A watercraft lift with rearward and forward lateral beams, left and right side longitudinal side beams, a pair of left side lifting arms, a pair of right side lifting arms supporting at their upper ends left and right side watercraft supports, and left and right side actuators pivotally attached to the left and right side rearward lifting arms. In one embodiment the left side rearward lifting arm and the left side actuator rotate about their pivotal attachments to the longitudinal left side beam in a left side plane, and the right side rearward lifting arm and the right side actuator rotate about their pivotal attachments to the longitudinal right side beam in a right side plane.

A weight distribution and stiffening system is provided for modular floating platforms by creating internal channels that allow for the incorporation of stiffening members within the modular floating platform assembly. Float modules with horizontal recessed areas that are aligned with adjacent float modules to create open channels within the body of a modular floating platform.

A trajectory module is configured to determine a trajectory of a boat located in water behind a trailer that is hitched to a vehicle based on an image behind the vehicle captured using a rear facing camera of the vehicle. An illuminating module is configured to turn a right brake light of the vehicle ON and OFF when the trajectory of the boat is left of a longitudinal axis of the trailer and to turn a left brake light of the vehicle ON and OFF when the trajectory of the boat is right of the longitudinal axis of the trailer.

An apparatus (1) for handling daughter boats (2) on a mother vessel comprising one davit assembly positioned atop a stationary cradle (5), each of which is located near a side edge (11a, 11b) of a deck (11) of the vessel for launching and retrieving the boats (2) from and onto the stationary cradle (5) characterised in that the apparatus has a plurality of longitudinally movable cradles (7) on the deck (11) of the vessel for securedly holding plurality of boats thereon and in that the longitudinally movable cradles can move back and forth longitudinally and lift up vertically to transfer a boat (2) onto or to receive a boat (2) from, one transversely movable cradle (4) which can transversely move back and forth for placing a boat (2) onto or for receiving a boat (2) from, the longitudinal cradles (7) and any one stationary cradle (5). The invention also relates to a method for launching and retrieving boats from a mother vessel.

An automated system is provided for moving a boat from a storage position in a boat garage to a deployed position in a dock channel. The system can include a boat trolley. The boat trolley can include a bottom frame that couples to and rides on rails of a track that extends between the boat garage and the dock channel. The boat trolley can also include an upper frame that with bunker supports for supporting the hull of the boat. The upper frame can be lifted off of the lower frame by a dock lift mechanism to thereafter lower the upper frame into the water, from which the boat can be deployed. Once done using the boat, the user can navigate the boat onto the upper frame, and the dock lift mechanism used to lift the upper frame and boat out of the water, the upper frame then dropped onto and coupled to the lower frame, and the boat trolley operated to move the boat from the dock to the boat garage for storage.

An automated system is provided for moving a boat from a storage position in a boat garage to a deployed position in a dock channel. The system can include a boat trolley. The boat trolley can include a bottom frame that couples to and rides on rails of a track that extends between the boat garage and the dock channel. The boat trolley can also include an upper frame that with bunker supports for supporting the hull of the boat. The upper frame can be lifted off of the lower frame by a dock lift mechanism to thereafter lower the upper frame into the water, from which the boat can be deployed. Once done using the boat, the user can navigate the boat onto the upper frame, and the dock lift mechanism used to lift the upper frame and boat out of the water, the upper frame then dropped onto and coupled to the lower frame, and the boat trolley operated to move the boat from the dock to the boat garage for storage.

Conventional ship launching airbags are made of several layers of rubber and fiber meshes bonded together by vulcanization. With the existing fabrication process, an airbag is strong in standing heavy pressure at its surfaces, but weak against the cutting by sharp edges of metal debris or oyster shells. An airbag's functional failure during a field operation can cause not only stoppage, but also explosion, hence a serious safety hazard. To overcome such structural weakness, a new type of airbags with anti-cutting capability is disclosed in which a conventional ship launching airbag is covered with a layer of anti-cutting armor made of steel cord ply sheets, a standard off-the-shelf product for the making of tires, embedded at the surface of the airbag's main body.

Conventional ship launching airbags are made of several layers of rubber and fiber meshes bonded together by vulcanization. With the existing fabrication process, an airbag is strong in standing heavy pressure at its surfaces, but weak against the cutting by sharp edges of metal debris or oyster shells. An airbag's functional failure during a field operation can cause not only stoppage, but also explosion, hence a serious safety hazard. To overcome such structural weakness, a new type of airbags with anti-cutting capability is disclosed in which a conventional ship launching airbag is covered with a layer of anti-cutting armor made of steel cord ply sheets, a standard off-the-shelf product for the making of tires, embedded at the surface of the airbag's main body.

A boat ramp designed to collapse so the amphibious vehicle may be towed at highway speeds. The ramp fabricated of a central isosceles triangle hinged to the vehicle at its base flanks a pair of right triangles hinged along their hypotenuses such that the ramp can be folded over the vehicle during travel. The hinged portion is reinforced with removable steel channel during use.

A boat ramp designed to collapse so the amphibious vehicle may be towed at highway speeds. The ramp fabricated of a central isosceles triangle hinged to the vehicle at its base flanks a pair of right triangles hinged along their hypotenuses such that the ramp can be folded over the vehicle during travel. The hinged portion is reinforced with removable steel channel during use.