Portable Boat Ramp

Abstract

A portable boat ramp for beaching or launching small boats which eliminates the need to drag such boats across a sandy or rocky beach with resulting damage to the hull. The ramp may be conveniently carried manually and is capable of being quickly adjusted between an extended operative position and a folded position for storage or transportation. Adjustable bolsters are provided for engaging hull sides of different configurations and cooperate with a stabilizing bar which is disposed therebeneath to provide a stable support for a boat while supported on the ramp.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention constitutes an improvement on my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,363, issued Nov. 21, 1967.

SUMMARY

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a portable boat ramp for use in beaching and launching small boats on sandy or rocky beaches without the need of dragging the boat across the beach and which provides a stable support for the boat while on the ramp.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable boat ramp which differs from the boat ramp of my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,363, in that the ramp does not have to be dismantled for storage or transportation, provides a more compact unit when stored, and can be readily secured immovably in an extended position for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boat ramp having adjustable bolsters for engaging hull sides of different configurations and which in turn are supported by a stabilizing member to prevent any lateral rocking movement of the boat while supported on the ramp.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the boat ramp in an extended, operative position;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view thereof, partly in cross section, looking from the lower toward the upper end of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the boat ramp folded;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the central portion of the extended boat ramp, with certain of the parts omitted for clarity;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 7-7 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the portable boat ramp in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 10 and includes a keel rest, designated generally 11, comprising an elongated rigid bar 12 having corresponding upturned portions 13 adjacent each end thereof, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, and inwardly extending corresponding terminal portions 14 which are disposed above and spaced from the plane of the bar 12.

A keel engaging member 15 is secured on each terminal 14. Said members 15 are elongated, disposed crosswise of the bar 12, are rounded in a direction crosswise thereof and are each provided with an elongated grooved intermediate portion 16. The keel engaging grooves 16 of the two members 15 are disposed in alignment with one another, as seen in FIG. 1. An upright post or brace 17 extends between the bar 12 and each terminal 14 and said posts are spaced from the adjacent ends of the terminals, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6. The bar 12 is preferably reinforced by a pair of transversely spaced sill members 18 which are secured to its underside and extend substantially from end to end thereof.

A flat rigid stabilizing bar 19 is disposed above the bar 12, and the shank of a headed bolt 20 extends downwardly through the bars 19 and 12, is disposed intermediate of the ends of said bars and carries a wingnut 21, beneath the bar 12 and between the sills 18, for securing the stabilizing bar 19 to the keel bar 12. The bar 12 is pressed downwardly to form four upwardly facing rounded depressions 22 which are equally spaced from one another and from the bolt 20; and the bar 19 is pressed to provide four rounded bosses 23 on its underside which are sized and located to fit into the depressions 22, as seen in FIG. 5. Thus, with the stabilizer bar 19 disposed in its operative position, crosswise of the keel bar 12, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nut 21 can be tightened for retaining the bosses 23 in the depressions 22 for securing the bar 19 immovably to the bar 12.

The bar 19, on either side of and adjacent the bolt 20, is provided with a pair of transversely spaced aligned and upstanding apertured lugs 24. A pair of rigid bolster bars 25 are disposed above and lengthwise of the ends of the stabilizer bar 19 and having transversely spaced, aligned and apertured lugs 26 extending downwardly from the inner ends thereof. As best seen in FIG. 7, the pairs of lugs 26 straddle the lugs 24 and pivot pins 27 extend through the aligned lugs 24 and 26 for pivotally mounting the bars 25 on the bar 19 for up and down swinging movement. Each pivot element 27 may carry a spacer sleeve 28 between the lugs 24 engaged thereby.

Each of the bars 25, near its opposite end, is provided on its underside with a pair of aligned apertured lugs 29 to receive a pin 30 which extends therethrough. The pin 30 extends through an eye 31 on one end of a rod 32 which has a threaded opposite end portion 33, as seen in FIG. 2. Spacing sleeves 34 are mounted on the pin 30 between the eye 31 and lugs 29, as seen in FIG. 8. The threaded portion 33 of each rod carries a wingnut 35 which is adjustable thereon to form a stop by engagement with the upper surface of the bar 19 when the rod 32 extends through a longitudinally elongated opening 35, one of which is provided adjacent each end of the bar 19, for supporting the bolster bars 25 in upwardly inclined operative positions, as seen in FIG. 2. Substantially hemispherically pads or cushions 36 are secured to the uppersides of the outer ends of the bars 25. The keel engaging members 15 and the pads 36 may be formed of rubber, plastic or other similar cushioning materials.

With the ramp 10 extended, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the keel bar 11 is disposed on the beach perpendicular to the water's edge and with one end thereof adjacent the water's edge. An end of the keel 37 of a small boat 38, as seen in dotted lines in FIG. 2, is positioned in the groove 16 of the keel engaging member 15, which located adjacent the water's edge, as an end of the boat is lifted and pulled toward the ramp. The boat is then pushed or pulled up the ramp 10, toward the other keel engaging member 15, with the weight of the boat supported on said first mentioned keel engaging member 15. After the preponderance of the weight of the boat has advanced beyond the keel engaging member 15, engaged by the keel 37, the bow or leading end of the boat is manually supported until the boat has been advanced up the ramp to a desired extent. The bow portion of the boat is then lowered so that the keel 37 will engage the other keel engaging member 15. Transversely aligned portions of the sides of the hull of the boat 38 will then assume positions resting on the pads 36. If necessary, the wingnuts 34 can be adjusted for raising or lowering the bolsters 25 so that most of the weight of the boat will be supported by said bolsters.

The sills 18 and the bar 12 will sink into the beach surface so that the ends of the stabilizing bar 19 will rest on the beach and the lower ends of the rods 32 will be embedded in the beach surface to retain the ramp immovable. By lifting the bow of the boat to disengage the keel from the upper member 15 and the hull from the pads 36, the keel can slide readily down the lower member 15 as the boat is pushed outwardly for launching the boat from the ramp 10.

When the ramp is not in use, the nut 21 can be loosened slightly for turning the stabilizer bar to a position lengthwise of the keel bar, after the rods 32 have been disengaged from the openings 35 and swung inwardly against the undersides of the bars 25. Stabilizer bar 19 is of a length less than the spacing between the posts 17 to fit on the bar 12 between said posts, and the bolster bars 25 do not extend to the ends of the bar 19 and fit under the extremities of the terminals 14, as seen in FIG. 2. It will be apparent that in this folded position of the ramp, the bosses 23 will engage the depressions 22 so that when the nut 21 is tightened, the ramp will be secured in its folded position for storage or transportation.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to without departing from the function or scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A portable boat ramp comprising an elongated rigid keel bar having upwardly offset turned back ends, keel engaging members supported by said bar ends and adapted to be engaged by a boat keel, an elongated rigid stabilizer bar, means connecting an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar to the upperside of the intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar to the upperside of the intermediate portion of the keel bar for positioning the stabilizer bar in an operative position crosswise of the keel bar or in an inoperative position lengthwise of the keel bar, elongated rigid bolsters disposed on and lengthwise of the ends of said stabilizer bar, means swingably connecting inner ends of the bolsters to the stabilizing bar for vertical swinging movement, and brace members adjustably connecting the bolsters to the stabilizer bar for supporting the bolsters at different angles above the bar ends for engagement with the sides of the boat hull.

2. A portable boat ramp as in claim 1, said stabilizer bar being of a length to fit under said turned back ends when the stabilizer bar is disposed in an inoperative position longitudinally of the keel bar.

3. A portable boat ramp as in claim 2, said brace members being swingably connected to the bolsters to assume folded positions between the bolsters and the stabilizer bar when the bolsters are disposed in inoperative positions above and substantially parallel to the stabilizer bar, and said bolsters being of lengths to fit under the turned back ends of the keel bar in the inoperative position of the stabilizer bar.

4. A portable boat ramp as in claim 1, and means for securing the stabilizer bar immovably to the keel bar in either the operative or inoperative position of the ramp.

5. A portable boat ramp as in claim 4, said means connecting the stabilizer bar to the keel bar comprising a nut and bolt fastening, and means cooperating with said nut and bolt fastening for retaining the stabilizer bar against turning movement relative to the keel bar in either the operative or inoperative position thereof.

6. A portable boat ramp as in claim 5, and posts extending between the keel bar and its turned back ends for bracing said turned back ends.

7. A portable boat ramp as in claim 1, and reinforcing sill members secured to and extending along the underside of the keel bar.