Boat cover
A boat docking system having supports, a boat lift and a roof, the roof covering the dock. A fixed cover disposed over the boat dock and beneath the roof, the fixed cover attached to the supports by support brackets. The fixed cover includes a tarp having a roof and walls defining a covered space into which the boat lift can raise the boat. The fixed cover reduces the need for hard to handle traditional boat covers that attach directly to the boat to keep dust, dirt and insects out of the boat during a period of storage.
Applicant claims priority under 35 USC 119e to provisional application No. 60/357,312 filed Oct. 28, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn boating there is a need to store a boat when the boat is not in use. Specifically, with small boats used for pleasure there can be long periods of time when the boat is not in use and must be stored. In some climates a boat may be stored for several months during the winter season.
It is common practice to store a boat under a covered dock and for the boat to be raised out of the water on a lift. The covered dock generally protects the boat from the elements during periods of storage. However, most boat owners find that the roof of the dock is usually not enough protection for the boat. Sunlight can still reach the boat causing UV damage to some materials. Rain and snow can still blow into the boat, and dust and dirt will quickly cover the interior of the boat stored under just a roof Thus it has also become common practice to also cover a boat stored under a dock roof The boat is typically covered with a fitted tarp that attaches directly to the boat by tying for example. While the combination of the dock roof and cover provides fairly good protection for the boat the large covers are difficult to handle. Pleasure boats can commonly be found in the 14-50 foot range, to cover such a boat with a tarp can be difficult and time consuming and with the larger boats may require several people to handle the tarp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,212 to Downer shows one prior art approach to handle the need to cover a boat when not in use. Downer provides a cover assembly 31 that includes a tarp that is supported by a frame. With this arrangement a boat can be pulled in under the raised cover assembly 31 and the cover assembly can be lowered on to the boat while the boat can be raised out of the water. The lift of Downer requires two winches 19 and 58 one to raise the boat out of the water and the other to control the position of the cover assembly. The device of Downer also provides only the tarp cover as the sole cover. Experience has shown that a tarp cover alone can weather very quickly and require frequent replacement. The single cover will tend to form pools of ice, snow and water that within a few seasons will begin to leak into the boat. Springs 52 are provided in an attempt to prevent this pooling but typically can not provide enough tension, particularly on a large boat in icing conditions and as aging promotes sag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,901 to Mitchell discloses a boat dock with a pole frame and roof. In this patent the roof is a canvas or tarp material tied on to cover a pole frame. FIG. 2 of the patent discloses that the device can include sides to enclose a boat. Such an arrangement attempts to reduce the exposure of the boat to the elements. This device again requires a substantial amount of work to operate each time a boat is taken in or out. The large sides must be raised and lowered. Also the arrangement is expensive as it requires a large amount of material that is still subject to UV damage in sunlight. Again the arrangement will sag over time unless the ropes are continually tightened and if the ropes are tightened on a regular basis the UV damage and exposure will lead to tearing around the points where the ropes are attached.
As can be seen there is a need for a boat dock that is easy to use and requires a minimum of time to launch and store a boat. There is a need for a docking system that is low cost and that will protect a boat from damage from the elements without itself being damaged. There is a need for a boat docking system that one person can easily operate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a boat docking system.
The present invention provides a docking system that covers a boat first with a rigid roof and then with a soft cover. The cover can be of any material and is supported from the dock structure.
The present invention provides a dual boat cover that will provide economical protection from the elements. The device can be retrofit onto an existing dock. The present invention provides a dual fixed roof dock system into which the boat is raised by the dock boat lift. The boat can by raised by any conventional boat lift device.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In operation, and referring to
Once the dock system 10 is fully assembled with the cover 14 in place under the roof 12 a boat B can be brought under the cover 14 as shown in
Though not shown, the bottom of walls 106 could include a cable or rope running through the bottom edge of all 4 walls that could be synched tight with the boat B in the raised position. This rope would hold the cover 100 tight to the boat further limiting the ability of dirt or insects to get into the boat B while stored. The rope or cable would still be easy for one person to tighten and loosen with the boat in the raised position. Although the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that adaptations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims:
Claims
1. A boat dock system comprising;
- a boat dock having roof supports and a rigid roof, said rigid roof covering said dock,
- a fixed cover disposed over said boat dock and beneath said rigid roof;
- said fixed cover attached to said roof supports.
2. The boat dock system of claim 1 including a boat lift disposed below said cover such that a boat can be driven on to said lift and raised out of the water beneath said cover.
3. The boat dock system of claim 1 wherein said cover includes a wall and roof such that said cover wall and roof forms a covered space into which a boat is lifted by said lift.
4. The boat dock system of claim 3 wherein said cover includes a rigid framework attached to said roof supports and said cover includes a flexible cover tarp draped over said framework.
5. The boat dock system of claim 4 including springs to attach said cover tarp to said rigid frame.
6. The boat dock system of claim 5 wherein said rigid frame includes support brackets clamped to said roof supports such that said rigid frame rests on said support brackets.
7. A fixed boat cover for use in conjunction with a boat dock having a roof and a boat lift, said fixed boat cover comprising;
- a cover tarp disposable over said boat lift and beneath said roof;
- said rigid frame attachable to said boat dock, said rigid frame supporting said cover tarp;
- said cover tarp including a roof and walls defining a covered space above water into which the boat can be raised.
8. The fixed boat cover of claim 7 wherein said rigid frame includes pipes and pipe connectors.
9. The fixed boat cover of claim 8 wherein ends of said pipes fit into openings in said pipe connectors and wherein said pipe connectors include means to lock said pipe and pipe connectors together.
10. The fixed boat cover of claim 8 wherein said cover tarp is attached to said rigid frame by springs.
11. The fixed boat cover of claim 10 wherein said tarp cover includes flap connectors attached to an inside surface of said tarp cover and wherein said springs are connected to said flaps to attach said cover tarp to said rigid frame.
12. A boat dock system comprising;
- a boat dock having supports, a boat lift and a roof, said roof covering said dock,
- a fixed cover disposed over said boat dock and beneath said roof;
- said fixed cover attached to said supports and
- said fixed cover having walls defining a covered space into which said boat lift can raise said boat.
13. The boat dock of claim 12 wherein the supports support the roof
14. The boat dock of claim 12 wherein said fixed cover includes a pipe frame.
15. The boat dock of claim 14 including support brackets attached to said supports and wherein said pipe frame is supported from said support brackets and wherein said pipe frame includes connections that can be locked to maintain a shape of said frame and that can be unlocked to allow the shape of said frame to be changed.
16. The boat dock of claim 15 wherein springs attach said cover tarp to said frame.
17. The boat dock of claim 16 wherein said tarp cover includes flaps attached to an inside surface of said tarp cover and wherein said springs are connected to said flaps to attach said cover tarp to said frame.
18. The boat dock of claim 17 wherein said walls include a vent adjacent said roof.
19. The boat dock of claim 18 wherein said walls include at least one zipper.
20. The boat dock of claim 18 wherein the fixed cover is attached to an existing dock.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 11, 2004
Publication Date: Apr 28, 2005
Inventor: Robert Fox (Camdenton, MO)
Application Number: 10/963,202