ALIGNMENT GUIDE FOR PONTOON BOAT LIFT

Abstract

An alignment guide for a pontoon boat lift that includes a pair of laterally spaced rails, where the spacing corresponds to the spacing between the pontoon floats. The rails are attached to the boat lift by adjustable brackets, so they are positioned at an elevation above the waterline of the pontoon floats, and below the deck that is supported by the floats. A stop bar is positioned at an elevation above the boat motor and extends between rail extensions that are directed downwardly and rearwardly from the spaced rails. The alignment guide functions to provide support under the deck of the pontoon boat, to limit movement of the craft from port and starboard, and to stop the craft when it has advanced to the full forward position to keep it properly positioned bow to stern.

Claims

1. A boat lift alignment guide for a pontoon boat having a pair of laterally spaced pontoon floats supporting a deck, and a motor operably mounted to a rear portion of the deck and disposed to extend down below the floats, the guide comprising: a pair of laterally spaced rails, the rails being generally horizontally disposed and spaced apart at a distance corresponding to spacing between the pontoon floats; wherein the rails are operatively attached to the boat lift and disposed at an elevation above a waterline of the pontoon floats and below the deck when the boat lift is in a lowered position, whereby the rails capture and guide the pontoon floats as the pontoon boat advances toward a full forward position on the boat lift, while limiting movement of the pontoon boat with respect to port and starboard.

2. The guide of claim 1, further comprising: a pair of downwardly directed extensions, each having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end of one of the pair of extensions is attached to one of the pair of a rails, and the upper end of another of the pair of extensions is attached to another of the pair of rails; and a stop bar attached to and interconnecting the lower ends of the pair of extensions, wherein the stop bar is disposed at an elevation above a lowermost portion of the boat motor, whereby the boat motor contacts the stop bar when the pontoon boat reaches the full forward position to locate the pontoon boat bow to stern at a desired point on the boat lift.

3. The guide of claim 2, wherein the extensions are directed downwardly and rearwardly.

4. The guide of claim 1, wherein the rails are made of an extrusion having a generally circular cross-section.

5. The guide of claim 4, wherein the extrusion is formed of metal.

6. The guide of claim 5, wherein the metal extrusion is formed of aluminum.

7. The guide of claim 6, wherein the aluminum extrusion is enclosed in a polymer casing.

8. The guide of claim 7, wherein the polymer casing is extruded.

9. The guide of claim 8, wherein the extruded polymer casing is slid around and onto the aluminum extrusion.

10. The guide of claim 9, wherein the polymer extrusion is formed of polyurethane.

11. An alignment guide for a watercraft, comprising: a pair of elongated laterally spaced rails, the rails being spaced at a predetermined distance apart, and operably attached to a complementary aquatic device; the predetermined distance being sized to capture and matingly receive a portion of the watercraft as it advances toward a full forward position on the complementary aquatic device, whereby the side-to-side movement of the watercraft is limited.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the alignment guide of the present invention;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view thereof;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof;

[0011] FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view similar to FIG. 2, showing the alignment guide attached to a boat lift, with a pontoon boat loaded on the lift when the lift is in the lowered loading position;

[0012] FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the lift in the raised position;

[0013] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 3, showing the pontoon boat advanced to the full forward position on the boat lift when the lift is in the lowered loading position;

[0014] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the lift in the raised position; and

[0015] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the composition of the rail stock from which the alignment guide is constructed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] As can be seen by the reference to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the alignment guide for a pontoon boat lift then forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The alignment guide 10 includes a pair of laterally spaced, horizontally disposed rails 20, each having a downwardly and rearwardly directed extension 30, with a horizontal stop bar 40 that extends between and interconnects lower portions of the extensions 30. Vertical supports 22 extend down from the front and rear of each of the rails 20 and each support 22 adjustably receives an attachment bracket 24.

[0017] As best shown in FIGS. 4-7, a conventional boat lift 100 has a rectangular frame 110 that carries vertically movable transverse support beams 120 at the front and rear of the frame 110. The transverse support beams 120 are movable between a lowered position to load, and a raised position to lift the boat out of the water. The attachment brackets 24 connect the vertical supports 22 of the rails 20 to the support beams 120 of the boat lift 100.

[0018] Conventional pontoon boats 200 have a pair of laterally spaced pontoon floats 210 that support a deck 220, with a motor 230 mounted to the rear of the deck 220. The waterline 300 is located at an elevation with respect to the floats 210 depending upon the design and weight of the boat 200. The adjustment guide 10 of the present invention may be adjustably mounted on a boat lift 100 to prepare it for use with any specific one of a variety of such pontoon boats 200.

[0019] In use, to adapt the alignment guide 10 for a specific pontoon boat 200, the brackets 24 on the vertical supports 22 of the rails 20 are attached and adjusted so that the horizontal sections of the rails 20 are disposed at an elevation that is above the waterline 300 of the pontoon floats 210, and below the deck 220 when the boat lift 200 is in the lower position. Also, the lateral spacing of the rails 20 is adjusted to correspond to the spacing between the pontoon floats 210, and the elevation of the stop bar 40 is set to be disposed above the lowermost portion 232 of the boat motor 230. Thus, as the pontoon boat 200 is advanced onto the lift 100, the rails 20 capture and guide the floats 210 and limit movement of the pontoon boat 200 with respect to port and starboard. When the pontoon boat 200 reaches the desired full forward position, the lowermost portion 232 of the boat motor 230 contacts the stop bar 40 to locate the pontoon boat 200 at the desired point on the lift 100 bow to stern.

[0020] The preferred material for construction of rails 20 is illustrated in FIG. 8, and includes a polyurethane extrusion 20A that is slid over an aluminum extrusion 20B. This forms an attractive, low friction, high strength structural encased rail member that is well suited for the aquatic environment.

[0021] It is to be understood that the alignment guide 10 of the present invention may be adapted for use with watercraft other than pontoon boats, where rails 20 are laterally spaced at a distance sized to capture and matingly receive a portion of the watercraft to limit side-to-side movement. Also, the alignment guide 10 could be used with complementary aquatic devices other than boat lifts, such as boat docks and boat trailers.

[0022] Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

[0023] Having thereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.