WO2002002397A1

WO2002002397A1 - Sail tightening device

Info

Publication number: WO2002002397A1
Application number: PCT/CA2001/000961
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul David
Original assignee: Paul David
Priority date: 2000-07-03
Filing date: 2001-06-29
Publication date: 2002-01-10
Also published as: AU2001270404A1

Abstract

A sail tightening device (10) for tightening a sail engaged on thw mast (M) of a sailboard and having a rope (R) attached thereto includes a rigid main body (12), an adapter (28) mounted on the main body (12) for complementary and releasable engagement with a lower end portion (30) of the mast (M), a shaft (20) rotatably carried by the main body (12) for receiving the rope (R) therearound, and a lever (22) attached to the shaft (20) for tightly enrolling the rope (R) around the shaft (20) by forcibly rotating the latter, thereby tightening the sail.

Description

Sail tightening device. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sail tightening device, and more particularly to a sail tightening device for sailboards. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In assembling a sailboard, the sail is installed on the mast, and the mast foot is then engaged onto the lower portion of the mast. The sail must then be tightened with a rope used for this purpose and attached to the sail, this step being conventionally accomplished by directly manually pulling on the rope in the direction of the mast foot, or mast extension, where a clamp member is usually provided to receive and secure the rope once the sail is taut enough. To tighten the sail sufficiently, it is often necessary for the person to apply his foot against the mast foot, to allow the use of both hands in pulling on the rope. This requires a strenuous effort, and, it is sometimes impossible to obtain a sail which is taut enough, especially when for sailing under very windy conditions in which the sail must be very tight. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a sail tightening device that obviates the above-noted disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sail tightening device that allows the sail of a sailboard to be efficiently tightened in an easily adjustable fashion with a significantly reduced effort. A further object of the present invention is to provide a sail tightening device that is easily releasably inserted in and adaptable to a wide variety of masts for sailboards.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, within appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a sail tightening device for use in tightening a sail of a sailboard of the type having a mast having a lower end portion, a sail engaged on the mast and a rope attached to the sail for tightening the latter, said sail tightening device comprises: a rigid main body; an adapter mounted on said main body for complementary and releasable engagement with said lower end portion of said mast; a rotating member rotatably carried by said main body for receiving said rope therearound; and a lever attached to said rotating member for tightly enrolling said rope around said rotating member by forcibly rotating the latter, thereby tightening said sail. Preferably, the device includes a fastener to releasably axially mount said adapter on said main body.

Preferably, the lever has a handle at a free end thereof. Preferably, the main body includes two parallel plates extending thereof, said rotating member being a shaft rotatably and transversely mounted on said plates. Preferably, the adapter has a longitudinal axis and said shaft being substantially transverse relative to said axis.

Preferably, the shaft has at least one radial through bore for receiving said rope therein. Preferably, the lever is removably secured to said rotating member.

Preferably, the rotating member includes a sleeve coaxially secured to said shaft between said plates, said sleeve having outward concave rounded ends for preventing rubbing of said rope against said plates.

Preferably, the shaft and the sleeve have at least one radial through bore for receiving said rope therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout.

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a sail tightening device according to the present invention, together with the lower end portion of a sail board mast foot and the free end portion of a sail tightening rope;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a sail tightening device according to the present invention, showing a different mast adapter; and Figure 3 is a section view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the annexed drawings the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be herein described for indicative purpose and by no means as of limitation. Referring to Fig. 1 , there is shown a first embodiment 10 of a sail tightening device according to the present invention, which comprises a rigid integral main body 12 composed of a pair of parallel side plates 14, 16 laterally protruding from and integrally linked by a transverse spacer plate 18 fixedly attached to side plates 14, 16, for example bolted thereto.

The sail tightening device 10 also comprises a rotating member, preferably a shaft 20 that is rotatably transversely carried by side plates 14, 16 and that extends through and laterally beyond first side plate 14, to define an outer end 20' (could alternatively protrude beyond the other side plate 16 for left handed users). The shaft 20 is either secured relative to the side plates 14, 16 using a pin clip or the like or freely supported thereon. A lever 22 is provided on the shaft outer free end 20', and is fixedly attached thereto; indeed, lever 22 extends through shaft 20, and is secured thereto by any suitable means, such as by a set screw (not shown) axially engaging the shaft outer end 20' to radially abut against lever 22. Lever 22 is elbowed at a free end to form a handle portion 24. Thus, shaft 20 can be rotated with lever 22 by handling handle portion 24 and rotating it about the shaft axis. Although not required for the functioning of the device 10, the shaft 20 is provided with a pair of diametrically extending through bores 25, 25' preferably located between side plates 14, 16 and preferably oriented in different directions such as ninety (90) degrees apart as shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in dashed lines in Fig. 1 , the shaft 20 can also simultaneously have a second outer end 20" opposite to the first 20' and extending laterally beyond the second side plate 16. The second outer end 20" could include a through bore 25" similar to bores 25, 25'. The sail tightening device 10 further comprises a fastener such as a threaded pin 26 with a longitudinal axis secured to spacer plate 18 and perpendicularly projecting therefrom. Pin 26 is releasably engaged by a mast adapter 28 of a selected size and shape, as will be described hereinafter. Preferably, adapter 28 has an inner threaded channel of complementary shape to that of pin 26, so as to be threadingly and removably engageable thereon.

In use, when a person wishes to assemble his sailboard, the sail (not shown) will be installed on the mast M, and the mast foot 30, or mast extension, will then be engaged onto the lower portion of the mast M. The sail must then be tightened with a rope R attached thereto before being releasably secured to the mast foot 30 where a clamp member (not shown) is provided accordingly.

On the other hand, with the sail tightening device 10 according to the present invention, an adapter 28 is chosen according to the specific mast foot 30 used. That is to say, the mast foot 30 is conventionally provided with an axial opening 32 in its lower end portion, this opening 32 allowing for the mast foot 30 to engage a complementary pin (not shown) fixed to the board of the sailboard. Thus, mast opening 32 can have different sizes and shapes, and consequently, the adapter 28 is of a size and shape corresponding to that of the mast foot opening 32.

As suggested in Fig. 1 , adapter 28 is to be axially slidably inserted into mast foot opening 32, until the flat spacer plate 18 of the body 12 up stably abuts against the bottom surface of the mast foot 30. The engagement of adapter 28 into mast foot opening 32 can be loose. The free end 34 of the sail tightening rope R is then engaged through at least one of the shaft through bores 25, 25', and lever 22 is rotated to roll rope free end 34 about shaft 20, consequently pulling on the sail and tightening the same. Once the sail is suitably taut, the rope R, preferabl already engaged through the mast foot clamp (not shown), remains secured thereto in its taut configuration. The free end 34 of the rope R can be released from shaft 20, and sail tightening device 10 can be freely removed from the mast foot 30 to allow the latter to be installed on the board.

The advantage of sail tightening device 10 is that the rotational movement of lever 12 is much easier to accomplish for tightening the sail, than directly manually pulling on the sail tightening rope R.

A further advantage of sail tightening device. 10 is that it allows the tension in the sail of the sailboard to be adjusted easily and precisely. Indeed, by rotating lever 22, it is possible to obtain a more precise adjustment of the tension in the sail, compared to a sail which is tightened manually in a conventional manner.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment 10a of a sail tightening device according to the present invention wherein the main body 12a of the device 10a is an integral piece from which extend the two parallel plates 14a, 16a. Also, the lever 22a is integral to the shaft 20a and has a freely rotating handle portion 24a secured by a retaining cap 24' or the like.

The device 10a further includes a sleeve 21 coaxially mounted on the shaft 20a between the two plates 14a, 16a and preferably having radially outward concave rounded ends 27 essentially for preventing rubbing of the rope R against the plates 14a, 16a and damage of the same R. Although many securing means could be considered, the sleeve 21 is preferably secured to the shaft 20a by a spring pin 23 diametrically running through a bore 25a in the shaft 20a and the sleeve 21. The spring pin 23 is sized to receive the free end 34 of the rope R therethrough.

Referring to Fig. 3, the mast adapter 28a is releasably secured to the body 12a via a standard bolt type fastener 26a. The adapter 28a includes axially oriented concave grooves 29 being equally spaced apart on its outer periphery for clearing internally protruding parts located in the lower portion 30 of the mast M. Having a plurality of these grooves 29 allows for adjusting the orientation of the device 10a relative to the mast M and aligning the shaft relative to the rope R.

Although the present sail tightening device has been described with a certain degree of particularity it is to be understood that the disclosure has been made by way of example only and that the present invention is not limited to the features of the embodiments described and illustrated herein, but includes all variations and modifications within the scope and spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

CLAIMSI claim:

1. A sail tightening device (10) for use in tightening a sail of a sailboard of the type having a mast (M) having a lower end portion (30), a sail engaged on the mast (M) and a rope (R) attached to the sail for tightening the latter, said sail tightening device (10) comprising: a rigid main body (12); an adapter (28) mounted on said main body (12) for complementary and releasable engagement with said lower end portion (30) of said mast (M); a rotating member (20) rotatably carried by said main body (12) for receiving said rope (R) therearound; and a lever (22) attached to said rotating member (20) for tightly enrolling said rope (R) around said rotating member (20) by forcibly rotating the latter (20), thereby tightening said sail.

2. A device (10) as defined in claim 1 , including a fastener (26) to releasably axially mount said adapter (28) on said main body (12).

3. A device (10) as defined in claim 1 , wherein said lever (22) having a handle (24) at a free end thereof.

4. A device (10) as defined in claim 1, wherein said main body (12) including two parallel plates (14, 16) extending thereof, said rotating member being a shaft (20) rotatably and transversely mounted on said plates (14, 16).

5. A device (10) as defined in claim 4, wherein said adapter (28) having a longitudinal axis and said shaft (20) being substantially transverse relative to said axis.

6. A device (10) as defined in claim 5, wherein said shaft (20) having at least one radial through bore (25) for receiving said rope (R) therein.

7. A device (10) as defined in claim 4, wherein said shaft (20) having at least one radial through bore (25) for receiving said rope (R) therein.

8. A device (10) as defined in claim 1 , wherein said lever (22) being removably secured to said rotating member (20).

9. A device (10) as defined in claim 8, wherein said lever (22) having a handie (24) at a free end thereof.

10. A device (10) as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotating member including a sleeve (21) coaxially secured to said shaft (20) between said plates (14, 16), said sleeve (21) having outward concave rounded ends (27) for preventing rubbing of said rope (R) against said plates (14, 16).

11. A device (10) as defined in claim 10, wherein said shaft (20) and said sleeve (21) having at least one radial through bore (25) for receiving said rope (R) therein.

12. A device (10) as defined in claim 10, wherein said lever (22) having a handle (24) at a free end thereof.