AU3320499A - Adjustable boat decking - Google Patents

Description

46430 DL:ZS P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: GRAHAM STANLEY MEE SActual Inventor: GRAHAM STANLEY MEE Address for Service: COLLISON CO.,117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention Title: ADJUSTABLE BOAT DECKING Details of Associated Provisional Applications: AUSTRALIAN Provisional Patent Application No. PP6019 dated 18th September 1998 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: The present invention relates to boats and specifically to boats that have a decking over the bow area or an enclosed cabin. In particular the invention relates to an adjustable decking or cabin area that increases the utilisation of the boat.

The simplest design of a boat is an open aluminium hull that allows the use of and access to essentially all of the boat. To provide an on-board shelter some medium size and larger motor boats have a cabin or decking that is located towards the bow of the boat. However by providing this cabin or 1 0 decking, the useable space of the boat for recreational activities, such as fishing, is greatly reduced, only the aft of the boat being useable. Some access can be provided to the bow of the boat through a hatch, but this is only generally meant as a thoroughfare wherein the hatch is generally mounted on the boat as a door.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the above mentioned problems or to provide the public with a useful alternative, by providing an adjustable decking or cabin that improves the use and/or access of the boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the invention there is proposed a boat of the type having a hull and a decking including; 25 at least a part of said decking being movably mounted to the boat by a plurality of arms and movable from a first closed position to a second open position, wherein in said open position the decking has been raised l generally upwardly from said boat.

:3 0 In preference said arms are pivotably mounted to said boat.

In preference the decking moves upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the boat from the closed to the open position.

3 5 Preferably said movable decking includes a windscreen which in the closed position provide protection for a user and which allows a user when the decking is in the open position to move unimpeded underneath said raised decking.

In preference said decking is located towards the bow of the boat.

Preferably said movable decking is a hatch disposed between a windscreen of the boat and the bow of the boat.

In preference said decking is raisable to a height greater than the typical height of a user.

In preference the raisable decking includes a flange adapted to sealingly engage a lip on the boat when in the closed position.

Preferably located on the flange is a sealing member. For example said sealing member is preferably a rubber strip.

In preference said decking is movable by the use of a power means such as 1 5 an electric motor or a hydraulic motor.

In preference said arms include a plurality of gas struts to assist the lifting of the decking.

In preference said decking is lockable in a plurality of positions in between and including the open and the closed positions.

In a further aspect of the invention there is proposed decking for use with a :i boat, said decking adapted to sealingly engage said boat and including; 25 a hatch forming part of said decking and movable from a first to a *.:second position ,wherein in said first position said hatch sealingly engages said decking and in said second position said hatch is moved to a distance apart from said decking.

30 In a yet further aspect of the invention there is proposed a boat including; a hull and a cabin; said cabin fixedly attached to the hull; .said cabin including a hatch enabling access to said cabin; said hatch movably attached to said cabin by a plurality of arms adapted to move said hatch from a first position to a second position wherein in said first position said hatch engages said cabin and in said second position said hatch is moved distally apart from said cabin to thereby provide access from the boat through said cabin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To aid in the description of the invention reference is now made to the drawings exhibiting several embodiments of the invention in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical boat incorporating an adjustable cabin or decking according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention when applied to a different style boat.

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of an adjustable decking according to a second embodiment of the invention when in a raised position; 1 5 Figure 4 is the adjustable decking of Figure 3 but when in a closed position; and Figure 5 is a side view of the invention according to a third embodiment exhibiting the invention where a upper boat deck is added to an existing boat hull.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS :i Turning now to the drawings in detail there is shown in Figure 1 a first 25 embodiment of the invention where a boat 10 includes a hull 11 with a bow area 12 and an aft area 14. Generally the boat is driven by an outboard *motor 16 that is controlled by controls 18 by a user 20. A seat 22 provides a Ssitting area for the user 20 when the boat is being driven.

o: 30 Located at the bow area is decking 24 a substantial part of which 26 is pivotably mounted on arms 30 to the boat enabling it to be raised from a closed to an open position. Additionally windscreen 28 may be mounted on said pivotably decking, whilst side windows 32 may be mounted to the fixed part of the decking.

SThe movable decking includes a flange 34 that sealingly co-operates with lip 36 so that when the decking 26 is in the closed position an effective seal against the elements is provided. To assist in this regard a sealing strip may be included in the flange although this is not shown. Other sealing arrangements may equally well be employed. When the decking is in the closed position the windscreen 28 also sealingly engages side windows 32.

One can therefore see that when the boat is moving it may be desirous to have a closed decking area providing protection against the elements for the user 20 as well as for any other user that may be taking advantage of the sheltered area or cabin defined by the sealed decking. It is to be understood though that the controls 18 may also be mounted to the movable decking so that they are 'moved' away from the boat when not required and allow more space for use.

1 0 When one wishes to use the boat recreationally such as for fishing or exploring the waters the decking can be lifted to a position that allows free access to the bow of the boat and yet provided protection against the sun for persons located under the raised decking.

As shown in Figure 2, the present invention can accommodate decking of different shapes and size as well as include different attachments on the decking. Thus as shown in Figure 2 the opening 38 defined when the decking has been raised is of a more circular construction than that shown in Figure 1.

At times it may be desirous or indeed necessary to retain the windscreen fixedly mounted to the boat. Shown in Figures 3 and 4 is a second embodiment of the invention including raisable decking with respect to the bow and windscreen of the boat. This would still allow one to use to bow of the boat whilst leaving protection for a driver and the like.

i* Although the invention can be applied to new boats during manufacture, *existing open boats may be modified to take advantage of the invention. As shown in Figure 5, decking 24 can be sealingly fixed to the hull 11, the 30 decking including a raisable portion 26. In this way existing small boats, such as aluminium dinghies may be modified to provide protection for users whilst still providing substantial use of the whole boat.

The lifting of the deck through arms 30 may be accomplished by manual or by assisted means such as gas struts. Alternatively the lifting may be powered by the use of an electrical or hydraulic motor. To keep the raised deck in position, the arms may be lockable in position. It is further envisaged that the decking may be lockable in a number of different positions so as to provide flexibility for the user.

When in the raised position, it is also preferable for the decking to be angled downwardly towards the front of the boat. This ensures that if the decking is in the raised positron and the boat is moving that the movement of the wind provides a downward force on the decking. Thus the lifting arms are designed to be of such a length and location that no matter at what height the hatch is lifted to, including the fully open position, the front will always be lower than the rear, with respect to the horizontal plane. This design feature is such that, if the boat is moving or is experiencing winds then raising the hatch does not cause the front of the hatch to be at a higher point than the 1 0 rear of the hatch, in which case the hatch is liable to experience an uplifting force due to the motion of the wind which could act so as to tear the hatch from the top deck.

The lifting mechanism of the invention includes four pivot points mounted on 1 5 the boat deck. The external lifting arms attach to these pivot points. The use of external lifting arms allow greater room inside the boat. The positioning of the lifting arms also allows the decking to extend rearward over the windscreen to form a canopy when the hatch is fully raised. The present embodiment further allows for easy access by the ability to easily remove the 2 0 decking completely for fine weather conditions. This is achieved by providing quick action release pins (not shown) on the lifting arms and pivot points. Of course other embodiments may equally well be adapted. It is also to be noted that in the decking is designed such that when it is raised it moves rearwardly enabling greater access through the opening 38.

S So. There are several distinct advantages with respect to this invention, one :advantage being that more head room is clearly given when the decking is in an open position. At the same time, the bulk of the boat design can be reduced when the decking (also referred to as the hatch) is in the closed 30 position so as to provide for easier storage and travelling.

The top deck accordingly provides a decking which opens in a pop up action and by raising gives more head room when at rest such as fishing or dining S. or even sleeping. When the decking is in the closed position it provides 3 5 aerodynamic advantages for the boat and wind cheating when being towed.

There are further advantages with respect to this invention. Some of these are that with the cabin in an open position one has the ability to enter the boat from a bank or beach at the front of the boat and not from the rear of the boat. Furthermore with a quickly detachable top the boat can become a bow rider or runabout with the option of a canvas soft top for fine weather. The use of the opening hatch allows one easier anchoring whilst the creation of two separate areas allows for the creation of independent activities such as simply reading and resting at the front of the boat while fishing at the rear.

The creation of the separate area also allows one to separate people undergoing activities from those just enjoying the ride. This may be appropriate in the case of water skiing.

Other improvements to the invention may include side curtains (not shown) that drop from the raised decking so as to provide an enclosed cabin space of larger dimensions. Many other features can be incorporated into the invention to assist in the pleasure activities of boating. These may include the ability to adjust positionally the windscreen and the steering so as to 1 5 provide even more room to the front cabin space. The addition of the cabin on existing open boats also provides high sides which thereby increases passenger safety.

A further improvement may be that the arms are slidably extendable enabling the raised section to be lifted even further. One can thus envisage an embodiment where the decking is lifted rearwardly into the desired position and the arms are then extended to raise it to the desirable height. Of course, the height can be variable and the arms lockable in place.

S 25 From the description now given the concept and value of the structure and i: :its wide applicability will be appreciated. It should be noted that throughout this specification the purpose has been to illustrate the invention and not to define this.

*coco

Claims (18)

1. A boat of the type having a hull and a decking including; at least a part of said decking being movably mounted to the boat by a plurality of arms and movable from a first closed position to a second open position, wherein in the open position the decking has been raised generally upwardly from said boat.

2. A boat as in claim 1 wherein said arms are pivotably mounted to said boat.

3. A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein the decking moves upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the boat from the closed to the open position.

4. A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said movable decking includes a windscreen which in the closed position provide protection for a user and which allows a user when the decking is in the open position to move unimpeded underneath said raised decking.

A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said decking is located towards the bow of the boat.

6. A boat as in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said movable decking is a 25 hatch disposed between a windscreen of the boat and the bow of the o:.o boat.

A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said decking is raisable to a height greater than the typical height of a user.

8. A boat as in any one of the preceding claims wherein the raisable decking includes a flange adapted to sealingly engage a lip on the boat when in the closed position.

9. A boat as in claim 7 wherein located on the flange is a sealing member. 3o 9. A boat as in claim 7 wherein located on the flange is a sealing member.

A boat as in clam 8 wherein said sealing member is a rubber strip.

11. A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said decking is movable by the use of a power means such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor.

12. A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said arms include a plurality of gas struts to assist the lifting of the decking.

13. A boat as in any one of the above claims wherein said decking is lockable in a plurality of positions in between and including the open and the closed positions.

14. A decking for use with a boat, said decking adapted to sealingly engage said boat and including; a hatch forming part of said decking and movable from a first to a second position ,wherein in said first position said hatch sealingly engages said decking and in said second position said hatch is moved to a distance apart from said decking.

A boat including; a hull and a cabin; said cabin fixedly attached to the hull; said cabin including a hatch enabling access to said cabin; said hatch movably attached to said cabin by a plurality of arms adapted to move said hatch from a first position to a second position 25 wherein in said first position said hatch engages said cabin and in said second position said hatch is moved distally apart from said cabin to thereby provide access from the boat through said cabin.

16. A boat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 30 1 and 2.

17. A boat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

18. A boat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure DATED this 4th day of June 1999 GRAHAM STANLEY MEE By his Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO