GB2487107A

GB2487107A - Catamaran bait boat comprising pivoted bait tray and fishing line attachment means

Info

Publication number: GB2487107A
Application number: GB1119646.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Ashley Harper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-01-04
Filing date: 2011-11-15
Publication date: 2012-07-11
Also published as: GB201100003D0; GB201119646D0

Abstract

A fishing bait dispenser comprises a powered floating craft formed of two parallel floats 1 and a pivoting bait tray 4 disposed between the floats 1; a motor and propeller 6 is provided towards a bow end of the boat and the craft includes at least two 9, 11 attachment means for securing a fishing line 5. The craft may be steered by the fishing line 5 and preferably a user tugging on the attached fishing line 5 operates a multifunction lever 10 which causes the bait tray 4 to open and stops the motor 6.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING FISHING BAIT

The present invention is for use by a person who is fishing and is a remote controlled method and apparatus for delivering ground bait to a specific point in a body of water. The invention provides for the use of a rudderless boat with twin float or twin pod hull which can be steered without obvious steering means and which can be made to stop and release it's load of bait whenever required.

Remote controlled bait delivery systems are well known in the art at the present time, they are commonly known as "Bait Boats". By far the majority are electronically remote controlled, that is to say that they are equipped with a radio system or other electronic means of control for example some use an infra red system and some use an ultrasonic remote sensing system.

Most relevant examples of the art can be found in the European A051/91 or 97 classification category and typical examples are as follows U55806232 Is a radio controlled bait boat powered by electric motors and steered by rudder with two pivoting hatches in the stern transom from which bait can be released by remote control. A hand held transmitter is required and the whole embodiment contains rather complex electronic systems.

GB 2425237 Is also a radio controlled system with a water jet system of steering which allows very accurate control of the boats position to be achieved by means of the radios system together with moveable water jets.

CM 201151469 Again a radio controlled system steered by a moveable miniature outboard radio controlled motor so that the motor and propeller both turn together to steer the boat, particularly relevant to the present invention because it also utilises a twin float hull in between which is a releasable bait holder. A further example of this type of hull can be found in DE202004008345.

These above examples show how complex radio control is applied to three different steering systems and there are many examples of a similar nature to be found in the art. Most use complex remote control electronics with the accompanying set up, cost and reliability problems.

Two further examples of prior art are worthy of mention because they relate to how a bait boat may be steered and controlled without the use of complex electronics. These are as follows.

US3793761 Is an electrically powered craft which is connected to the operator by a line which extends from an on board control mast. The craft has a conventional rudder and a mechanism which is more commonly known as an "escapement". These mechanisms were used with very early radio systems in model aircraft when a single pulse advances a rotating wheel which controls the rudder of the aircraft. In this case the control is applied to a boat and instead of radio a tug on the line by the operator replaces the pulse. Of course if you have once turned left and then centered the rudder, then the next pulse would take the rudder right and one would have to pass through this sequence quickly to get back to another left turn. This makes the rudder quite difficult to control.

CN2O1 308064 This Chinese patent is one amongst many different types of bait boat but it is significant because it does not require radio and uses a mechanical timer system for releasing the bait. The complexity of electronics is avoided but then fairly complex and expensive mechanics are added to control the release of the bait.

It is the object of the present invention to address all of the disadvantages found in the above art. Using a rod and line as a control system and a twin hull design the present invention is steered by simply biasing the line to the left or to the right. This moves the stern of the boat to the left or right thus turning the boat.

This process is assisted by the fact that the motor and propeller is mounted at the front of the hull making it easier to move the stern with a slight movement of the line by the person holding the rod from which the line extends. A simple tug on the line releases the bait mechanically and switches off the motor at the same time, thus avoiding the complex control systems found in other designs.

In this specification the words float and pod and are interchangeable, they each refer to the same elements of the design and have the same meaning.

According to a first feature of the invention a fishing bait dispenser is, in use, a floating powered craft which has a body consisting of two connected parallel floats between which is a releasable pivoted bait tray and a motor and propeller which motor is mounted underneath the craft nearer the bow than the stern. The said craft is equipped with first means for fixing the line to the front of the craft and second or second and third means for slideably attaching a line to either the front or rear of the craft or slideably attaching the said line to both the front and the rear at the same time.

According to a second feature of the invention there is a fishing bait dispenser which in use is a floating powered craft according to the first feature. In use, in addition to having a line slideably attached the said line is also securely fixed to the front of the craft by attaching it to an eyelet. The line then extends back over the craft through said second and third means for slideably attaching said line and then over the water to a rod held by the operator. Here there may only be a second means.

According to a third feature of the invention there is a fishing bait dispenser which in use is a floating powered craft according to any previous feature equipped with a multi-function lever carrying the second means for slideably attaching the line through which a line is fed and which in use is moved by a tug on the line which feeds through it so that movement of the lever causes the electric motor powering the craft to stop.

According to a fourth feature of the invention there is a fishing bait dispenser which in use is a floating powered craft according to any previous feature equipped with a multi-function lever carrying the second means for slideably attaching the line. The line is fed through and in use is moved by a tug on the line which feeds through it so that movement of the lever causes the electric motor powering the craft to stop and the bait tray to be released According to a fifth feature of the invention there is a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous feature which in use has a float which is inserted into the bait tray in place of bait.

According to a sixth feature of the invention there is a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous feature which in use has a float which is inserted into the bait tray in place of bait and a retaining clip is added at the edge of the tray to retain the float when the bait tray is released.

According to a seventh feature of the invention there is method of operating a fishing bait dispenser where a line is attached to the first attachment means at front of the craft and slid through second attachment means which is a mounting point on a multifunction lever and slid through a third attachment means on the rear of the craft so that in use the line extends from the rear of the craft to a rod held by an operator whereby the said operator can control the steering of the craft by moving the rod and line from left to right and can stop the craft by a sharp tug on the line which tug moves said multi-function lever releasing the bait tray and switching off the motor According to an eighth feature of the invention there is a method of operating a fishing bait dispenser where a hooked weight is attached to the end of a line and a stop is attached to the line so that the weight may be hooked to a first means for removeably attaching the line and fed through said second and third means so that in use a sharp tug on the line will release the hooked weight causing it to fall into the water and in so doing tensioning the line so that a multi-function lever is moved causing the motor to be switched off.

According to a ninth feature of the invention there is a method of operating a fishing bait dispenser where a weight and a float are attached to the end of a line in two places so that the float suspends the weight in the water so that in use the said fishing bait dispenser may be slideably attached to the line via said second and third fixing means so that when the boat nears the float the line becomes taught which depresses a multifunction lever switching off power to the motor.

According to a tenth feature there is a method of operating a fishing bait dispenser whereby a further bait or lure is attached to a hook mounted in the said bait tray or a further bait or lure is attached to a short weighted line attached to the main line at the rear of the craft.

The invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -Figure 1. Is a side view of the craft showing the control line attached as a dotted line and the bait tray up in it's loaded position.

Figure 2. Shows the same as figure 1 with the nearest (starboard) flotation pod removed.

Figure 3. Is a 3D view of the craft showing a different way of attaching the control line where the line is slideably fixed to the craft and terminated in a float and sinker weight.

Figure 4. Shows a method of terminating the line 5 in a weight which is removeably fixed to the front of the craft.

Figure 5. Shows a close up of the weight when attached to the front of the craft.

Figure 6. Is a close up of the weight showing the hook 18, which is for attaching to the front of the craft.

Figure 7 Is a side view of the craft showing the control line attached as a dotted line and the bait tray up in it's loaded position. This illustration also shows the dotted outline of the bait tray with a hook mounted underneath at the front.

Figure 8 Shows the bait tray loaded with a float and the float retaining hook which doubles as a line attachment point.

Figure 9 Shows the float retaining clip Figure 10 show how the float is mounted into the bait tray Figure 11 shows an alternate switch system for the motor.

Referring now to Figure 1, A side view of the craft shows the port float 1, which is joined to the starboard float by the bridge 3 which also contains the battery for the motor which is contained within the propeller and motor guard 6. A bait tray 4 is located between the port and starboard floats.

Power is fed from the battery to the motor via multi function lever 10 passing through the contact made between the multi function lever 10 and the contact shaft 8.

A line 5 is attached to the craft at point 9. It is then fed through the spiral 7 located at the end of the multi function contact 10. The line continues on the stern spiral 11 mounted on the rear of the bait tray 4. The line is therefore fixed at point 9 and also slideably attached by means of these two spirals. In other embodiments later described the line may not be fixed at point 9.

When the craft is launched it is steered by applying left or right bias with the rod from which the line 5 is extending.

Referring now to figure 2, this illustration shows the craft with the port float removed revealing the starboard float 2 and the bait box 4. Also the motor and propeller 16, can be beneath the craft because the motor guard 6, has been removed.

When the craft reaches it's destination a sharp tug on the line 5, causes the multi function contact lever 10 to pull downwards. This breaks the connection between the multi function lever 10 and the contact shaft 8 thus stopping the motor. At the same time hook 12a is removed from receptacle 12b allowing the bait tray 4 to pivot downwards and deposit the bait into the water. The pivot point for the bait tray 4 is located at the rear of the tray. The rear spiral 11 may also be pivoted so that it does not drag on the line 5.

An alternate method of attaching line 5, is shown in figure 3. A float 13 is cast into the desired area and this is held in place by sinker weight 14 which goes down into the water. The craft is then attached to the line via spirals 7 and 11 only.

The bait is then released either automatically when the craft reaches its destination because spiral 7 is pulled down as it nears float 13 or a tug on the line 5 can release the bait and stop the motor as before.

Figure 3 also presents a view of the cavity 15 in the bait tray in which the bait is carried ready for dispersal and also shows the power switch 17 on the front of the bridge.

Figure 4, should be viewed in conjunction with figures 5 and 6, the latter two figures being enlargement of parts of figure 4. A weight 14 is removeably attached to point 9 by means of a hook 18. In use a short tug on the line 5 will lift the weight 14 thus releasing hook 18 and allowing the weight 14 to sink as far as the distance between spiral 11 and stop 19 will allow. When released the weight 14 will pull down multi function lever 10 thus disconnecting the power and stopping the motor and at the same time releasing the bait.

Further embodiments are planned and these are illustrated in figures 7 to 11.

Referring to figures 7 and 8, a float 27 is inserted into the bait tray and is retained by clip 21 which is also shown in figures 9 and 10. In figure 10 the float can be seen in the bait tray 4 and a retaining clip 21 is mounted through hole 29 directly in front of the face 28 of the float. This retains the float in position when the bait tray is released. In use a lure or bait can be attached to the line 22 at point 23 or at point 21.

A further embodiment is shown in figure 11 where an alternate method of switching off the motor is a sleeve 26 which can be slid along the multi-function arm 10 thus preventing contact with hook 8 thus preventing power reaching the motor. The sleeve can be slid forwards and backwards to switch the motor on or off.

It will be understood that the electrical wiring system is achieved by any suitable means and is not novel and it will also be understood that there are many different embodiments possible and also many different way of attaching lines to the craft by means of the three existing mounting positions which are first second and third means. The motor for example could be operated by a timer and the line simple attached to the rearmost slidable mounting point.

The scope of this invention is therefore intended to be limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A fishing bait dispenser which in use is a floating powered craft having a body consisting of two connected parallel floats between which is a releasable pivoted bait tray and a motor and propeller the said motor and propeller being mounted nearer to the bow than to the stern and where the said craft is equipped with first attachment means for removeably attaching a line to the front of the craft and in addition second attachment means or second and third attachment means for slideably attaching the said line to either the front or rear of the craft or to the front and rear at the same time.
2. A fishing bait dispenser according to claim I where the said first means for removeably attaching a line to the front of the craft is an eyelet or similar anchor point attached to the front of the craft to which a line may be either securely fixed or temporarily hooked and said second and third means are any fixing through which a line may be removeably attached and will slide through said fixing.
3. A fishing bait dispenser according to any previous claim which has a multi-function lever through which a line is fed and which in use is moved by a tug on the said line so that movement of the lever causes the electric motor powering the boat to stop.
4. A fishing bait dispenser according to any previous claim which has a multi-function lever through which a line is fed and which in use is moved by a tug on the said line so that movement of the lever causes the electric motor powering the boat to stop and the pivoted bait tray to be released.
5. A float for a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous claim which float in use is inserted into the bait tray in place of bait.
6. A clip for inserting into that bait tray of a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to claim 5 for the purpose of retaining the said float.
7. A method of operating a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous claim where a line is attached to the first attachment means at front of the craft and slid through second attachment means which is a mounting point on a multifunction lever and slid through a third attachment means on the rear of the craft so that in use the line extends from the rear of the craft to a rod held by an operator whereby the said operator can control the steering of the craft by moving the rod and line from left to right and can stop the craft by a sharp tug on the line which tug moves said multi-function lever releasing the bait tray and switching off the motor.
8. A method of operating a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous claim where a hooked weight is attached to the end of a line and a stop is attached to the line so that the weight may be hooked to a first means for removeably attaching the line and fed through said second and third means so that in use a sharp tug on the line will release the hooked weight causing it to fall into the water and in so doing tensioning the line so that a multi-function lever is moved causing the motor to be switched off.
9. A method of operating a fishing bait dispenser constructed according to any previous claim where a weight and a float are attached to the end of a line in two places so that the float suspends the weight in the water so that in use the said fishing bait dispenser may be slideably attached to the line via said second and third fixing means so that when the boat nears the float the line becomes taught which depresses a multifunction lever switching off power to the motor.
1O.A method of operating a fishing bait dispenser according to claim 7 whereby a further bait or lure is attached to a hook mounted in the said bait tray or a further bait or lure is attached to a short weighted line attached to the main line at the rear of the craft.