Boat tie down apparatus

Abstract

A boat tie down apparatus including a tubular member, the tubular member has a length that provides for the displacement of a boat from the dock during mooring, the tubular member has a rope extending therethrough, the front end of the rope extends out the front of the tubular member, and locates approximate the front end of the tubular member, to form a variable sized loop, for securement over a cleat or other structure at the dock. The back end of the rope, that extends through the tubular member, can be pulled for tightening the apparatus to the dock, and then the back end of the rope can be tied to a structure on the boat, such as a cleat, to provide for securement of the boat to the dock, displaced from the dock, during its mooring.

Claims

1. A boat tie down apparatus, consisting of: a tubular member comprising a front end and a back end opposite the front end, wherein the tubular member includes an aperture proximal to the front end; and a rope extending freely through the tubular member throughout an entirety of operation of the boat tie down apparatus, wherein the rope comprises a first end extending out of the front end of the tubular member in a first direction and a second end extending out of the back end of the tubular member in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein the first end of the rope re-enters the tubular member through the aperture and is secured to the tubular member at a fixed end point by a knot positioned within the tubular member to form a loop, the loop extending out of the front end of the tubular member in the first direction and back into the tubular member through the aperture in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction in a perpetually open loop arrangement, and wherein the second end of the rope can be pulled through the tubular member in the second direction to contract the loop and guided back through the tubular member in the first direction to freely expand the loop for uninterrupted traversal of the rope in both the first direction and the second direction throughout the entirety of operation of the boat tie down apparatus.

2. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loop can be contracted around an attachment structure of a boat dock.

3. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second end of the rope extending out the back end of the tubular member can be secured to an attachment structure of a boat.

4. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tubular member displaces a side of a boat from a dock.

5. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an end cap at the front end of the tubular member through which the first end of the rope extends.

6. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a grip at the back end of the tubular member through which the second end of the rope extends.

7. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 6, wherein the grip comprises rubber.

8. The boat tie down apparatus of claim 6, wherein the grip comprises polymer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 provides a partial view of the gunnel of a boat, and a dock, showing the tie down apparatus of this invention during usage, when applied into a cleat upon the dock;

(2) FIG. 2 provides a similar view to that of FIG. 1, but showing how the loop at the end of the tie down apparatus can be secured tightly to the cleat o the dock;

(3) FIG. 3 shows how the opposite and back end of the rope can be pulled tightly, for securement of the tie down apparatus to the dock cleat;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a similar view where the back end of the rope of the tie down apparatus is secured onto a cleat or other structure furnished upon the side of the boat;

(5) FIG. 5 shows a side view of the tie down apparatus of this invention;

(6) FIG. 6 provides a front end view of the tie down apparatus of this invention;

(7) FIG. 7 shows a back end view of the tie down apparatus of this invention; and

(8) FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tie down apparatus taken upon the line 8-8 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(9) This invention contemplates an improvement to the fastening of a boat, to a dock, or other location, and more specifically to a structured apparatus, incorporating a longitudinal cylinder, cooperating with a tie down rope, that can secure the boat to the dock, with some displacement maintained between the dock and the boat, so an operator that remains within the boat during the entire securement process.

(10) As can be seen in FIG. 1, there is shown a partial view of a side of a boat, as noted at B, generally forming a gunnel of the boat, and upon the top surface of the side of the boat may be a fastening device, such as a cleat C, as can be noted. Likewise, the edge of the dock has usually a cleat C1 provided attached thereto, as seen, and the concept is to tie the boat to the dock during its mooring. To do this, the boat tie down apparatus 1 in this invention can be seen as including a length of tubular cylinder, 2, of any shape, and which has a continuous rope 3 extending there through, and where it extends out the front of the tubular member, can be formed into a configured loop, as noted at 4, with the rope then extending through an aperture 6, and being secured within the tube, either by a knotted end, or other means for fastening, to maintain that forward and up the rope secured within or to the tubular structure, during its assembly. Then, the loop 4 can be pulled open, which pulls some of the rope 3 through the tube, to form the type of loop forward, as noted in FIG. 2, that can be secured over the cleat C1, of the dock, to initiate the mooring process. All this can be done by the user of the device, with an arm A and B shown, while the user remains standing in the boat, throughout the entire tie down process.

(11) The tying of the forward end of the rope 3, within the tube, can be seen at 5 in FIG. 8, and there can be either a knotted end at that location, to prevent the rope from exiting the shown aperture, at the location of 6, or other means for securement, whether it be a staple, link, or any other similar device that prevents that end of the rope from exiting the interior of the shown tubular member 2, as noted.

(12) As can be seen in FIG. 3, once the loop 4 is secured to the cleat C1 of the dock, the user then pulls upon the back end of said rope, as at 7, to tighten the loop 4 about the cleat, as noted. At that time, the user can then tie the excess rope 7 about the boat cleat C, or other related structure, to secure the entire tie down apparatus in place, and to properly moor the boat into position, slightly displaced from the dock, as can be seen.

(13) There are two features of the foregoing that need to be mentioned, initially, as stated, the user, during performance of this entire procedure, remains in the boat, and need not jump onto the dock, to tie any rope onto the cleat C1. Secondly, as can been seen in FIG. 4, once the tie down apparatus has secured the boat in position, relative to the dock, the fixed length of the tubular member 2 displaces the boat for some slight distance away from the dock, so that the wave action of the water, whether it be a river or lake, does not force the boat against the dock, which may abrasively damage the surface of the boat, during mooring.

(14) FIG. 5 provides a side view of the tie down apparatus of this invention. The tubular member 2 can be seen, and there is a forward end cap 9 that is secured thereto, whether it be formed of rubber, polymer, or the liking, which is snugly fitted on that end of the tubular member, as noted. The end cap 9 has an aperture 10 provided there-through, and it is through this end that the length of the rope extends, at its forward end, as to be noted. This is what forms the loop 4 for the forward end of the rope. Then, as previously stated, the front end of the rope, as at 5, extends through the aperture 6, of the tubular member, and is secured within the tube, to fix it into position. Thus, the rope, at 4, can be pulled forwardly, through the tube, to enlarge the form to loop, as can be noted in FIG. 1, and then when the rope is pulled tight, as noted in FIG. 3, the loop condenses, and secures onto the cleat C1, to fasten the tie down apparatus to the dock, as noted.

(15) The back end of the tubular member 2 has a gripping device 11, and that is formed of any type of frictional surface, whether it be rubber, polymer, or any other material, that may add to the gripping aspects of the device, at that location, during its usage. As previously explained, since the boat is on water, there may be instances when the tie down apparatus may be wet, or if it is inclement weather, and the tubular member and its grip is wettened, this assist the user in sustaining a grip of the apparatus, during its application.

(16) The back end of the grip 11 has an aperture 12 provided there through, and as noted in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the rope 3 extends out of the back end of the tubular member, as noted at 7, and extends for some length, generally to that as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to provide sufficient length of rope for tying to a structure on the boat, such as the cleat C, where the apparatus is fully tied in place, securing the boat to the dock, as can be understood. Part of the rope 3a bypasses that part of the rope that confines the end of the rope 5 within the tubular member 2.

(17) When tied in position, as noted in said FIG. 4, it can be seen that the fixed length of the tubular member provides for a slight displacement of the boat, from the dock, that prevents the boat from impacting against the dock, and thereby prevents any damage to the side of the boat B, as can be understood.

(18) Variations or modifications to the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon review of the tie down apparatus of this invention. Such variations, within the spirit of this invention, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to bad protection issuing herein. The review of the invention and the summary, and its definition in the description of the preferred embodiment, and as depicted in the drawings, are primarily set forth for illustrative purposes only.