Patent Application
20160159449
The present disclosure relates generally to storage systems for boats.
Many types of watercraft, such as fishing boats and other recreational boats have storage compartments for storing life preservers, fishing gear, recreational gear such as water skis, refreshments, and the like. For example, “bass boats” are widely used by both professional and amateur fishermen. A typical bass boat is generally provided with a centrally positioned control console disposed between elevated bow and stern deck portions. Storage compartments may be situated below some of the elevated deck portions. In some bass boats, the stern deck portions have storage compartments thereunder containing live wells, batteries, fuel tanks, etc. Some bow storage compartments are elongated, making them suitable for storing long items such as fishing rods. Items stored in such storage compartments are often valuable, and while such items may be made for use in wet or moist conditions, it may be detrimental for these items to remain in a wet or moist condition for extended periods.
Attempts have been made to make boat storage compartments “dry storages” by sealing the door openings. As the quality of such seals improves in an attempt to make storage compartments “water tight,” the compartments can also become more “air tight.” Fishing in rain, fog or extreme humidity, for example, can result in wet or damp equipment being put into the storage compartments. With the storage compartments being “sealed” it can be difficult for the equipment stored in the compartments to dry out. This, in turn, could promote mold growth or a musty smell.
Improvements in storage compartments are desired.
In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a storage system for a boat includes a first compartment situated in a bow of a boat, with the first compartment having an air inlet opening. A second compartment situated in the bow of the boat, and it has an air outlet opening. An air flow path includes the air inlet opening, the first compartment, the second compartment, and the air outlet opening. A fan is situated to move air along the air flow path. The fan may be positioned proximate one of the air inlet and the air outlet, for example. In some implementations, the air flow path includes at least one compartment-to-compartment air-flow vent.
Further, in some embodiments, a third storage compartment is positioned at a central location along a keel of the boat. The first compartment is positioned at either the port side or starboard side of the boat, and the second compartment is positioned at the other side of the boat. The third storage compartment is positioned between the first and second compartments and at least the third storage compartment is a fishing rod storage compartment. The first, second and third compartments have upper access doors that define at least a portion of a deck of the bow.
In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, a boat includes a hull with a storage compartment situated in the hull. The storage compartment has a top surface forming a first portion of a deck of the boat and an upper access door movably connected to the top surface to selectively provide access to an inside area of the storage compartment. The upper access door forms a second portion of the deck of the boat. An air flow path includes the air inlet opening, the storage compartment, and the air outlet opening, and a fan is situated to move air along the air flow path. The fan may be positioned proximate the air inlet or the air outlet, for example.
In accordance with still further aspects of the disclosure, a method for venting storage compartments of a boat includes situating a first compartment in a bow of a boat and providing an air inlet opening in the first compartment. A second compartment is also situated in the bow of the boat with an air outlet opening provided in the second compartment. At least one compartment-to-compartment air-flow vent is provided, and air is moved along an air flow path including the air inlet opening, the first compartment, the compartment-to-compartment air flow vent, the second compartment, and the air outlet opening. A fan may be operated, for example, proximate one or more of the air inlet opening, the compartment-to-compartment air flow vent, and the air outlet opening to move the air along the airflow path.
In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as top, bottom, front, back, etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The present disclosure relates generally to storage systems for boats. Many types of boats, such as fishing boats and other recreational boats include storage compartments for fishing gear, life preservers, recreational items such as water skis, fishing rods and other fishing gear, etc.
The bow 12 and stern 14 each have a raised deck 40 on either side of the cockpit 24/passenger console 26 and driver 20/passenger 22 seats. With some fishing boats, such as the example bass boat 10, the deck 40 provides a raised platform to facilitate casting and generally moving about the boat 10 as desired. Thus, in such examples the deck 40 must be sturdy enough to support the boat occupants. The surface of the deck 40 is sometimes provided with a non-slip surface to further facilitate such activities on the deck 40.
One or more deck storage compartments 50 are situated between the deck 40 and the hull 11 of the boat. The storage compartment 50 includes a top surface 52 with one or more access doors 54 movably connected thereto such that the doors can be opened as desired to provide access to the inside area of the storage compartment 50. Thus, the top surfaces 52 along with the access doors 54 form respective portions of the deck 40. In the illustrated example, hinges connect the doors 54 to the top surfaces 52, allowing the doors 54 to be selectively opened or closed. As can be seen in
When the access doors 54 are opened, items stored in the storage compartments 50 can get wet from rain or splashing water, for example. To help dry or at least reduce the moisture inside the storage compartments 50, a ventilation system is provided.
The storage compartment 50 has an air inlet opening 110 and an air outlet opening 112 that form an air flow path 114 including the air inlet opening 110, the storage compartment 50, and the air outlet opening 112. A fan 120 is situated to move air along the air flow path, thus moving air through the storage compartment 50 to remove moisture from the inside of the compartment 50 and the contents thereof. As used herein, a fan is any device that actively moves air, such as a typical mechanical axial fan having rotating vanes or blades. In one embodiment, a 12 volt, 3800 RPM fan is employed providing air flow of 170 CFM. Other air moving devices could be used. In some implementations, the fan 120 is positioned at the air outlet 112, though the fan could be positioned in other locations to move air along the air flow path 114 as desired. For instance, the fan could be placed proximate the air inlet opening 110 as indicated by the fan 120 shown in broken lines in
In some examples of the storage system 100, the storage compartment 50 includes multiple compartments. In
In the system illustrated in
As best seen in
In the illustrated system 100, the first, second and fourth compartments 50a,50b,50d each include an end wall 62 that extends from the underside of the deck 40 to the hull 12, oriented generally perpendicular to the sidewalls 60. The sidewalls 60 and end walls 62 may not be precisely perpendicular to one another due to the shape of the bow 16 of the boat 10. In the example shown in
In some example implementations, the interior volume of the storage compartments 50 range from about 5 cubic feet to about 9 cubic feet, with a total storage volume of the compartments 50 being about 29 cubic feet. In the illustrated embodiments, the storage compartments 50 are generally rectangular, though the actual shape of the various storage compartments 50 varies depending on, for example, the shape of the hull 12 and bow 16 of the boat 10. The depth (vertical distance between the underside of the deck 40 and the hull 12) varies from about 12 to 16 inches in some examples for the various compartments 50, depending on their particular location. In one particular example, the length and width dimensions are about 24×26 inches, 36×22 inches, 48×27 inches, and 60×16 inches for the storage compartments 50a, 50d, 50c, 50b, respectively, illustrated in
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/915,171, filed Jun. 11, 2013, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13915171 | Jun 2013 | US |
| Child | 14816407 | US |
