GB2278820A - Cable connector for the shrouds and forestays of sailing vessels - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable connector for releasable attachment to fittings, particularly for connecting supporting cables for a mast to the deck of a sailing vessel is of the kind comprising a body 1 of generally U-shaped cross-section along at least part of its length, a pair of aligned apertures 5 defined in the opposed side walls 2, 3, and a pin 6 dimensioned to be slidable within and bridge across the apertures. In accordance with the invention, the pin is slidably supported alongside one side wall with its axis in alignment with the axis of said aligned apertures, biasing means 11 are provided to urge the pin into its use position, and the pin is provided along its length with at least one groove which in its use position co-operates with one aperture of the aperture pair. Thus, the arrangement is such that, in use, tension in the cable acts to urge the groove to engage and locate around the edges of its respective aperture and prevent withdrawal of the pin. <IMAGE>

Description

CABLE CONNECTOR FOR THE SHROUDS AND FORESTAYS OF SAILING VESSELS This invention relates to cable connectors for releasable attachment to fittings and has particular application where the cable is to be subjected to tension when connected, e.g. for connecting supporting cables for a mast to the deck of a sailing vessel.

In the case of a transportable sailing dinghy the mast may be regularly stepped and unstepped. When sailing, however, the mast must be firmly supported, normally by three cables, one at the front (forestay) and one at each side (shrouds) all of which descend diagonally from an upper part of the mast to fittings fixed at appropriate points on the deck of the boat.

The attachment between the cables and the fittings, which latter are normally in the form of lugs, should preferably be simple, reliable and easy to use even with cold and/or wet hands. However, known connectors for this attachment almost universally comprise a cotter pin which is pushed through aligned apertures in opposed walls of a generally U-shaped connector body, the pin also passing through an eye at the lower end of the cable to be fixed thereto. The cotter pin is thereafter held in its inserted position by a circular "keyring" clip, the outer end of which is fed through a transverse hole through the free end of the pin. This is a particularly fiddly and difficult operation, particularly in adverse conditions, and the clips are regularly dropped during fitting and often lost due to their relatively small size.

The object of the invention is to provide a cable connector which avoids the use of separate components, such as the cotter pin and keyring clip.

According to this invention there is provided a cable connector of the kind comprising a body of generally U-shaped cross-section along at least part of its length, a pair of aligned apertures defined one in each of the opposed side walls, and a pin dimensioned to be slidable within and bridge across the apertures, wherein the pin is slidably supported alongside one of said side walls with its axis in alignment with the axis of said aligned apertures, biasing means are provided which normally urge said pin into a use position bridging across said apertures, and the pin is provided along its length with at least one groove which in its use position co-operates with one aperture of the aperture pair, the arrangement being such that, in use, tension in the cable acts to urge the groove to engage and locate around the edges of its respective aperture and hence prevent withdrawal of the pin.

Preferably, two grooves are provided which are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the distance between said side walls, for locating around respective apertures of the aperture pair.

Conveniently, the apertures and pin are of circular cross-section and said groove or grooves, extend completely around the pin.

The biasing means preferably comprises a helical spring dimensioned to fit onto the pin and act between a fixed part of the pin support and an abutment (e.g. a circlip located in a further groove), appropriately positioned along the length of the pin.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment in the form of a shroud connector for a sailing dinghy will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the connector body, Figures 2A, B and C are side elevations of a pin, spring and circlip to be connected to said body, and Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the parts connected together.

Referring to Figure 1, the shroud body is of well known form, comprising a length of metal 1 of generally U-shaped cross-section which presents a pair of parallel, spaced side walls 2, 3. As shown, a number (in this embodiment four) of pairs of aligned apertures 4 are spaced along the upper end of the body and a further pair of aligned apertures 5 is provided at its other end. As is well known, the closely spaced pairs of apertures 4 are provided so that, when initially stepping a mast in the sailing dinghy, the lower end of the shroud to be connected is fixed to an appropriate pair using a cotter pin and keyring clip as described hereinbefore to set an initial tension in said shroud. Once this has been effected, the cotter pin would only be repositioned in a different aperture pair at infrequent intervals e.g. due to cable stretch, or to change the required tension.

By contrast, the connection between the connector and deck fitting lug must be released and re-connected each time the mast is unstepped and re-stepped. In accordance with the invention this is effected by providing a pin 6 which is supported with its axis in alignment with the aperture pair 5 by a bracket 7 attached to the side wall 3 of the connector body. This bracket provides a further aperture 8 which is in alignment with the aperture pair 5. The apertures 5 and 8 are of circular cross-section and are dimensioned to enable the pin, which is also of circular cross-section, to be slidably received therein. A groove 9 is spaced from a head 10 of the pin by a distance which enables a helical spring 11 fitted over the pin between the bracket and side wall 3 to be tensioned between said bracket and an abutment comprising a circlip 12 fitted into said groove 9.Two further grooves 13 and 14 are provided along the length of the pin and are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the side walls 2, 3.

The connector provides a simple and effective arrangement for attaching the shroud to its deck fitting lug merely by pulling the pin 6 against the spring bias to withdraw the pin from its normal position bridging said side walls, locating the aperture pair 5 in alignment with the aperture normally provided in the deck fitting lug and releasing the pin to return to its normal spring-biased position. Thereafter, due to tension in the shroud, the pin cannot be withdrawn because the grooves 13 and 14 are urged to engage the edges of their respective apertures of the pair 5.

It will be appreciated that use of shroud connectors as described above will significantly reduce the time and effort required in attaching shroud and forestay cables to their deck fittings, which is a major advantage for those wishing to reduce the overall time required for preparing a dinghy for use and dismasting it afterwards for transportation. Thus, the connector can be attached to the deck fitting in seconds under adverse condition without any risk of losing separate small fixing parts as is the case with most known releasable connectors. Once attached, the connector cannot come undone other than by deliberately releasing it by releasing the tension in the cable, e.g. by pulling the cable towards the deck fitting, and then pulling the operating knob.

Furthermore, the connector will fit all boats without modification and is simple and cheap to produce.

By appropriate selection to the material, preferably a rustless metal such as stainless steel, the connector can be made robust, non-corrosive and maintenance free.

Claims (6)

1. A cable connector of the kind comprising a body of generally U-shaped cross-section along at least part of its length, a pair of aligned apertures defined one on each of the opposed side walls, and a pin dimensioned to be slidable within and bridge across the apertures, wherein the pin is slidably supported alongside one of said side walls with its axis in alignment with the axis of said aligned apertures, biasing means are provided which normally urge said pin into a use position bridging across said apertures, and the pin is provided along its length with at least one groove which in its use position co-operates with one aperture of the aperture pair, the arrangement being such that, in use, tension in the cable acts to urge the groove to engage and locate around the edges of its respective aperture and hence prevent withdrawal of the pin.

2. A connector according to Claim 1, wherein two grooves are provided which are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the distance between said side walls, for locating around respective apertures of the aperture pair.

3. A connector according to Claim 1, or 2, wherein the apertures and pin are of circular cross-section and said groove or grooves, extend completely around the pin.

4. A connector according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the biasing means comprises a helical spring dimensioned to fit onto the pin and act between a fixed part of the pin support and an abutment, appropriately positioned along the length of the pin.

5. A connector according to Claim 4, wherein the abutment comprises a circlip located in a further groove around the pin.

6. A connector constructed, arranged and adapted for use substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.