BOAT LOADING GUIDE

Abstract

A boat loading guide system for use on a boat trailer and particularly for pontoon boats and the like. The boat loading guide is highly visible during loading, comprising two guide posts visible throughout the loading process. When not in use, or when towing the trailer, the guide posts are stowed such that the trailer and guide posts do not exceed a pre-determined width, and thus the trailer will be able to be operated legally on public roadways. The guide posts can be of sufficient length so that even when the rear portion of the trailer is well submerged, the guide posts will extend above the surface of the water and be visible to the operator.

Claims

1. A loading guide apparatus for assisting a user in the loading and unloading of watercraft from a conveyance, the loading guide comprising: a plurality of guide mounting assemblies, the guide mounting assemblies configured to be reversibly secured to a conveyance for transporting the watercraft; a plurality of guide post assemblies, each guide post assembly connected to one of the plurality of guide mounting assemblies; the guide post assembly further comprising an angled tubular post and a substantially hollow tube, wherein the angled tubular post is sized to fit within the interior of the tube such the tube will be capable of sliding back and forth along the length of the tube; wherein the guide post assembly is movable from a stowed position to a deployed position; and wherein, when in the stowed position, the guide post assemblies are positioned such that the width of the conveyance and loading guide apparatus does not exceed the width of a lane in a public roadway.

2. The loading guide of claim 1, wherein a guide mounting assembly is mounted on each side of the conveyance.

3. The loading guide of claim 1, wherein the angled tubular post comprises a first section that engages a guide mounting assembly, and a second section over which the substantially hollow tube can be slid, and wherein the intersection of the first and section sections forms an angle of about 90°.

4. The loading guide of claim 3, wherein the first section is rotatable with respect to the guide mounting assembly, such that the second section of the angled tubular post can be moved between a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position, wherein the hollow tube is adapted to slid vertically about the angled tubular post when the tubular post is in the substantially horizontal position.

5. The loading guide of claim 4, wherein the guide mounting assembly further comprises a locking assembly, the locking assembly configured to maintain the angled tubular post in a desired position.

6. The loading guide of claim 5, wherein the desired position is one of a stowed position and a deployed position.

7. The loading guide of claim 1, wherein the substantially hollow tube further comprises a material such that the tube will be positively buoyant.

8. The loading guide of claim 1, wherein the substantially hollow tube and the angled tubular post are connected by a flexible line.

9. The loading guide of claim 3, wherein the intersection of the first and section sections forms an angle of about or greater than 90°.

10. The loading guide of claim 9, wherein when the angle is greater than 90° and the guide post assembly further includes a hinge disposed between the first and second sections.

11. The loading guide of claim 1, wherein each guide mounting assembly comprises a plurality of mounting positions for a guide post assembly, such that when in use the spacing between each of the guide post assemblies in the deployed position can be varied.

12. A method of using a loading guide apparatus in the loading a watercraft from a conveyance, the method comprising: providing a loading guide apparatus, the loading guide apparatus comprising: a plurality of guide mounting assemblies, the guide mounting assemblies configured to be reversibly secured to a conveyance for transporting the watercraft; a plurality of guide post assemblies, each guide post assembly connected to one of the plurality of guide mounting assemblies; the guide post assembly further comprising an angled tubular post and a substantially hollow tube, wherein the angled tubular post is sized to fit within the interior of the tube such the tube will be capable of sliding back and forth along the length of the tube; wherein the guide post assembly is movable from a stowed position to a deployed position; and wherein, when in the stowed position, the guide post assemblies are positioned such that the width of the conveyance and loading guide apparatus does not exceed the width of a lane in a public roadway; securing the plurality of guide mounting assemblies to the conveyance; securing a guide post assembly to each guide mounting assembly, and configuring each guide post assembly in the stowed position; positioning the conveyance near a watercraft to be loaded; moving each guide post assembly from the stowed position to the deployed position; connecting the watercraft to a winching system; drawing the watercraft onto the conveyance; securing the watercraft in position once the watercraft is in a desired position on the conveyance; and moving each guide post assembly from the deployed position to the stowed position.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of mounting a guide mounting assembly on each side of the conveyance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the angled tubular post comprises a first section that engages a guide mounting assembly, and a second section over which the substantially hollow tube can be slid, and wherein the intersection of the first and section sections forms an angle of about 90°.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first section is rotatable with respect to the guide mounting assembly, such that the second section of the angled tubular post can be moved between a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position, wherein the hollow tube is adapted to slid vertically about the angled tubular post when the tubular post is in the substantially horizontal position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the guide mounting assembly further includes a locking assembly, the locking assembly adapted to be engaged such that the angled tubular post is maintained in one of a stowed position and a deployed position.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the substantially hollow tube further comprises a material such that the tube will be positively buoyant.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of connecting the substantially hollow tube and the angled tubular post with a flexible line.

19. The loading guide of claim 3, wherein the intersection of the first and section sections forms an angle of about or greater than 90°.

20. The loading guide of claim 9, wherein when the angle is greater than 90° and the guide post assembly further includes a hinge disposed between the first and second sections.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, without the loading guide posts installed.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view (200) of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, with loading guide posts in the stowed configuration.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a side view (300) of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, with a loading guide post shown in the deployed configuration.

[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view (400) of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, showing the relationship of the loading guide posts relative to the trailer frame in a stowed configuration.

[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates a top view (500) of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, with the loading guide post positioned in a deployed configuration.

[0038] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a side view (600) of a mounting assembly that is used to secure a loading guide post to a trailer frame, wherein FIG. 6A depicts a locking pin in the engaged position, and FIG. 6B depicts the locking pin removed from the assembly.

[0039] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting assembly that secures a loading guide post to a trailer frame. FIG. 7A depicts an embodiment having multiple mounting positions, and FIG. 7B depicts an exemplary clamping device or mechanism.

[0040] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a trailer mount of the present disclosure, depicting a complete loading guide post assembly and an assembly broken down into its constituent parts. FIG. 8A depicts a guide post assembly in the assembled configuration, while FIG. 8B depicts the separated components of an embodiment of a guide post assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present disclosure describes a novel system to improve the ease and safety with which boats, and in particular pontoon boats, can be loaded and unloaded from a trailer. The use of loading guides to keep a boat aligned with a trailer while loading and unloading is well knows in the art. However, there are several limitations in prior art guide, especially when used with pontoon boats. Two notable deficiencies relate to the visibility of the guides when the boat is moving on or off the trailer, or when loading and unloading on a steeply pitched access to the water, or because the guides cause the trailer to exceed maximum allowable width for use of trailers on public roadways. Embodiments of the present invention provide for a system of loading guides the overcome all the limitations inherent in the prior art.

[0042] In one example of a boat loading guide system of the present invention, the system comprises a mounting assembly configured to secure guide posts to a conventional boat towing trailer. The assembly is further designed such that when not in use, or when towing the trailer, the guide posts are stowed such that the trailer and guide posts do not exceed a pre-determined width, and thus the trailer will be able to be operated legally on public roadways. The design of the system is also such that when the guideposts are moved from the stowed to a deployed position, the post will be placed outside the perimeter of the boat being loaded onto the trailer. In this way, the guide posts will be visible throughout the entire loading and/or unloading process. Further, in the present invention the guideposts can be designed to have a length such that they will remain visible to the operator loading or unloading the boat, even when operating on a steeply inclined waterfront. The guideposts can be of sufficient length so that even when the rear portion of the trailer is well submerged, the guideposts will extend above the surface of the water and be visible to the operator.

[0043] Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, one part of the system comprises a guide mounting assembly 10 that is configured to be secured to a trailer frame 110 using one or more U-bolts 20 and fasteners 21. As those of skill in the art will appreciate, the U-bolt 20 can be installed from above or below the frame, and secured in place with conventional fasteners. Conveniently, the U-bolts will extend through holes in the body 11 of the guide mount assembly, thus securing the assembly to the frame when the fasteners are secured. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the body of the guide mounting assembly can include a plurality of holes 22 through which the U-bolts can extend. In some embodiments, multiple sets of holes (labelled as A, B and C in the exemplary embodiment) can be provided such that the precise mounting position relative to the trailer frame can be varied, thus providing a measure of fine tuning of the final width of the loading guide posts when they are installed on the guide mounts.

[0044] For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 7A, in one case, holes labelled A and B may be used to provide one particular spacing between the loading guideposts, while using holes B and C to secure the assembly to the trailer frame will result in a different spacing between the loading guide posts once they are installed. The mounting assembly is designed such that it can be mounted above or below the trailer frame and still function appropriately. Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, it will be seen that within the body of the mounting assembly 20 will be a tube-like structure, or mounting sleeve 25, adapted to receive a loading guide post.

[0045] Along with the mounting assembly, the apparatus further comprises the loading guide post assembly 30. In one embodiment, depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a loading guide post assembly comprises an angled tubular post 31 designed to fit within the mounting sleeve described above. The tubular post is designed such that it forms an angled structure. In some cases, the interior angle (alpha) along the body of the tubular post can be about 90 degrees. In other cases, it may be desirable for the tubular post to have an interior angle (alpha) of greater than 90 degrees to allow for the loading guide posts to extend away from the body of the boat when in the deployed position. Where an angle greater than 90 degrees is desired, the tubular post can be designed to include a hinged structure (not illustrated) at the site of the angled portion 34 so that the post can be nested near to the frame in order to avoid the overall width of the trailer and accessories exceeding a predetermined width. FIG. 8A shows an embodiment of a guide post assembly in an assembled configured, while FIG. 8B depicts the separate components of the assembly for ease of visualization

[0046] The loading post guide further comprises a capped tube 33 that is sized to be able to fit over, and slide relative to, the tubular post. The capped tube can be fashioned from PVC pipe or any other suitable material according to the preference of the manufacturer. A flexible line 32, depicted as a rope in FIGS. 8A and 8B, secures the tubular post and capped tube to each other, while allowing the capped tube to move back and forth along the length of the tubular post. The length of the line can be selected such that the capped tube can move along virtually the entire length of the tubular post, without actually disengaging from the post. Those of skill in the art will recognize that this provides a novel manner in which to length or shorten the length of the loading guide post, and that the tubular post will in effect float in response to the position of the surface of the water relative to the mounting assembly to which the tubular post is secured. Thus, one steeper inclined waterfronts, the capped tube will be able to move outward along the tubular post, the result being that the top of the capped tube will at all times remain visible to the operator who is handling the loading of the boat. This obviates the need for an additional spotter to communicate to the operator the relative position of the guides and the boat during loading.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, one end of the tubular post will include holes 35, 35a into which a locking pin assembly 23 can engage the post and secure it in either a stowed or deployed position (See also FIGS. 6A and 6B). As can be appreciated by reference to the figures, the tubular post slides into the mounting sleeve of the mounting assembly. In the stowed position, the extended portion of the tubular post is positioned roughly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the trailer frame, and secured into position by the lock pin assembly. A spring or similar bias member can be included to maintain a bias force that keeps the lock pin inserted into the appropriate hole in the tubular post. When deployed, the lock pin 23 can be withdrawn from the hole it is engaged in, and the tubular post rotated within the mounting assembly. This will allow the user to move the loading guide post to a substantially vertical position, such that the guide post extends upwards from the trailer frame, as depicted in FIG. 3. See also FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Once in position, the tubular post will be in register or alignment with a second set of holes 35a into which the lock pin can be inserted to now maintain the loading guide post assembly in the desired deployed position.

[0048] The apparatus of the present invention is also simple to use and in most cases will allow one person to load or unload a boat from a trailer. Starting with an empty trailer, the user will place the tubular post and guide post assembly in the stowed position as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. The guide post assembly when position in this manner will generally be tucked in behind the trailer wheels and will be within the normal width of the trailer, ensuring that the width of the trailer remains within legal limits for the width of vehicles and trailers used on public roadways.

[0049] In order to load a boat, prior to backing the trailer into the water, the user will disengage each guide post assembly in turn and move the assembly from the stowed to the deployed position, the deployed position being shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. The trailer can then be backed into the water as would be done with a conventional trailer and the boat guided towards the trailer bunk by referencing the loading guide post. As described above, the capped tube is designed to move over the tubular post so that as the trailer is backed further into the water, the capped tube will become buoyant and float upwards along the tubular post. In this way, the capped tube will continued to provide an easily seen visual reference as to the position of the loading guide posts.

[0050] As with other trailer systems, the user would then secure the boat to a winch system, and then using the winch, draw the boat towards the front of the trailer. The loading guide posts would function to maintain alignment of the boat with the trailer bed as it is winched in place. As with other trailers, in some cases it would be convenient to provide a trailer having a carpeted bunk designed to receive the boat and provide a surface upon which the boat will ultimately rest when secured for transport.

[0051] Once the boat is full winched onto the trailer, the boat could then be further secured with ropes, straps or other securements as are well known to those who operate and transport boats and other watercraft. Once the boat is secured, the loading guide posts would then be returned to the stowed position for transport.

[0052] Thus, the present invention provides a novel loading guide that is visible even when loading boats such as pontoon watercraft, and in conditions such as steep inclines when other guides would be underwater and not visible to the person attempting to load the boat onto the trailer. The system provides the further advantage that when configured for transport the guide posts are stowed such that the overall width of the trailer is maintained within legal limits for use on public roadways.

[0053] It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that by routine modification the present invention can be optimized for use in a wide range of conditions and application. It will also be obvious to those of skill in the art that there are various ways and designs with which to produce the apparatus and methods of the present invention. The illustrated embodiments are therefore not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but to provide examples of the apparatus and method to enable those of skill in the art to appreciate the inventive concept.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.