GB2226799A - A boarding device for sailing vessels - Google Patents

Abstract

The device includes a climbing section (2, 3, 4) for inclining to the hull of the sailing vessel, wheels (6) attached to a lower part of the climbing section and a pivoting arrangement comprising a male member (8) freely rotatable in a female member (11 Fig 2) one of said members being provided on the boarding device and the other being provided on the sailing vessel. <IMAGE>

Description

A BOARDING DEVICE This invention relates to a boarding device for relatively small sailing vessels, and in particular yachts, which enable the sailing vessel to be boarded from, for example, a floating pontoon with ease and safety.

It has been a problem to board sailing vessels, such as yachts, which are moored to floating pontoons.

The difference in height between the pontoon and yacht tends to be of the order of up to two meters and this can cause many problems. Unlike power boats which can be backed into the moorings, thus allowing safe and easy boarding via a ladder attached to the rear of the boat, yachts are often boarded midway along the length of the boat. It is at this point that the gap between the boat and the pontoon tends to be the smallest.

Unsophisticated means such as placing a box on the pontoon and then stepping on to it to board the yacht are often used leading to accidents especially as the yacht and the pontoon continue to move relative to one another. Similar problems occur when boarding dinghies from the yacht and vice versa. A disadvantage associated with boarding midway along the length of the yacht is that it is necessary to have an openable link in the life line around the yacht. If after boarding the yacht, the link is not reattached correctly, accidents could occur.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a safe means whereby the above problems and disadvantages are overcome.

According to the invention there is provided a boarding device for use with sailing vessels including a climbing section for inclining to the hull of a sailing vessel, rotating means attached to a lower part of the climbing section, and a pivoting arrangement comprising a male member freely rotatable in a female member, one of said members being provided on the boarding device and the other being provided on the sailing vessel.

According to further features of the invention, there is provided a boarding device further including ahand support which may be detachable. Possible forms of the hand support include a substantially vertical pole or an elbow jointed pole.

According to still further features of the invention wherein the male member of the pivoting arrangement is comprised by the boarding device itself and the female member is provided by the sailing vessel for example by a cylindrical housing capable of attachment to the exterior of the hull or possibly by being incorporated as a drainage hole on the deck of the vessel.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 shows a boarding device embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 shows an elevational view of a detail of the device as shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a side elevational view of Fig. 2.

The boarding device 1 in Fig. 1 is in the form of a basic step ladder construction. In this embodiment two side pieces 2, 3 of the ladder are formed by two straight poles arranged parallel to one another. The side pieces are connected to each other by treads 4 which are attached to hangers 4a and so extend parallel to each other between the side pieces 2, 3. The number of treads will obviously depend on the size of the yacht concerned and the distance between the treads but three or four treads would be satisfactory in most cases. The treads 4 are attached so that the planes of their surfaces are parallel and at such an inclination to the device such that when the boarding device is used, they will always be at satisfactory angle to the horizontal. Treads whose angle of inclination to the side pieces are alterable are also possible within the scope of this invention.

Towards the lower end of the device, a bar 5 extends between the two side pieces 2,3 to which is attached a low profile wheel 6 at each end of the bar.

Larger wheels can also be used, in principle, but the smaller wheels tend to be less likely to roll over the feet of a boarding crew member or passenger. This would be a painful experience owing to the weight of the yacht then acting on the bar and causing it to press on the feet. To this end the bar 5 is relatively close to the ground. Alternatively, the lower bar may be dispensed with and the wheels attached directly to the side pieces 2,3.

At the top of the boarding device is another bar 7 which is V-shaped and plays an important part in achieving pivotal movement of the ladder on a yacht.

The plane of the bar 7 is generally substantially parallel to that of the treads 4. The rod member 8 is attached to the underside of the pivot support 7 at the point of the 'V'. This provides means whereby the boarding device can be temporarily attached to a yacht, to enter into a round opening on the yacht.

The boarding device may be attached to a yacht in several different ways. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the device is attached to the boat by inserting the rod member 8 into a pivot housing 9. The housing 9 comprises a back plate 10 and a circular bushing 11.

The back plate is attached to the outer hull of the yacht near the cockpit section by suitable attachment means such as bolts 10a. To attach the boarding device to the yacht the pivoted rod 8 is inserted into the housing 9. The entry of the pivoted rod 8 into the pivot housing 9 is limited by a plate 12 which is of relatively large diameter and lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pivoted rod 8.

Alternatively the pivot housing is in the form of a suitably sized hole formed on the deck of the yacht, possibly in the gunwales where it can form part of the drainage system of the cockpit. Again the rod 8 would simply be inserted into the hole to rotate therein.

For added safety a hand support may be incorporated in the boarding device. The hand support can be in the form of a vertical pole 13 as illustrated in Fig. 1. Alternatively a pole may be joined to one of the side pieces through an elbow formed integrally thereon or which is detachable therefrom for ease of storage.

To use the illustrated boarding device, the rod 8 is inserted into the pivot housing 9 and the hand support 13, if employed, is attached to the device.

Because of the free movement of the lower end of the device and the movement allowed by the connection between the rod 8 and housing 9, the yacht and the mooring will not move relative to one another when the device is subjected to a downward force such as that from the weight of a person. Once a person is on board the device may be lifted from the pivot housing, the housing support removed and the boarding device stored until required again.

Various modifications to the illustrated embodiment are possible. Thus the wide treads shown may be replaced by narrow treads of a ladder or by a ramp possibly having cross ribs to prevent slipping back. The wheels may be replaced by rollers of the same or greater diameter. Variations in the pivoting arrangement are also possible. For example the rod 8 may project from the boat to enter a ring member formed on the boarding device to be capable of rotation therein.

Claims (14)

1. A boarding device for use with sailing vessels including a climbing section for inclining to the hull of a sailing vessel, rotating means attached to a lower part of the climbing section, and a pivoting arrangement comprising a male member freely rotatable in a female member, one of said members being provided on the boarding device and the other being provided on the sailing vessel.

2. A boarding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating means are provided by low profile wheels or rollers.

3. A boarding device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a bar connects opposite side pieces of the climbing section at a lower part of the inclined climbing section.

4. A boarding device as claimed in claim 2 and 3, wherein the said wheels are attached to the said bar.

5. A boarding device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein one of the male and female members is located at the point of a pivot support which consists of a V-shaped bar attached at its ends to the upper end of the side pieces of the inclined climbing section.

6. A boarding device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the male member is comprised by the boarding device itself.

7. A boarding device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the female receiving device is provided by a cylindrical housing capable of attachment to the exterior of the hull of the sailing vessel.

8. A boarding device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the female member is provided by a drainage hole on the deck of the sailing vessel.

9. A boarding device as claimed in any preceding claim further including a hand support attached to a side piece of the climbing section.

10. A boarding device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the hand support is detachable from the boarding device.

11. A boarding device as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the hand support is intended to be substantially vertical when the boarding device is inclined to a sailing vessel hull.

12. A boarding device as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the pole is connected to a side piece of the boarding device by means of an elbow connection.

13. A boarding device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the climbing section comprises side pieces spanned by treads, the side pieces being constituted by cylindrical poles.

14. A boarding device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.