US2387352A - Boat hitch - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 23, 1945'. c. 1.. RADICK 2,387,352

BOAT HITCH Filed Aug. 12', 1944 INVENTOZ mwmm Pat en ted Oct. 23., 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE aoa'r m'rcn I Curtis L. Radick, New Berlin, Wis.

Application August 12, 1944, Serial No. 549,150 (Cl. 114,-230) 12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in boat hitches, and more particularly to a devicejfor mooring a rowboat to a dock or pier.

It is the usual practice to hitch or secure howboats todo'cks, piers or wharfs by means of ropes or chains but these means do not prevent the boats so secured from rubbing or bumping against the piers or adjacent boats under the action of waves or wind.

With the above in mind it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective boat hitch applied between a pier and a boat to secure the boat to the pier in a manner so as to restrain horizontal and lateral movement of the boat, but at the same time permitting vertical and rocking movements of the boat occasioned by wave or wind action.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hitch anchored to a pier or dock and quickly releasably engageable with the standard oar lock sockets of a rowboat for mooring purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hitch carried by a dock or pier and movably projectable therefrom for boat mooring purposes or foldable under the pier platform in an unobtrusive position when it is not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hitch arm movably connected with a pier or dock for pivotal movement in a plurality of planes relative thereto, and removably, pivotally engaged with an oar lock socket of a rowboat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hitch of very inexpensive construction which may be easily attached to a pier or dock, which is quickly engageable with or removable from a standard rowboat, which is strong anddurable, which effectively restrains undesired movement of a moored boat while permitting rocking, rolling or other motion imparted to the boat by weather action, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved boat hitch, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a rowboat showing an improved boat hitch applied to the rowboat and to a pier, there being a fragmentary sectional showing of the latter;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a rowboat and pier with a pair of the improved boat hitches carried by the pier and engaging the boat for mooring purposes;

Fig. 3 is a view showing the boat hitch in collapsed or folded position below the platform of a pierwhen the boat hitch is not in use, the platform of the pier being shown in broken lines;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line H of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the arm of a boat hitch and showing the ear lock socket pin carried thereby.

A standard rowboat 8 is provided along the inner margins of its opposite gunwales with spaced pairs of oar lock sockets 9. Opposite pairs of these oar lock sockets alternatively receive the projecting oar lock pins of rowing oars. When a rowboat is docked or brought alongside of a pier, the oars are removed from the car look sockets 9, and a pair of said standard sockets 9 along the same side of the boat are then available for use in connection with the present invention.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the mooring of a rowboat 8 to a pier or dock I0 is accomplished by the utilization of a pair of spaced boat hitches, both of which are permanently secured at their inner ends to a marginal portion of the platform of the pier III with the spacing between said hitches corresponding to the distance between a pair of oar lock sockets 9 on one side of a boat 8. Although a pair of the improved boat hitches are used for the mooring of a rowboat, inasmuch as the hitches are identical in construction, only one will be described in detail. Each boat hitch comprises an angled attaching plate II secured to the side edge and bottom surface of the plat form portion of a pier or wharf by means of bolts, as shown. Secured fast to the bottom of the attaching bracket or plate II is a tubular bearing sleeve I2 which rotatably receives within its bore a trumiion I3 having an angled extension I3 at its inner end. The forward end of the trunnion I3 is formed with an eyed enlargement l4 engaged in the forked extremity of a rigid arm I5 and pivotally secured thereto by a pin or bolt I6. From the arrangement thus far described, it will be evident that the trunnion I3 may have turning movement on a horizontal axis within the sleeve l2 and the arm I5 may have pivotal movement relative to the eyed extremity of the trunnion, so that in efiect, multi-movement of the arm I5 is provided for. In use, the arm I5 extends horizontally outwardly and slightly upwardly from the side margin of the pier or wharf ID.

The outer end portion of the arm I5 is downthe mounting of the trunnion l3 in the sleeve I2 permitting this turning movement. Then, the arm is pivoted on the bolt l6 angularly inwardly until it assumes the position of Fig. 3, being disposed compactly below the platform portion of the pier or wharf, and the socket pin l8 may be folded compactly inwardly. An important feature of the device, which permits it to retain the folded position described, is the angled extension I3 on the trunnion l3. Said angled extension l3 will, when the trunnion and arm have been turned, lodge against the undersurface of the bracket II and act as a stop to prevent the arm I5 and boat hitch assembly from undesirably swinging downwardly.

When a boat 8 is drawn alongside of the pier or wharf l and the oars are removed from the oar lock sockets, then it is merely necessary to swing a pair of the boat hitch arms l outwardly horizontally and turn the same on the trunnions I 3 to the position of Fig. 1. The depending pins l8 are thereupon registered with the two oar lock sockets 9 and are dropped thereinto, as in Figs. 1

and 2. The mooring thus accomplished by a pair of boat hitches is such that the boat is efiectively secured against longitudinal horizontal movement or against movement toward and away from the dock. This effectively restrains the moored boat from rubbing or bumping against the pier or against adjacent boats, under the action of waves or wind. The pivotal mountings of the inner ends of the arms IS in relation to the bracketcarried sleeves I2 is such that the boat, under the action of waves or wind, may rise and fall without placing any strain on the rigid arms l5 or the car lock sockets. The arm-carried pins l8 may retain their proper relationships within the sockets 9 due to the pivotal mounting of the upper ends of the pins. The revoluble mounting of the trunnions I3 on a-horizontal axis permit the moored boat to rock in an end to end direction, which rocking may be caused either by wave action or by the weight of a person stepping into an end of the boat, without actually shifting its longitudinal relationship.

The boat 8 is efiectively held relative to the pier or dock by the rgid' arms l5 against inward and outward movement and also against longitudinal movement. Said arms are sufficiently short so that a person may step directly from the boat to the dock with the transfer being safe due to the fact that the boat is confined against shifting in either direction. The boat hitches, being secured to the side of the boat. do not obstruct either end of the boat and the stem is left free for the mounting of an outboard motor or for other purposes. No auxiliary equipment or appliances with respect to the boat proper are required, inasmuch as the pins I8, carried by the mooring arms I5, engage directly with standard rowboat car look sockets.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved boat hitch is of simple and novel construction, is compactly and unobiectionably disposed relative to the side of a pier or dock, is oi inexpensive construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A mooring device for a standard boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, means pivotally attaching one end of said arm to a fixed support, and a connecting pin pivotally carriedby the other end and engageable and disengageable with a boat oar lock socket.

2. A mooring device for a standard boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a joint connecting one end of the arm with the bracket permitting revoluble and pivotal movements of the arm, and means pivotally and detachably connecting the other end of said arm with a boat car look socket.

3. A mooring device for a standard boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a joint connecting one end of the arm with the bracket, said joint including a pair of pivots whose axes are at right angles to each other, and means pivotally and detachably connecting the other end of said arm with a boat car look socket.

4. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support,-a joint connecting one end of the arm with the bracket, said joint including-a pair of pivots whose axes are at right angles to each other, stop means on one of the pivots engageable with the bracket for limiting movement of the arm in one direction, and means pivotally and detachably connecting the other end of said arm with a boat oar lock socket.

5. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets. comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a joint connecting one end of the arm with the bracket, said joint including a pair of pivots whose axes are at right angles to each other, a pivotal connection at the other end of the arm, and a pin carried by said pivotal connection and insertable in a boat oar lock socket upon a swinging movement of the arm in a vertical plane.

6. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a joint connecting one end of the arm with the bracket, said joint including a pair of pivots whose axes are at right angles to each other, a pivotal connection at the other end of the arm, and a pin carried by said pivotal connection and insertable in a boat oar lock socket upon a swinging movement of the arm in a vertical plane, the axis of the lastmentioned pivotal connection being parallel to the axis of one of said joint pivots.

'7. A mooring device for a-boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a horizontal trunnion, means revolubly mounting said trunnion on the support, means pivotally connecting one end of said arm to the trunnion, the arm when not in use being foldable under the support, and a pin hingedly carried by the other end of the arm and insertable into a boat oar lock socket.

8. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets, comprising a rigid mooring arm, a bracket secured to a support, a horizontal trunnion, having an angularly directed extension, means revolubly mounting said trunnion on the support, means pivotally connecting one end of said arm to the trunnion, the arm when not in use being turned and folded under the support with the extension engaging the bracket to prevent downward movement of the arm, and a pin hingedly carried by the other end of the arm and insertable into a boat oar lock socket for boat mooring purposes when said arm is extended outwardly of the support.

9. Mooring means for a standard boat having a pair of longitudinally separated car look sockets on one of its sides, comprising a pair of dual-movement joint members secured to a support in longitudinally spaced relation, a pair of mooring arms each having its inner end attached to a joint member, and an oar lock socket pin hingedly carried by the outer end of each arm.

10. In combination, a boat having a pair of longitudinally separated standard oar lock sockets on one of its sides, a pier, a pair of dualmovement joint members secured to side edge portions of the pier and spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the distance between said oar lock sockets, a pair of rigid mooring arms each-having its inner end attached to a separate joint member, and an car look socket pin hingedly depended from the outer end of each arm and each inserted in a separate oar lock socket for, boat mooring purposes.

11. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets comprising a rigid mooring arm, means for pivotally connecting one end of the arm to a dock including a joint at the inner end of the arm which provides for swinging movement of the arm in a vertical plane and rotative movement or the arm on a horizontal axis, and a pin pivotally suspended from the outer end of the arm and positioned to be engageable within one of the oar lock sockets when the arm is swung downwardly from a raised position, the joint at the inner end or the arm being constructed to prevent swinging movement of the arm in a lateral direction when it is engaged with a socket, the axis of pivotal connection between the pin and outer end of the arm being parallel to the axis for vertical swinging movement at the inner end of the arm.

12. A mooring device for a boat having oar lock sockets comprising a pair of rigid mooring arms, means for pivotaily connecting one end of each of the arms to a dock including a joint at the inner end of the arm which provides for rotating movement on a horizontal axis and for pivotal movement in a vertical plane when the arm is in operative position on an axis at right angles to the axis of rotating movement, and a pin pivotally suspended from the outer end of each arm and positioned to be engageable within one of the car look sockets when the arm is swung downwardly from a raised position, the joint at the inner end of the arm being constructed to prevent swinging movement of the arm in a lateral direction when it is engaged with a socket, the axis of pivotal connection between the pin and the outer end of the arm being parallel to the axis for vertical swinging movement at the inner end of the arm.

CURTIS L.

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