
during docking. The
fenders are hung by ropes tied to cleats mounted on the gunwale or deck of the
boat. As the water
level relative to a dock changes due to tide or due to different dock
structures to which the boat
may have to dock, it has been problematic to boaters of having to vary the
vertical position of the
fenders from time to time to compensate for such variations. Such task is
difficult to carry out on
the boat since one must climb onto the small footholds of the gunwale or the
front deck to raise
and adjust each bumper individually. Some boats are provided with only a
narrow walkway
1 S around the gunwale; furthermore, the boat is usually in motion riding up
and down on waves and
the footholds and the deck may also be wet and slippery. This creates a
potentially dangerous
situation for the person climbing or walking around the gunwale or the deck of
the boat to adjust
the fenders and may fall or be thrown overboard in the process, It is even
more dangerous to
carry out in the rain or in a storm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an adjustable
system for boat
fenders which is operative for varying the vertical position of the fenders.
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It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable system
which is
operative without having to climb onto the gunwale or the deck of the boat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable system
which is
operative remotely from a safe location in the boat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable system
which allows
the positions of the fenders around the boat to be varied easily.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable
system which is
simple in construction and easy to manufacture.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable
system which is
easy to operate.
Briefly, the system of the present invention comprises a plurality of pulley
bars adapted
for mounting along the guard rail of a boat. The pulley bars have a plurality
of rotary wheels
rotatably mounted therein. A plurality of elongated ropes having one end
adapted to tie to a
plurality of fenders individually are threaded through spacings between the
rotary wheels of the
pulley bars. The free end of the elongated ropes is located at a rear portion
of the boat when the
pulley bars are mounted on the boat. A fastener is adapted for securing the
free end of the ropes
on the boat. The fastener may be selectively operative for either latching the
free end portion of
the ropes to the boat or unlatching the free end portion of the ropes so that
they may be pulled or
released to raise or lower the fenders simultaneously, remotely and quickly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in
connection with the
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accompanying drawings, in which
Figure I is a perspective elevation view of a boat provided with the fenders
system
according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is the front elevation view of one of the pulleys of the system
according to the
present invention.
Figure 3 is the side elevation view of the pulley of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an isolated top elevation view showing the hook shaped bracket and
the
attachment strap of the pulley.
Figure 5 is an isolated enlarged side elevation view of the rear plate of the
pulley bar
I O showing the alternative provision of catch pin thereon for securing the
end portion of the strap.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate
corresponding
parts in the several different views, the boat 10 is shown moored at a dock I
1, commonly several
fenders are provided on the boat to absorb the impact during docking as well
as during mooring
15 as the water waves push the boat against the dock. For simplicity of
illustration, three fenders 12,
I3 and I4 are shown as an example. Normally, these fenders are tied with ropes
of fixed lengths
secured to cleats provided on the deck of the boat. According to the present
invention, the
fenders 12, I 3 and 14 are tied to elongated ropes 1 S, 16 and 17 respectively
which are routed
through three pulley bars 18, 19 and 20 respectively. For the exemplary
embodiment, the pulley
20 bar 18 has two rotary wheels, the pulley bar 19 has three rotary wheels and
pulley bar 20 has four
rotary wheels and apart from the different number of wheels provided they have
similar
construction. The pulley bars 18, I 9 and 20 may be mounted to the guard rail
2I of the boat as
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best shown in Figure 1. Such guard rail is commonly provided on a medium and
larger size
pleasure boat. The four wheels pulley bar 20 is shown in Figures 2 and 3. The
pulley bar 20 has
an elongated substantially U-shaped main body 22. Four rotary wheels 23, 24,
25 and 26 are
rotatably mounted on the main body 22 with shafts 27, 28, 29 and 30
respectively with rope
routing spaces 31, 32 and 33 located between the rotary wheels. The rope 15,
tied to the front
fender 12, is routed through the space between the two rotary wheels of pulley
bar 18 arid the
space between the top two rotary wheels of pulley bar 19 and pulley bar 20.
The rope 16 tied to
the middle fender 13 is routed through the bottom two rotary wheels of pulley
bar 19 and the two
middle rotary wheels of pulley bar 20, while the rope 17 tied to the rear
fender 14 is routed
through the bottom two rotary wheels of pulley bar 19 and the bottom two
rotary wheels of
pulley bar 20.
Each pulley bar has a circular hook-shaped bracket 34 pivotally mounted to the
top end
portion of its front plate 35 by a pin 35 to facilitate mounting the pulley
bar to the guard rail 21 of
the boat 10. The inside surface 37 of the hook-shaped bracket 34 is lined with
cushioning
material 38 such as a fuzzy fabric so as to enhance the securem.ent of the
pulley bar to the guard
rail 21 of the boat. The bracket 34 is pivotable sideways relative to the
front plate 35 so that it
may pivot at an angle during operation to enhance the rotational movement of
the rotary wheels;
moreover, it facilitates the pulley bar to be mounted alternatively and
selectively on any vertical
support post 39 of the guard rail 21 or a similar vertical post for a boat
having a different guard
rail design. A rectangular buckle 40 having a rectangular opening 41 is
provided at the lower
edge portion of the hook-shaped bracket 34. An elongated strap 42 is mounted
at one end portion
therein between the hook-shaped bracket 34 and the front plate 35 of the main
body 22. The strap
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42 has a width slightly smaller than the width of the rectangular opening 41
of the buckle 40 so
that it may be threaded through the buckle 40 to secure the pulley bar tightly
on the guard rail 21
or the other vertical post 39 on the boat. Fuzzy securement material such as
Velcro( a trademark)
may be provided on both the outer surface as well as the inside surface of the
strap 42 so that the
fuzzy securement material on the engaging surfaces may be attached to one
another firmly after
the strap 42 has looped through the buckle 40 as best shown in Figure 3. Same
fuzzy securement
material 43 is also provided on the surface of the top portion of the rear
plate 44 for attaching the
end of the strap 42 securely to the rear plate 44 by engaging the two fuzzy
surfaces. Alternatively,
as shown in Figure S a catch pin 45 may be provided on the rear plate 44, and
a series of holes 46
are formed in the strap 42 so that the end of the strap may be secured to the
rear plate 44 by
engaging a selected hole 46 with the catch pin 45. With the above provision,
the pulley bars 18,
19 and 20 may be quickly and easily mounted at any selected positions on the
guard rail 21 or
other vertical support posts.
All three ropes 1 S, 16 and 17 after having threaded through the pulley bars
18, I 9 and 20
I S are joined together to pass through a guide sleeve 47 mounted on the guard
rail 21. The end
portion of the ropes may be tied together with a knot 48 and they rnay also be
fastened to the
guard rail 21 with a Velcro( a trademark ) strap 49. The end portion of the
ropes are located at the
open rear side of the boat such that the joined ropes may be easily accessible
by the boater for
remotely raising or lowering the fenders 12, 13 and 14 simultaneously,
expeditiously, and
conveniently to any required vertical position by undoing the securing strap
49 and pulling or
releasing the ropes and then securing the fenders at the selected position by
securing the end
portion of the ropes again with the securing strap 49.
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The pivotable mounting of the bracket 34 to the front plate 35 of the pulley
bar enables
the pulley bars 18, 19 and 20 to pivot to enhance the operation of the raising
or lowering of the
fenders 12, 13, and 14 while pulling or releasing the ropes 15, 16 and 17.
Also, the pivotable
mounting permits the pulley bar to be mounted alternatively on any post other
than a horizontal
guard rail, which may be provided in numerous different boat designs.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. It
will be
recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and
the appended
claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the
spirit and scope of
the invention.
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