Patent Grant
9205893
Reference Cited:
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a mooring whip maintaining boats at a safe distance from a dock so as to prevent damage to said boat from colliding with the dock due to common occurrences such as tidal changes, wakes from passing boats or wind by means of fixed position bases mounted to a dock attached to said base are flexible poles extending out beyond the boat which is positioned parallel to the dock. These said bases are positioned one for the bow and one for the stern. Attached to these said poles are lines or ropes one end attached to the boat cleats then through a pulley fixed to the end of each pole then fixed to the mooring whip base. The spring action of the flexible poles keeps the boat pulled away from the dock.
2. Prior Art
It has been common to provide mooring whip bases that are of a variety of fixed horizontal deck mounted bases which are in most cases fastened to a wooden planked dock. Dock planks are generally not designed to support such loads with particularly small bases as shown in the prior art. Proper installation is also extremely difficult since access under a dock to install additional mounting equipment such as backing plates washers and nuts is not easily accessible. Also no other prior art has effectively addressed the problem of mooring whips protruding out over the boat interfering with parts of the boat such as structures deck equipment rigging lines permanent fishing equipment and other obstructions making it difficult if not impossible to leave and return to the dock without coming in contact with mooring whip poles and the boat since these mooring whips are generally in a fixed position. Olsen U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,377 attempts to satisfy the interference of the whip poles with the moored boat by suggesting the use of a small compressed rubber insert claiming this insert has the resilient ability to force the return to a vertical position a solid fiberglass pole with extreme cantilever loads in the range of fourteen feet in length this also puts extreme loads on the three bolt arrangement on Olsen's support base. In reality this small insert is effective for only a short period of time due to weather exposure and material memory it eventually completely fails to function as proposed. Brushaber U.S. Pat. No. D306396 is adjustable to be vertically positioned but only with the use of tools, this is not a practical feature when leaving or arriving at a dock it is also not designed to be mounted on the side of a piling only the face which protrudes out towards the boat presenting an obstacle which may cause extreme damage.
In accordance with one embodiment is a mooring whip system vertically mounted securely to a dock piling by means of a support base when in a normal operating position down or angled keeps a boat a safe distance from a dock avoiding damage. The preferred embodiment also has a housing support for the pole or whip which has the means to swivel or rotate from the normal operating position to a vertical position providing boat clearance of the pole or whip when departing or returning to a dock.
A better understanding of the invention and its various features and advantages will be had by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The preferred embodiment mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support base as illustrated in
The mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support base when securely piling 9 mounted engages with a boat by attaching a line 13 or rope from the support base 1 to a base cleat 10 through a pulley 12 securely fastened to the end opposite the rotatable whip pole housing support 2 end then attached to a cleat on the boat 14 as illustrated in
engaging the limit stop 3 by rotating the vertical position lock 4 to a locking position will maintain the rotatable whip pole housing support 2 in a vertical position clearing the whip poles 7 from interfering with boat obstructions when leaving or returning from the dock as illustrated in
This invention relates to a permanently vertically mounted mooring whip mounting support 1 which is securely fastened by placing bolts or threaded bar with securing nuts through mounting support mounting holes 6 to wood or concrete pilings or any other secure structure by bolting the mounting support 1 as shown in
lines 13 attached to the mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support bases cleat 10 through the pulley 12 to the boat cleat 14 as shown in
From the description above, a number of advantages of the preferred embodiment of my mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support base become evident:
Having the means and particular structure and soundness of to be vertically mounted the mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support base can be more securely mounted to a portion of a dock structure that provides a more substantial means of support required for loads that occur from boats larger or small.
The ability to mechanically swivel to a vertical position the base support containing the whip pole and its housing to a vertical position eliminating any possible collision with the whip poles and lines attached to the whip poles and any part of the boat while leaving or returning from docking a boat.
The ability to manually swivel to a vertical position the base support and the ability to maintain a positive vertical position by means of a locking device unquestionably secures the whip pole in a vertical position eliminating any possible collision with the whip poles and lines attached to the whip poles and any part of the boat while leaving or returning from docking a boat.
The installation of the mooring whip vertical mounting swivel support base is accomplished simply with two screw bolts accessible in clear view once the mounting support is secured in a vertical position the rotatable whip pole housing support bearing is slipped over the mounting support shaft bolt and secured with the mounting shaft retaining nut.
While the above description contains much specificity, they should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible, for example:
The width, length, size and shape of all the components may vary but with no effectual change on the advantages this invention demonstrates.
This invention demonstrates how the whip poles may be rotated vertically positioning manually, this can also be accomplished by other means with the use of counter weights and the introduction of assisting tension springs therefore the swivel vertically may be automatic when the line is released. The whip poles may also be extended out over the dock and boat using a vertical mount but in a fixed position secured firmly to the vertical support. While the above descriptions contain much specificity, they should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible, for example:
A The width, length, size and shape of all the components may vary but with no effectual change on the advantages of this invention demonstrates.
B. This invention demonstrates how the whip poles may be rotated vertically positionally manually, this can also be accomplished by other means with the use of counter weights and the introduction of tension springs therefore the vertical swivel may be automatic.
C. The whip poles may also be extended over the dock and boat using a vertical mount but in a fixed angled position secured firmly to the vertical support.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3941340 | Rankins | Mar 1976 | A |
| 4040377 | Olsen | Aug 1977 | A |
| D306396 | Brushaber | Mar 1990 | S |
| 5588630 | Chen-Chao | Dec 1996 | A |
| 6484987 | Weaver | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| 6578509 | Brushaber | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140182503 A1 | Jul 2014 | US |
