WO1999035032A1

WO1999035032A1 - Improvements in or relating to boat supports

Info

Publication number: WO1999035032A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/000035
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henry George Ives
Original assignee: Yamaha Motor (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 1996-07-01
Filing date: 1998-01-07
Publication date: 1999-07-15
Also published as: GB9613746D0; GB2314815A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a boat support comprising an elongate base member (11) to rest on the ground and to extend transversely underneath a boat hull to be supported and two hull supports (14) mounted at spaced locations along the base member for engaging either side of the hull, each support comprising a telescopically extending leg (15) adjustably mounted (20) at one end along the base member and having a pad (21, 22) mounted at its other end for engaging the hull and a telescopically extendable prop (23) adjustably mounted at one end on the base member at a location (26) spaced from the leg mounting and connected to the leg at its other end at a location such that the prop extends generally at right angles to the leg and forms a rigid triangular structure therewith to support the pad on the leg to receive the weight of the side of the boat.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BOAT SUPPORTS

This invention relates to boat supports for supporting a boat upright on dry land, for example for storage or maintenance in a boatyard.

Various forms of cradles for supporting boats including yachts are known. For example UK Patent Specification No. 2092529 discloses a boat cradle comprising a rectangular ground-support frame having upright tubular members at the corners . The corner members can be collapsed when the cradle is not in use for storage purposes. Adjustment of the cradle to suit different hull shapes and sizes is limited.

UK Patent Specification No. 2047632 discloses a further form of dismountable boat cradle having a perimeter frame and upright members carrying pads to support the underside of a boat hull. The corner members are adjustable vertically and the frame can be expanded laterally to a limited extent but the scope to cater for varying hull shapes and in particular hull shapes which vary substantially between the locations where the hull is to be supported such as a deep-V style motor cruiser is limited.

UK Patent Specification No. 1586300 discloses a further form of shoring device for small crafts comprising a cruiser form of structure having support members mounted on each arm of the cruiser form to engage the underside of the hull. Again, the scope for adjustment of the frame is limited to cater for different sizes and shapes of vessels.

In addition to the forms of framework/cradles referred to above, there are conventional arrangements for shoring up vessels on hard standing which usually involve props and/or wooden chocks at various locations around the hull to support the hull against movement . Considerable time and skill are required to support the hull adequately using this system and because the props supporting the hull are freestanding they are vulnerable to being accidentally knocked away which if placed at strategic locations can leave the hull of the vessel unsupported and at risk of toppling over.

This invention provides a boat support comprising an elongate base member to rest on the ground and to extend transversely underneath a boat hull to be supported and two hull supports mounted at spaced locations along the base member for engaging either side of the hull, each support comprising a telescopically extending leg adjustably mounted at one end along the base member and having a pad mounted at its other end for engaging the hull and a telescopically extendable prop adjustably mounted at one end on the base member at a location spaced from the leg mounting and connected to the leg at its other end at a location such that the prop extends generally at right angles to the leg and forms a rigid triangular structure therewith to support the pad on the leg to receive the weight of the side of the boat .

To support a boat, blocks are placed in position to support the keel and at least two boat supports according to the invention are aligned under the hull at spaced locations along the hull and the pads are adjusted to engage and support the hull against movement. Once a set of positions for the supports has been determined, they can be recorded for subsequent use. The boat support can readily be adjusted to suit the particular shape and size of the hull.

In a preferred arrangement, the leg may comprise an outer sleeve and an inner member telescopically engaged in the outer sleeve and means to lock the inner member in any one of a plurality of positions of extension with respect to the outer sleeve to vary the length of the leg.

More specifically the outer sleeve of the leg may be formed with a plurality of through holes at spaced locations along the length of the outer sleeve adjacent its upper end and the inner member of the leg may be formed with a plurality of corresponding through holes, a bolt being provided for securing the outer sleeve to the inner member in any one of a plurality of required positions of extension with respect to the member.

In a particular construction the through holes in the part of the inner member projecting from the outer sleeve are available for attachment of the prop to the leg and the upper end of the prop is adapted for attachment to the inner member, a bolt being provided for securing the end to the inner member to fasten the prop at right angles to the leg.

For example, the inner member may be of channel form to receive an end of the prop to be bolted thereto.

In any of the above arrangements the prop may comprise an outer sleeve and an inner member telescopically engaged in the outer sleeve, both sleeve and member having a plurality of through holes to receive a bolt for securing the inner member at a required position of adjustment with respect to the outer sleeve.

Also in any of the above arrangements the base member may comprise an elongate upwardly open channel having sets of through holes at spaced locations along the length of the channel to which the lower ends of the leg and prop are selectively bolted to adjust the position of the leg and prop along the channel.

In one arrangement according to the invention the leg may be relatively long and the prop may be relatively short.

In an alternative arrangement the leg may be relatively short and the prop may be relatively long.

In any of the above arrangements the elongate base member may be formed in two parts with a bridging member for connecting the parts together. If desired, the two parts of the base member may be connected by means which are capable of adjusting the overall length of the base member.

The following is a description of a specific embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a forward perspective view of a boat located on forward and rearward boat supports according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a stem view of the boat and the rearward support;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of part of one of the boat supports;

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 showing the support before the assembly;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a base for the support ;

Figures 6 and 7 show modifications to the support, and

Figure 8 shows a still further modification to the support .

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a power boat indicated at 10 mounted adjacent its bow and stern on two boat supports in accordance with the invention. Each support comprises an elongate upwardly open channel section base member 11 having end plates 12 and also top plates 12a adjacent the channel ends to brace the walls of the channel and a central bolted joint indicated at 13.

Supports indicated at 14 are mounted on the base member to either side of the central joint 13. Each support comprises an outwardly angled telescopically extendable leg indicated at 15 having a rectangular section outer sleeve 16 and a downwardly open channel section inner member 17. The outer sleeve 16 is formed with a plurality of through holes 18 towards its upper end and the inner member 17 is formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced transversely extending through holes 19. A bolt is provided for extending through one set of the holes 18, 19 in the outer sleeve and inner member for locking the inner member in the required position of adjustment with respect to the outer sleeve and a wing or butterfly nut is provided for securing the bolt in position whilst allowing its speedy removal when required for adjustment of the length of the leg. Figures 3 and 4 show the bolts 28 and wing or butterfly nuts 29. For each bolt 28, there may be a wing or butterfly nut 29 at each end as illustrated, or there may be a fixed head at one end and a wing or butterfly nut 29 at the other end. .

A region of the base member 11 adjacent the central joint 13 is provided with a plurality of transverse through holes 20 in the side walls of the channel and the lower end of the outer sleeve 16 of the leg has a through hole which can be secured by a bolt 28 (see Figures 3 and 4) in a required position of adjustment along the length of the leg to suit the width and shape of the hull to be supported. Again, a wing or butterfly nut 29 is used for securing the bolt in place to permit its speedy removal when required. The upper end of the inner member 17 of the leg carries a pad 21 mounted on a bracket 22 on the leg to engage the side or underside of the hull as required.

The leg is braced in position by an elongate prop indicated at 23 which is again of rectangular cross- section and has an outer sleeve 24 and inner member 25. The inner member is extendable with respect to the outer sleeve and is secured in a selected position of adjustment by a bolt fixed with a wing or butterfly nut in a similar manner to that described for the leg. Likewise the sidewalls of the base member 11 adjacent the end 12 are provided with a plurality of through holes 26 to which the lower end of the prop is secured by a bolt 28 and fastened by a wing or butterfly nut 29- as before. The upper end of the inner member 25 of the prop is dimensioned to fit in the channel section member 17 of the leg to which it is secured at one of the available sets of through holes 19 by a bolt and wing or butterfly nut for ready adjustment. The prop is secured in a position in which it extends generally at right angles to the leg to form a triangulated rigid structure bracing the leg against the loads imposed on it by the hull of the boat.

As indicated in Figure 1 , the support at the forward end of the hull has relatively short legs and relatively long props whereas the support to the rear of the hull has the converse, that is to say relatively long legs and relatively short props. By adjustment of the lengths of the legs and props and the positions of the legs and props along the base members, the bolt supports can be adjusted to cater for a wide variety of shapes and sizes of hull.

Figure 2 illustrates the boat support at the rear of the hull and shows detailed parts of the support as described above.

The base member 11 is formed in two parts 11a and lib bolted by bolts 27 together at a centre joint 13. The base member can therefore be dismantled for convenience of storage and handling when not in use as best seen in Figure 5.

It will be appreciated that the boat supports provide a wide variety of adjustment to suit different hull shapes and sizes. For example, the base member 11 may have holes 20,26 throughout its length as illustrated in Figure 6 to extend the range of locations where the legs 15 and props 23 may be mounted.

Figure 7 shows a further modification in which the bolt for securing inner and outer sleeves of the extendable leg 15 is replaced by a cotter pin 30 having a head 31 at one end and a transverse hole 32 at the other end to receive an R-shaped spring clip 33 to hold the cotter pin in place. Similar cotter pins replace the bolt/wing nuts used elsewhere in the support structure .

Figure 8 illustrates an additional modification in which base members 11a and lib are connected by a long bolt 40, which extends the base member 11 beyond its normal length on either side of the boat, according to the width of the hull . In the centre of the long connecting bolt 40 is a nut 41 which has been welded to the bolt. On opposite sides of the nut 41, the bolt 40 has a right hand thread 42 and a left hand thread 43 for engagement with a respective nut 44, 45 welded on the inside of each base member 11a, lib at their adjacent ends. By turning the central welded nut 41, both base members 11a, lib are further separated or drawn together thereby extending or reducing the overall length of the base member. An advantage of this modification to extend the length of the base member, allows an otherwise standard support to be used on larger boats with wider hulls .

Records may be kept of the particular adjustments for any particular boat so that where the supports are used for a variety of different boats, the supports can readily be set to the required positions to suit a known hull. The boat supports provide primary means for holding the boat upright and preventing it toppling to either side. The main weight of the hull is carried on keel blocks (not shown) which are placed between the supports at strategic locations according to the shape of the hull.

Claims

1. A boat support comprising an elongate base member to rest on the ground and to extend transversely underneath a boat hull to be supported and two hull supports mounted at spaced locations along the base member for engaging either side of the hull, each support comprising a telescopically extending leg adjustably mounted at one end along the base member and having a pad mounted at its other end for engaging the hull and a telescopically extendable prop adjustably mounted at one end on the base member at a location spaced from the leg mounting and connected to the leg at its other end at a location such that the prop extends generally at right angles to the leg and forms a rigid triangular structure therewith to support the pad on the leg to receive the weight of the side of the boat.

2. A boat support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leg comprising an outer sleeve and an inner member telescopically engaged in the outer sleeve and means to lock the inner member in any one of a plurality of positions of extension with respect to the outer sleeve to vary the length of the leg.

3. A boat support as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer sleeve of the leg is formed with a plurality of through holes at spaced locations along the length of the outer sleeve adjacent its upper end and the inner member of the leg is formed with a plurality of corresponding through holes and a bolt is provided for bolting the inner member to the outer sleeve in a required position of extension with respect of the outer sleeve.

4. A boat support as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the through holes in the inner member and outer sleeve not occupied by said fastening bolt are available for attachment of the prop to the leg and the upper end of the prop has an end part to engage in the leg and a bolt is provided for securing the prop end to the inner member of the leg as required to fasten the prop at right angles to the leg.

5. A boat support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the prop comprises an outer sleeve and an inner member telescopically engaged in the outer sleeve, both outer sleeve and inner member having a plurality of through holes to receive a bolt for securing the inner member at a required position of adjustment with respect to the outer sleeve.

6. A boat support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base member comprises an elongate upwardly open channel having sets of through holes at spaced locations along the length of the channel to which the lower ends of the leg and prop are selectively bolted to adjust the position of the supports along the channel.

7. A boat support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the leg is relatively long and the prop is relatively short.

8. A boat support as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the leg is relatively short and the prop is relatively long.

9. A boat support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate base member is formed in two parts with a bridging member for connecting the parts together.

10. A boat support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate base member is formed in two parts which are connected by means which are capable of adjusting the overall length of the base member.