Patent Application
20170369131
The present invention relates to boating and water sports. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a motorized water sports equipment rack affixed to a boat.
With the increase in the number and type of water sports equipment and accessories brought aboard and stowed on a boat, boaters continue to look for viable alternatives to stow water sports equipment and accessories in such a way that they are conveniently and readily accessible yet still positionable out of the way to not hinder a boaters safe operation of, care for and ultimate enjoyment of the boat. Current equipment racks fail to adequately provide a solution that addresses the safety of the, boat and its operation, the occupants within and around the boat, the surroundings of the boat both within and out of the water, and the water sports equipment stowed aboard the boat. Therefore, what is needed is a motorized swiveling watersports equipment rack that addresses each of the shortcomings with current water sports equipment racks.
Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art.
It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide push-button automation to a motorized swiveling watersports equipment rack.
It is a still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide the captain of a boat with the ability to automatically operate one or more motorized swiveling watersports equipment racks without having to leave the helm thereby increasing the safe operation of the boat.
Another object, feature, or advantage is to provide remote, controller-type, motored automation of the swiveling movement of a water sports equipment rack to minimize a boater's physical contact with and possibility for suffering harm from any moving components of the water sports equipment rack.
Yet another object, feature, or advantage is to provide an automated and motorized swiveling watersports equipment rack wherein the actuator is enclosed within a housing protected from the corrosive and damaging marine environment.
Still another object, feature, or advantage is to provide a motorized water sports equipment rack for a boat. The motorized water sports equipment rack includes a mounting bracket having one or more mounting points for securing the mounting bracket to the boat and a water sports rack mounting bolt having a mourning end connected to the mounting bracket and a swivel bracket supporting end. A swivel bracket is connected to the swivel bracket supporting end of the water sports rack mounting bolt whereby the swivel bracket rotates about the water sports rack mounting bolt. A water sports equipment rack mount is connected to the swivel bracket. The water sports equipment rack mount is configured to support a water sports equipment rack adapted for holding one or more types of water sporting equipment. In a preferred form, a sealed actuator housing is connected to the swivel bracket and an actuator is housed within the sealed actuator housing. A drive shaft is connected between the actuator and the water sports rack mounting bolt. The actuator is configured to drive the swivel bracket to rotate the swivel bracket, the water sports equipment rack mount and the water sports equipment rack.
A further object, feature, or advantage is to provide a boat with a helm, a hull having structural portions including at least a bow, a stem, and starboard and port sides, and a motorized water sports equipment rack for holding one or more types of water sporting equipment on the boat. The motorized water sports equipment rack can include a mounting bracket having one or more mounting points for securing the mounting bracket to the boat and a rack mounting bolt having a mounting end connected to the mounting bracket and a swivel bracket supporting end. A swivel bracket is connected to the swivel bracket supporting end of the rack mounting bolt so that the swivel bracket rotates about the rack mounting bolt. A rack mount is connected to the swivel bracket. The rack mount is configured to support a water sports equipment rack adapted for holding different types of water sporting equipment. In a preferred form, a sealed motor housing is connected to the swivel bracket and a motor is housed within the sealed motor housing. A drive shaft is connected between the motor and the rack mounting bolt so that the motor by controller operation drives the swivel bracket to rotate the swivel bracket, the rack mount and the water sports equipment rack.
Other objects, features, or advantages provide a method for motorized swiveling of a water sports equipment rack attached to a boat by providing a sealed motor housing, an electric motor housed within the sealed motor housing, and a drive shaft operatively connected between the electric motor housing and a rack mounting bolt. In a preferred aspect, one or more mounting points of a mounting bracket are secured to the boat and a mounting end of the rack mounting bolt is attached to the mounting bracket. A swivel bracket is attached to the swivel bracket supporting ends of the rack mounting bolt. The electric motor rotates a rack mount operatively connected to the swivel bracket by rotating the swivel bracket about the rack mounting bolt. The rack mount is configured to support the water sports equipment rack, which is designed for holding various types of water sporting equipment.
One or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. Different embodiments may have different objects, features, or advantages. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to or by an objects, features, or advantages stated herein.
Illustrated embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein, and where:
An automatic swiveling, motorized watersports equipment rack is described which may be used to store surf boards, water skis, waterboards, and other water sports equipment on a boat. The rack is automatic in that an actuator, such as an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic motor is housed within the device and upon actuation by a controller the rack travels in a swiveling movement between a position inside the boat (an “in” position) and a position outside the boat (an “out” position) to stow water sports equipment and accessories in such a way that they are conveniently and readily accessible yet still positionable out of the way to not hinder a boaters safe operation of, care for and ultimate enjoyment of the boat. With an actuator being housed within the fittings of the rack hinge itself, both precious space aboard the boat is saved and the electrical components are protected from the moist and often harsh marine environment.
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The swivel bracket 42 is free to rotate/swivel about the mounting bolt 36, preferably under operation of an actuator 50 powered electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically. With these types of actuators there is some amount of creep that occurs, particularly as a result of torque and weight acting on the swivel bracket 42. Aspects of the invention contemplating configuring one or more stops, brakes, or pin locks into the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. In one example, the actuator 50 could be configured to have both locked and unlocked states, whereby the actuator permits movement of the swivel bracket 42 in the unlocked state and prohibits movement of the swivel bracket 42 in the locked state. A locking mechanism configured with one or more components, such as, but not limited to, a pin, detent, collar, spring, gear, tab, slide, rib, channel, bearing, guide, brake, sleeve, and/or retainer to prohibit and permit rotation of the swivel bracket 42. One or more of these components can be configured as a locking system of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. A locking system can be configured as part of the actuator 50, a drive system operably configured between the actuator 50 and the swivel bracket 42, the swivel bracket 42, the mounting bolt 36, the mounting bracket 32 or any other component(s) of the motorized, water sports equipment rack 30. For example, a locking system (not shown) could be configured into the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 to lock movement of the swivel bracket in an “out” position and an “in” position, or any position there between. A locking system or mechanism can be configured to be operably actuated by a controller conveniently located at the helm 24 and/or immediately at the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. A locking system can be electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically actuated to lock and unlock movement of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. A locking system can also include one or more levers, handles or like members for manually locking and unlocking movement of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30.
The swivel bracket 42 can be configured to include an actuator housing 48 that houses an actuator 50, such as a DC motor, a pneumatic motor or a hydraulic motor. The actuator housing 48 can be manufactured from a stock of aluminum, polished aluminum or other like marine-rugged and safe materials known in the industry. The actuator housing 48 can also be fabricated from cast, extruded, 3-d printed, or other billet-type materials. The drive shaft 52 is driven by the actuator 50, which imparts a swivel motion to both the swivel bracket 42 and actuator housing 48. Alternatively, the drive shaft is operatively connected to a gearbox 54, which is operatively connected and driven by the actuator 50. The gearbox 54 can be configured to stepdown the RPM from the actuator to a suitable RPM for the drive shaft 52. The gearbox can be include one or more interoperative gears, whereby one or more of the gears are actuated or rotated by the actuator 50 to effect rotation of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. Alternatively, one or more pistons, levers, or arms can be actuated by the actuator 50 to effect rotation of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. A gearbox 54 makes it possible to use actuators that require a smaller footprint to thereby fit within the smaller confines of the actuator housing 48. Openings, apertures or ports in the actuator housing 48 can be, sealed using one or more gaskets, grommets, or seals. One or more weep holes can also be configured in the actuator housing 48 to the interior of the actuator housing 48 to breathe and to allow moisture accumulation to weep from the housing. The actuator 50 is electrically connected to a power source (not shown). The power source can be the electrical system of the boat 10 or a separate 24V, 12V or 6V system operably configured with one or more batteries. In the case of multiple batteries, a parallel or series configuration can be used to control the output voltage to the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The power source can be configured as a deep cycle battery bank for marine applications. Each configuration has benefits in the marine environment and are contemplated herein as a power source for the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The actuator 50 can be operably configured to be powered by the electrical system of the boat 10 or a separate 24V, 12V or 6V system operably configured with one or more batteries. The actuator 50 can be operated using a controller 56, located at the helm 24 or at the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. In some embodiments the controller 56 may be built-into or integrated with the control system of the boat.
An actuator 50 is housed within the actuator housing 48. The actuator can be electric, pneumatic or hydraulic. A power source for the actuator 50 can be operably connected to an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic system of the boat 10. Alternatively, an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic source for powering the actuator 50 can be operably configured as a component of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30.
According to another design, the mounting bolt 36 can be configured to include the actuator housing 48 with the actuator 50. Again, the actuator housing 48 can be manufactured from a stock of aluminum, polished aluminum or other like marine-rugged and safe materials known in the industry. The actuator housing 48 can also be fabricated from cast, extruded, 3-d printed, or other billet-type materials. The drive shaft 52 is driven by the actuator 50, which imparts a swivel motion to the swivel bracket 42. With this design, the actuator housing 48 does not swivel with the swivel bracket 42. Alternatively, the drive shaft is operatively connected to a gearbox 54, which is operatively connected and driven by the actuator 50. The gearbox 54 can be configured to stepdown the RPM from the actuator to a suitable RPM for the drive shaft 52. The gearbox can be include one or more interoperative gears, whereby one or more of the gears are actuated or rotated by the actuator 50 to effect rotation of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. Alternatively, one or more pistons, levers, or arms can be actuated by the actuator 50 to effect rotation of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. A gearbox 54 makes it possible to use actuators that require a smaller footprint to thereby fit within the smaller confines of the actuator housing 48. Openings, apertures or ports in the actuator housing 48 can be sealed using one or more gaskets, grommets, or seals. One or more weep holes can also be configured in the actuator housing 48 to allow the interior of the actuator housing 48 to breathe and to allow moisture accumulation to weep from of the housing. The actuator 50 is electrically connected to a power source (not shown). The power source can be the electrical system of the boat 10 or a separate 24V, 12V or 6V system operably configured with one or more batteries. In the case of multiple batteries, a parallel or series configuration can be used to control the output voltage to the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The power source can be configured as a deep cycle battery bank for marine applications. Each configuration has benefits in the marine environment and are contemplated herein as a power source for the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The actuator 50 can be operably configured to be powered by the electrical system of the boat 10 or a separate 24V, 12V or 6V system operably configured with one or more batteries. The actuator 50 can be operated using a controller 56, located at the helm 24 or at the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The actuator can be electric, pneumatic or hydraulic. A power source for the actuator 50 can be operably connected to an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic system of the boat 10. Alternatively, an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic source for powering the actuator 50 can be operably configured as a component of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30.
A rack mount 44 is operatively secured to the swivel bracket 42 and swivels with the swivel bracket 42. The rack mount 44 is operatively configured to carry a rack 46, such as a commercially available wakeboard rack. The rack 46 is designed to removably store one or more types of water sports equipment, such as surf boards, water skis, wakehoards, and other water sports equipment.
In operation, the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 swivels automatically upon receiving a control signal from the controller 56. The motorized water sports equipment rack 30 can be configured to rotate the rack 46 in either the xy or yz plane of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. The motorized water sports equipment rack 30 can be configured to rotate up to 270 degrees, but in most configurations rotates around 180 degrees providing the requisite movement for swiveling the rack 46 between positions inside and outside the boat 10. Water sports equipment (not shown) stored in the rack 46 can be, by motorized actuation of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30, swiveled to a position outside the boat 10 to increase the available space inside the boat 10, swiveled to a position inside the boat 10 to increase the available space outside the boat 10, or swiveled to some position in between to accommodate space requirements both inside and outside the boat 10. The captain of the boat 10 can operate/control the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 from the helm 24 and/or immediately at the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. Given the motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30, all the objects, features and advantages of the invention are achieved. The following provides some non-limiting, examples of a few, but not all of the objects, features and advantages realized by the motorized water sports equipment rack 30.
The motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 has many benefits. First, many boat owners store their boats on the water in their own personal boat slip. A slip with a roof has support poles which are usually very close to the opening of a boat slip where a captain must navigate the boat into a tight space. When a boater stores their watersport equipment in the racks 46, and the racks 46 are swiveled outward, the waters ports equipment can catch on the support poles, causing damage to the equipment, damage to the storage racks, damage to the slip support poles, or all of the aforementioned. It can be easy for boaters or the captain of the boat to forget that the storage racks 46 are still in the outward position when pulling into a boat slip. Pulling into a slip also, requires a high level of concentration and focus on the captain's part as well. Pulling in and out of a slip is often a task that is performed with nobody else in the boat. When a captain of a vessel is pulling into a slip, and notices at the last moment that all of the waters ports equipment is stored in the “out” position or outside the boat 10, and will hit the support poles of a dock if the equipment is not swiveled to the “in” position or inside the boat 10, the captain must stop the boat, leave the helm, swivel the racks inward manually (sometimes up to 4 or more separate racks), and resume the task of pulling the boat into the slip. The motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 allows the captain to automatically swivel the racks 46 inside of the boat, which eliminates time otherwise wasted operating the racks manually and also increases safety by allowing the captain to remain in the helm of the boat 10 the entire time and stay focused on operating/driving the boat 10. Benefits of the motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 also allows passengers on the boat to concentrate on tying the boat up, keeping the boat from rubbing against the dock, and making sure there's no other dangers when pulling into a slip.
Another instance where the motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 is useful, is when a boater is tying up, or “rafting” with another group of boaters. “Rafting” is when multiple boats will tie their boats together in a long line while anchored. When boaters are rafting, they are navigating their boats in very tight areas, many times with people in the water around them. This is another instance when the captain must remain as focused as possible, and having the captain remain in his/her seat, and being able to swivel the racks 46 automatically increases operational convenience and safety. Automating this process also allows for passengers of the boat to concentrate on other tasks which are required when rafting, such as setting an anchor, tossing ropes to other boats in the raft, attaching fenders to the boat, keeping from bumping into other boats, watching for swimmers, and so on. The motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 is also highly beneficial to boaters who trailer their boat, and store them in garages, sheds, or other covered areas which may not be wide enough to fit a boat into without swiveling the racks 46 inside the boat 10. If a person is backing the boat 10 into a storage garage, and notices that the racks are in the “out” position or outside the boat 10, the driver of the vehicle can, by operation of a remote controller 56, automatically swivel the racks 46 to the “in” position or inside the boat I/O without ever leaving the driver seat of the tow vehicle. The motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30 thus provides increased convenience and safety by providing automated swiveling, of the racks 46.
The invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiments described herein. In particular, the invention contemplates numerous variations in the type of ways in which embodiments of the invention can be applied to the motorized, automated, controller-operated functionality of the motorized water sports equipment rack 30. The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list or limit any of the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It is contemplated that other alternatives or exemplary aspects are considered included in the invention. The description is merely examples of embodiments, processes or methods of the invention. It is understood that any other modifications, substitutions, and/or additions can be made, which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. For the foregoing, it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its intended objects, features and advantages.
The previous detailed description is of a small number of embodiments for implementing the invention and is not intended to be limiting in scope. The following claims set forth a number of the inventions of the disclosure disclosed with greater particularity.
