DUAL FOLDING BOAT TOWER

Abstract

This invention relates to a dual folding boat tower and especially to a boat tower and boat tower top assembly for folding the boat tower and tower top from a storage or down position to an erect or running position.

Claims

1. A dual folding boat tower and tower top comprising: a pair of gunwale brackets for attachment to the gunwales of a boat; a pair of upwardly extending arms, each arm being hingedly attached to one said gunwale bracket, each said arm having an upper and a lower portion; a lower arm actuator located in said lower portion of each said upwardly extending arm and being operatively connected to one said gunwale bracket for driving each said upwardly extending arm from a lower storage position to a generally upright position; a tower top hingedly attached to each said upwardly extending arm upper portion; a tower top actuator located in each said upper extending arm upper portion operatively connected to said tower top for rotating said tower top from a folded storage position to an operative covering position while said upwardly extending arm is going from a folded storage position to a generally upright position; whereby a dual folding boat tower and tower top may be moved between a folded storage position and raised operative positions with an extended tower top.

2. The dual folding beat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 1 in which said lower arm actuator is an electric motor having an extendable and retractable rod.

3. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 2 in which said upper arm actuator is an electric motor having an extendable and retractable rod.

4. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 3 in which each said gunwale bracket has a stop member attached thereto positioned to limit the rotation of each said upwardly extending arm when said upwardly extending arm is being moved to a storage position.

5. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 4 in which said tower top has a stop member attached thereto positioned to limit the rotation of said tower top when said dual folding tower is being moved to a storage position.

6. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 5 in which each said upwardly extending arm has a strut extending between the upper and lower portions thereof.

7. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 3 in which each said electric actuator has a screw shaft rotated by its electric motor to extend and retract each extendable and retractable rod.

8. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 7 in which each said arm lower portion has a groove formed therein shaped to wedge a gunwale bracket tongue therein when said arm is in a raised position.

9. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 8 in which each said gunwale bracket tongue has an elongated polymer member attached to each side thereof for wedging into said tapered wedge insert on said arm lower portion groove.

10. The dual folding boat tower and tower top in accordance with claim 3 in which each said upwardly extending arm lower portion electric actuator extendable rod is rotatably attached to a gunwale bracket actuator attachment.

11. A dual folding boat tower and tower top comprising: a pair of gunwale brackets for attachment to the gunwales of a boat; a pair of upwardly extending arms, each arm being hingedly attached to one said gunwale bracket, each said arm having an upper and a lower portion; a lower arm electric motor actuator located in said lower portion of each said upwardly extending arm and attached to sale lower portion of each said upwardly extending arm and being operatively connected to one said gunwale bracket for driving each said upwardly extending arm from a lower storage position to a generally upright position; a tower top hingedly attached to each said upwardly extending arm upper portion; a tower top electric motor actuator located in each said upper extending arm upper portion attached to said upwardly extending arm upper portion and operatively connected to said tower top for rotating said tower top from a folded storage position to an operative covering position while said upwardly extending arm is going from a folded storage position to a generally upright position; whereby a dual folding boat tower and tower top may be moved between a folded storage position and raised operative positions with an extended tower top.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification and illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0009] In the drawings:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a a boat tower attached to a boat in accordance with of the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the boat tower of FIG. 1 in an up and running position;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the boat tower of FIGS. 1 and 2 in tower down and storage position;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a section view of the boat tower of FIGS. 1 to 3 in a folded position showing the operating mechanism;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a cut-away perspective view of the gunwale bracket with attached upright arm bottom portion; and

[0015] FIG. 6 is a cut-away perspective upright arm top portion with attached top.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0016] This invention relates to a dual folding boat tower and especially to a boat tower and top assembly for folding the boat tower and top from a storage or down position to an up and running position and back to the storage position.

[0017] Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 through 6, and especially to FIG. 1 a boat tower 10 is shown attached to a boat 11 gunwales 12 with gunwale brackets 13. The tower 10 has a pair of upright tower arms 14 and 15 and a top 16. The top 16, shown in the raised or running position, may have a tow rope attachment 17 for attaching a ski tow rope or the like. A fixed hardtop or soft top roof 18 may be attached to the top 16.

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the boat tower 10 is shown in the upright running position in FIG. 2 and in a folded or storage position in FIG. 3. Each upright tower arm 14 and 15 has a lower portion 20 attached to a gunwale bracket 13 and an upper position 21 attached to the tower top 16. A supporting strut 22 extends between the lower portion 20 and the upper portion 21 of the each upright arm 14. As seen in FIG. 3, the arm 14 lower portion 20 is hinged to the gunwale bracket 13 allowing it to fold on the gunwale bracket 13 as seen in FIG. 3. The top 16 is hinged to the arm's upper portion 21 allowing it to swing into a folded position at the same time as the arm lower position 20 swings on the gunwale bracket 13.

[0019] Referring more specifically to FIGS. 4 5 and 6, the operation of the dual folding boat tower 10 goes from a running position to the folded position. Each lower arm portion 20 is hinged to a gunwale bracket on each side of the boat at a pivot point 23 and has an actuator 24 mounted therein. The actuator 24 may be an electric motor driving a screw shaft which drives a rod to move the arm 14 from a folded position to an upright position and back. The actuator 24 rod is connected to the actuator attachment 25 on the gunwale bracket 13. The actuator 24 is attached to the arm lower portion 20 with a bolt 26. The lower arm 20 can be seen in FIG. 5 as having a groove 27 in the bottom thereof shaped to fit over a tongue 28. The groove 27 has a pair of polymer tapered wedge inserts 30 mounted therein while the tongue 28 has a pair of elongated polymer members 31 attached thereto. When the arm 14 is in a raised position, the groove 27 wedges on the tongue 28 with the tapered wedge inserts engaging the tongue polymer member to form a positive lock between the arm 14 and the gunwale bracket 13. The gunwale bracket 13 can also be seen as having a locking member 32 which forms a positive stop to limit rotation when lowering the arm 14 to a folded position. As seen in FIG. 5, a locking member 32 abuts against a stop 29 on the lower arm portion 20 of the arm 14 to limit the rotation of the arm in a folded position.

[0020] FIG. 6 shows the connection between the top 16 and the arm 14 upper portion 21. The tower top 16 is hinged and pivots on a bolt at a pivot point 33. An actuator 35 which may be an electric motor driving a screw shaft which drives a rod 36 to raise or fold the tower top 16 at the same time as the arm 14 is being rotated on the gunwale bracket 13. The actuator is attached to the arm 13 upper portion 21 with a bolt 37. It will be clear that the folding of the top works in the same manner as the folding of the arm 14 lower portion 20. The upper arm 21 has a groove in the end thereof shaped to fit over a tongue 40. The groove has a polymer tapered wedge insert which is similar to insert 30 of FIG. 5 while the tongue 40 has a pair of elongated polymer members 41 similar to 31 of FIG. 5 attached thereto. When the arm 14 is in a raised position the tower top tongue 40 engages the groove in the upper arm 21 with the elongated polymer members 41 engaging the tapered wedge insert in the groove in the upper arm 21 to form a positive lock between the arm 14 and the tower top 16. The tower top 16 can also be seen as having a locking member 43 which forms a positive stop to limit rotation of the tower top when lowering the arm 14 to a folded position. All the positive locks abut against a stop to limit the rotation of the folding members when the arm 14 is in a folded position. All locks work in the same manner. The locking member 32 abuts against a stop 29 in FIG. 5 to limit the folding of the arm.

[0021] It should be clear at this time that a dual folding boat tower for supporting a boat tower top or cover, or the like, has been provided. However the present invention is not to be considered limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.