Abstract: A housing and a spool supported within the housing for rotation therein. A rope or like tension member wound on the spool and having at its free end a harness for engaging a swimmer's waist. A brake disc within the housing and a ratchet and pawl mechanism for coupling the spool and the disc only in the direction of rotation corresponding to unwinding the rope from the spool. A brake mechanism cooperable with the disc and being adjustable to apply a desired frictional force on the disc to retard the swimmer's movement through the water. A spring for retracting the rope onto the spool.

Abstract: A portable winch unit of the ratchet type utilizing a ratchet dog mounted upon a hand lever for rotating the winch drum ratchet wheel wherein the ratchet dog is pivotally mounted upon the hand lever for pivoting between ratchet wheel engaging and ratchet wheel clearing positions. The dog includes an elongated slot receiving the end of a tension spring and a pivoted spring shifter plate mounted adjacent the dog shifts the spring end within the dog slot between two operative positions. The other end of the spring is anchored to the hand lever, and the orientation between the anchored spring end, the spring end within the ratchet dog slot, and the dog pivot axis is such that pivoting of the spring end within the slot by the spring shifter between the operative positions thereof produces a biasing force on the dog pivoting the same between ratchet wheel engaging and clearing positions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a reversible hand operated device having equal utility as a hoist, winch or puller. It features a unique finger operated control housed in an opening of the operating lever of said device, which control may be smoothly shifted from one position to another to dictate either the raising or lowering function of the device as a hoist or an application of tension to or a release of tension from an applied load when the device is used as a winch or a puller. Preferred embodiments of the invention also feature a strong light weight frame comprised of opposed plates the major extent of which are held in a spaced parallel relation by reason of their adjacent ends being turned over, overlapped and simply interconnected to form flats to either end of the frame. The frame is distinguished by bridging pivot means one of which mounts the cable drum and operating lever of the device and another of which pivotally mounts a retainer pawl for engagement with a ratchet in connection with the drum.