BOAT WITH A HINGED GATE

Abstract

A boat including a deck and at least two wall segments extending upwardly from the deck and at least partially defining an interior. The wall segments are spaced from one another by a gap or passage for providing passengers with access into an out of the interior. A gate including a hinge assembly is attached to the end of one of the wall segments at the gap for opening and closing to control access through the gap. The hinge assembly includes an outer member attached to the wall segment, an inner member attached to the remainder of the gate and a glide sleeve disposed between the inner and outer members. The glide sleeve is of a low-friction material for providing a low-friction contact surface between the inner and outer members.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject invention is related to boats. More specifically, the subject invention is related to boats having a gate and hinge assembly.

2. Related Art

Recreational boats are continuously improving and becoming increasingly luxurious. Many boats, such as pontoon boats, include a gate extending between two wall segments and rotatable between open and closed positions for controlling access into and out of the interior space of the boat. Movement between the open and closed positions is controlled by a hinge assembly.

Many pontoon boats include one or more butt or piano hinges for controlling the movement of one or more gates. Such hinges typically include a pair of wings, one of which is attached to the gate and the other of which is attached to the end of one of the wall segments. Each of the wings also has at least one knuckle with a cylindrically shaped bore, and the knuckles of the two wings are aligned axially with one another and a pin is inserted through the aligned bores to join the gate with one of the wall segments while allowing the gate to pivot about the pin between the open and closed positions. While effective at controlling the movement of the gate between open and closed positions, such hinge assemblies have their drawbacks. For example, the knuckle portions are prone to bending or deforming if an excessive load is applied to the gate, thereby enlarging the inner bores. This could result in a rattling noise from the pin moving back and forth within the knuckles. Additionally, bending of the knuckle portion of the wings could result in an unsightly misalignment between the gate and the wall segments, thereby detracting from the overall appearance of the boat. In addition to their functional limitations, such wing and pin hinge assemblies are very utilitarian and may lack the appearance desired for higher end boat applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, a boat is provided including a deck and a plurality of wall segments extending upwardly from the deck to at least partially define an interior space for accommodating passengers. At least two of the wall segments have ends that are spaced from one another to present a gap or passage through which passengers may enter and exit the interior space. A gate is connected to one end of one of the wall segments through a hinge assembly for selectively opening and closing the passage. The hinge assembly includes an outer member, an inner member and a glide sleeve disposed between the inner and outer members. The glide sleeve is made of a low-friction material different than that of the inner and outer members to provide a low friction contact surface between the inner and outer members, thereby facilitating rotation of the gate relative to the wall segments between the open and closed positions.

The resulting hinge assembly controls the movement of the gate more smoothly and is more robust than other known hinge assemblies. Further, the inner and outer members may be made of hard, durable and aesthetically appealing materials such as stainless steel or chrome-plated steel, thereby giving the boat a more luxurious appearance. Additionally, the hinge assembly is more robust than other known marine hinge assemblies since any force acted on the gate is distributed along the length of the inner and outer members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective and elevation view of an exemplary pontoon boat with a gate in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is another perspective and elevation view of the exemplary pontoon boat with the gate in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a front and elevation view of the gate of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a front and elevation view of the hinge assembly of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a front and elevation view of the inner member of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a front and elevation view of the glide sleeve of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of forming a boat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a pontoon boat 20 is generally shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The pontoon boat 20 includes a deck 22 which is floatably supported by a plurality of pontoons 24 extending in spaced and parallel relationship with one another. It should be appreciated that the boat 20 does not have to be a pontoon boat 20 as shown in the exemplary embodiment, but instead could be any other type of boat, such as a ski boat, a yacht or a sailboat.

The pontoon boat 20 includes a plurality of wall segments 26 disposed on the deck 22 and extending upwardly therefrom to a free top edge, thereby at least partially defining an interior space for accommodating passengers. The wall segments 26 are spaced from one another adjacent the bow of the boat 20 to present a gap, or passage, for allowing passengers to enter and exit the interior space. A gate 28 including a hinge assembly 30 is attached to the end of one of the wall segments 26 at the gap for opening and closing the passage. It should be appreciated that the pontoon boat 20 could include any number of passages and gates 28 for allowing passengers to enter and exit the interior space from any desirable location of the boat 20, e.g. the stern, starboard side or port side.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the gate 28 includes a skeleton 32, generally indicated, having a rectangular member 34 which at least partially defines the outer periphery of the gate 28 and a plurality of cross-members 36 extending in a horizontal direction between opposite sides of the rectangular member 34. The rectangular member 34 of the exemplary embodiment is formed of an elongated tube which is bent through four corners to define the generally rectangular shape, but the ends of the tube are left spaced from one another to present a gap on one of the sides of the rectangle. It should be appreciated that the rectangular member 34 could be non-tubular, could be formed of any desirable number of pieces and could be shaped through any desirable process.

The rectangular member 34 and/or at least one of the cross-members 36 include a plurality of flanges 38 extending toward the open middle of the rectangular shape. At least one decorative panel 39 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) is attached to the skeleton 32 at the flanges 38. Preferably the gate 28 includes two decorative panels 39, one attached to each side of the flanges 38 so that the flanges 38 are hidden from view. The decorative panels 39 could be of any desirable material and could be attached to the flanges 38 through, for example, mechanical fasteners, adhesives, brazing, etc. The decorative panels 39 are preferably generally flat and are preferably painted the same color as the wall segments 26 on either side of the gate 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge assembly 30, generally indicated, is attached to the skeleton 32 of the gate 28 at the gap of the rectangular member 34. The hinge assembly 30 includes an outer member 40 which is fixed to the one of the wall segments 26 and an inner member 42 which extends between and is attached to the ends of the rectangular shaped member. The inner member 42 is rotatable relative to the outer member 40, thereby allowing the gate 28 to swing between the closed and open positions of FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the inner member 42 is disposed within the outer member 40, and a glide sleeve 44 is disposed between the outer and inner members 40, 42. The glide sleeve 44 could be in a press-fitting relationship with either the outer member 40 or the inner member 42, but not both so as to avoid inhibiting rotation of the inner member 42 relative to the outer member 40. Although the glide sleeve 44 is not press-fit with both the outer and inner members 40, 42, it is preferably dimensioned so as to allow minimal (if any) transverse movement of the inner member 42 relative to the outer member 40. In addition to preventing undesirable rattling of these components when the boat 20 is vibrated such as while travelling through rough waters, proper dimensioning of the glide sleeve 44 also allows for any forces exerted on the gate 28 to be distributed along the length of the outer member 40, thereby protecting the hinge assembly 30 from damage.

A puck-shaped disc 46 is fixed to the top and bottom of the inner member 42 for restricting movement of the inner member 42 relative to the glide sleeve 44 and the outer member 40. Since the outer member 40 is attached to the wall segment 26, the puck-shaped discs 46 also restrict movement of the gate 28 relative to the wall segments 26 in a vertical direction. The puck-shaped discs 46 are preferably welded to both the inner member 42 of the hinge assembly 30 and to the rectangular member 34 of the skeleton 32. However, it should be appreciated that the puck-shaped discs 46 could be attached to these components through any desirable process or could be formed integrally with the rectangular member 34 of the skeleton 32.

The outer and inner members 40, 42 and the puck-shaped discs 46 are preferably of metal, such as stainless steel or chrome-plated steel for structural, corrosion resistance and aesthetic purposes, but could be of a variety of different materials including polymeric materials or composites. The glide sleeve 44 is formed of a low-friction material which is different than the materials of the outer and inner members 40, 42 for reducing the friction which opposes the movement of the inner member 42 relative to the outer member 40. The glide sleeve 44 is preferably formed of a polyoxymethylene material such as Delrin®, which is a product of the E.I. Dupont Company. Polyoxymethylene has been found to provide a surface with a low coefficient of friction yet is both durable and wear resistant. Thus, gate 28 can pivot smoothly between the open and closed positions throughout the life of the boat 20. However, it should be appreciated that the glide sleeve 44 could be of a range of different low-friction materials.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a plate 48 including a plurality of threaded studs 50 spaced vertically from one another is attached to the exterior surface of the outer member 40. The wall segment 26 includes a plurality of apertures (not shown) for receiving the studs 50. Nuts (not shown), or any other type of fastener, may then be used to solidly attach the outer member 40 of the hinge assembly 30 to the corresponding wall segment 26. The plate 48 is preferably attached to the outer member 40 through welding, though any desirable joining process may be used. It should be appreciated that the outer member 40 could alternately be fixed to the wall segment 26 through any desirable type of connection including, for example, other types of mechanical fasteners, welding, brazing, etc.

Another aspect of the present invention provides for a method of forming a boat 20. Referring to the flow chart of FIG. 8 and the structure of FIGS. 1-7, the exemplary method includes the step 100 of providing a deck 22 having at least two wall segments 26 at least partially defining an interior and spaced from one another to define a gap. The method proceeds with the step 102 of forming a skeleton 32 of a gate 28. The method then continues with the step 104 of positioning a glide sleeve 44 of a low-friction material between an inner member 42 and an outer member 40 onto the glide sleeve 44 such that the glide sleeve 44 is disposed between said outer and inner members 40, 42 to form a hinge assembly 30. The glide sleeve 44 is formed of a material different than the material of the outer and inner members 40, 42 to provide a low friction contact surface between the outer and inner members 40, 42. The method proceeds with the step 106 of attaching the ends of the ends of the inner member 42 of the hinge assembly 30 to the skeleton 32 of the gate 28. Further, the method includes the step 108 of attaching the outer member 40 to an end of one of the wall segments 26 at the gap for allowing the gate 28 to pivot about the hinge assembly 30 between an open position and a closed position.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A boat comprising: a deck;at least two wall segments extending upwardly from said deck to at least partially define an interior space, said wall segments being spaced from one another to define a gap;a gate having a hinge assembly connected to an end of one of said wall segments for selectively opening and closing said gap;said hinge assembly including an outer member attached said end of one of said wall segments and an inner member disposed within said outer member and rotatable relative thereto;said hinge assembly further including a glide sleeve disposed between said inner and outer members; andsaid glide sleeve being made of a low-friction material different than that of said inner and outer members and providing a low friction contact surface between said inner and outer members for facilitating rotation of said gate relative to said wall segments between an open position and a closed position.

2. The boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said low-friction material of said glide sleeve is of a polyoxymethylene material.

3. The boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inner member, said outer member and said glide sleeve have a tubular shape.

4. The boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said glide sleeve has a tubular shape and is sized to restrict transverse movement of said inner member relative to said outer member.

5. The boat as set forth in claim 4 wherein said glide sleeve is in press-fitting relationship with one of said inner and outer members.

6. The boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gate further includes a skeleton having a rectangular member being bent into a generally rectangular shape.

7. The boat as set forth in claim 6 wherein said rectangular member presents a gap on one side and wherein said inner member of said hinge assembly is attached to the either end of said rectangular member at said gap.

8. The boat as set forth in claim 7 wherein said rectangular member includes at least one flange extending outwardly therefrom toward the middle of said rectangular shape and wherein a panel is attached to said at least one flange.

9. The boat as set forth in claim 8 wherein said rectangular member has a generally circular cross-section that extends along said generally rectangular shape.

10. The boat as set forth in claim 9 wherein said skeleton further includes a plurality of cross-members extending horizontally between the sides of said rectangular member.

11. The boat as set forth in claim 10 wherein at least one of said cross-members includes at least one flange attached to said panel.

12. The boat as set forth in claim 1 further including a plate attached to an exterior surface of said outer member and wherein said plate includes a plurality of threaded studs spaced from one another and in engagement with one of said wall segments.

13. The boat as set forth in claim 1 further including a pair of puck-shaped discs attached to opposite sides of said inner member for restraining axial movement of said outer member and said glide sleeve relative to said inner member.

14. The boat as set forth in claim 1 further including a plurality of pontoons for floatably supporting said deck.

15. A method of forming a boat, comprising the steps of: providing a deck having at least two wall segments at least partially defining an interior and spaced from one another to define a gap;forming a skeleton of a gate;positioning a glide sleeve of a low-friction material between an inner member and an outer member onto the glide sleeve such that the glide sleeve is disposed between said inner and outer members to form a hinge assembly, wherein the glide sleeve is of a material different than the material of the inner and outer members to provide a low friction contact surface between the inner and outer members;attaching the ends of the ends of the inner member of the hinge assembly to the skeleton of the gate; andattaching the outer member to an end of one of the wall segments at the gap for allowing the gate to pivot about the hinge assembly between an open position and a closed position.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the glide sleeve is of a polyoxymethylene material.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the step of forming the skeleton is further defined as bending a tube into a generally rectangular shape.