Abstract: An access screw cover for containers and enclosures is disclosed which includes a closure body having a first and a second abutment mechanism associated therewith and a circular peripheral surface which defines a central axis. The circular peripheral surface is intended to fit the peripheral surface of the closure opening. The first abutment means presenting a shoulder which, when force is applied thereto, tends to turn the body forcibly in one direction. The second abutment means presenting a shoulder which, when force is applied thereto, tends to turn the body in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A cover for a trailer hitch, to prevent inadvertent injury to personnel when the hitch is not being used. An upstanding dome is provided for use with hitches of the type having a ball. The dome incircles the ball, and in addition provides a clearance space above the top of the ball, such that the cover can yield when jarred by the knee or leg of a person, thereby preventing injury. The cover has a base which is preferably oversize with respect to the dimensions of the hitch bar, and is provided with internal ribs or other cushinong structures that are yieldable. The ribs engage the surface of the bar such that when the cover is inadvertently bumped, the ribs yield, again preventing injury to the leg of a person. The cover also serves to protect parts of the hitch from corrosion.

Abstract: The invention involves a snubber strip and mooring dock construction as used for boats and the like. The snubber strip is constituted of a molded rubber or plastic extrusion having an elongate hollow body portion with one flat wall that forms its inner side. The body portion has attachment flange portions one of which is coplanar with the flat side and the other of which is perpendicular to the flat side. The perpendicular flange portion has a depending lip along its free edge and is so constituted as to overlie a structural beam member with its lip on one side of the member and with the flat wall of the body portion on the other side of the member in a close fit.

Abstract: A cover for a trailer hitch, to prevent inadvertent injury to personnel when the hitch is not being used. An upstanding dome is provided for use with hitches of the type having a ball. The dome encircles the ball, and in addition provides a clearance space above the top of the ball, such that the cover can yield when jarred by the knee or leg of a person, thereby preventing injury. The cover has a base which is preferably oversize with respect to the dimensions of the hitch bar, and is provided with internal ribs or other cushioning structures that are yieldable. The ribs engage the surface of the bar such that when the cover is inadvertently bumped, the ribs yield, again preventing injury to the leg of a person. The cover also serves to protect parts of the hitch from corrosion.

Abstract: A high-efficiency paddle construction having a blade and a stem extending therefrom, and wherein the blade has a pair of opposite, longitudinally extending edges, with flanges extending along the edges. The arrangement is such that there is provided resistance to flow past the side edges when the paddle is being used. There is thus realized improved efficiency, with a consequent reduction in the efford required by the user.

Abstract: There is disclosed a boat window construction having a window frame including a spigot defining a window opening, and a window pane hingedly connected to the window frame and adapted to be moved between open and closed positions. A tie rod is swivel mounted on the frame and can swing toward and away from an abutment shoulder on the window pane. A cross pin is carried on the tie rod, and a camming finger piece is turnable on the pin about an axis perpendicular to the tie rod. The finger piece has camming surfaces that can selectively engage the abutment shoulder on the window pane. The camming surfaces are located on different radii with respect to the axis of the cross pin. The arrangement is such that after the window pane is moved toward its closed position, the finger piece and tie rod can be shifted until one of the camming surfaces of the piece engages the abutment shoulder.

Abstract: A boat window having a removable screen which, in one embodiment, directly carries a louver and which can be easily installed in the window frame or removed therefrom as a single unit, so as to facilitate replacement with a conventional window screen, if desired. The louver forms a water shield which directly engages the screen frame adjacent to its top edge, so as to reduce the likelihood of water splashing through upper portions of the screen. The window comprises a frame body having a mounting flange and spigot, for installation in an opening in the boat hull. A window pane is hingedly connected to the mounting flange, and adapted to close off the space formed by the spigot. Most or all portions of the louver lie within the confines of the spigot, so as not to protrude any substantial extent, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the louver from inadvertent contact with other objects.

Abstract: A boat window having a removable screen which, in one embodiment, directly carries a louver and which can be easily installed in the window frame or removed therefrom as a single unit, so as to facilitate replacement with a conventional window screen, if desired, The louver forms a water shield which directly engages the screen frame adjacent to its top edge, so as to reduce the likelihood of water splashing through upper portions of the screen. The window comprises a frame body having a mounting flange and spigot, for installation in an opening in the boat hull. A window pane is hingedly connected to the mounting flange, and adapted to close off the space formed by the spigot. Most or all portions of the louver lie within the confines of the spigot, so as not to protrude any substantial extent, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the louver from inadvertent contact with other objects.

Abstract: A one-piece container holder constituted of resilient, molded plastic substance, for supporting containers such as bottles, cans, marine air horns, etc., having slightly differing outer dimensions, the holder comprising an open-top body with side walls of generally arcuate cross-section, adapted to encircle the container, and further having a bottom wall for engagement with the container in order to support the same. There is provided on the side walls a flat portion which is adapted to mount against a generally vertical wall of a vehicle or boat, or on a dock or pier. The arrangement is such that the body side walls can expand a limited extent, in order to accommodate containers of varying diameter.

Abstract: A self-draining, leak-resistant boat window comprising a frame body having a continuous mounting flange for engagement with an inner surface surrounding an opening in the boat hull. The body has a spigot which is connected with the mounting flange. A low portion of the spigot has an upwardly facing drain surface constituting a sill. The sill has a downwardly offset portion provided with a sloping, upwardly-open drain groove which extends from a high location adjacent the mounting flange to a low location, remote from the mounting flange. The arrangement is such that water which is splashed onto the sill is channeled toward the offset portion, and thereby drained away. There is thus minimized the tendency for water to collect on the sill and leak into the boat interior when the window pane is opened.

Abstract: A combination vacuum lift pump and siphon for handling liquids, comprising a pump cylinder having an inlet disposed near one end and an outlet adjacent to but spaced from the other end, a piston reciprocatable in the cylinder, and a plunger and handle connected therewith, and a pair of check valves, one of which is associated with the piston and is operable to be closed when the plunger is lifted in the cylinder, and the other of which is disposed at the cylinder inlet and is operable to be closed when the plunger is lowered in the cylinder. The outlet of the cylinder is spaced a short distance from the upper end thereof, such that for siphon operation the piston and its check valve can be moved to a position in the cylinder which is beyond the location of the outlet. Accordingly, the flow of liquid by-passes the piston check valve completely, and the latter thus does not act in such a manner as to restrict the siphon flow, as was the case in many other constructions.

Abstract: A threaded access cover plate construction for boat decks, comprising a threaded fitting which is adapted to be secured to the deck, and a screw closure receivable in the fitting. Both the fitting and the closure have cooperable buttress-type threads which are dimensioned such that there is a relatively loose fit between the two parts. The rim of the fitting is in the form of a resilient upstanding skirt constituted of deformable material, the skirt being capable of yielding at selected points, due to its engagement by a centering shoulder of the closure. The yielding of the skirt permits improved seating of the closure, by minimizing the effect of interference between high points at the regions of contact of the two parts. Accordingly, a highly leak-resistant seal is established, even when the fitting or the closure has become slightly warped, or the fitting has been stressed to some extent by virtue of its being secured to the deck.

Abstract: A threaded access cover plate construction for boat decks, comprising a threaded fitting which is adapted to be secured to the deck, and a screw closure receivable in the fitting. Both the fitting and the closure have cooperable buttress-type threads which are dimensioned such that there is a relatively loose fit between the two parts. The closure has a centering shoulder which is engaged by the rim of the fitting whereby a self-centering of the closure takes place when it is screwed into the fitting. The loose fit and the sliding engagement of the flat surfaces of the buttress-type threads enable an unimpeded lateral shifting of the closure to occur as determined by the engagement of the centering shoulder on the closure and the rim of the fitting.

Abstract: A self-draining, leak-resistant boat window comprising a frame body having a continuous mounting flange for engagement with the hull of the boat, and a spigot wall connected with the flange and adapted to extend through an opening in the hull. A transparent molded plastic window pane is hingedly carried on the body; latches are provided to secure the pane in a closed position. The mounting flange has a peripheral groove into which a rib portion of an extruded, hollow sealing gasket is pressed. The rib portion has longitudinal barbs which frictionally engage the walls of the groove, thereby holding the gasket captive without cement. The gasket is oval in cross-section and is stretched an extent when installed on the window to thereby prevent buckling at the corners. When it is pressed between the flange and window pane it flattens a considerable amount by virtue of its oval shape, forming a tight seal.