Anchor construction

Abstract

An anchor for tethering a small boat has a body provided with flukes adapted removably to be embedded in the ground along a body of water at an angle of about 45° to the vertical. The body has a flange which overlies a portion of the body and the flange has a bridge juncture with the body that facilitates embedding the flukes at such angle. The flange is inclined to the body at such angle as to minimize a force-transmitting moment arm between the flange and the flukes.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to an anchor construction especially adapted for use in tethering a small boat or personal watercraft to a shore so as to prevent unintentional drifting of the boat or watercraft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Anchor structures for use in tethering small boats, such as canoes, rowboats, rafts, and personal watercraft have been proposed heretofore. Most of the proposals constitute simply rocks or rods or conventional anchors to which the boat may be secured by a painter, thereby enabling the boat to remain in the water of a stream or lake and avoiding having to drag the boat from the water onto land. Most of such securing devices function satisfactorily as long as wind speeds, current, and wave action are mild, but otherwise do not have the ability to provide secure tethering of the boat.

[0003] A desirable anchor for use with small boats should be small in size, light in weight, easily embedded in and removed from the ground, and yet be operable to maintain a boat tethered even in wind and current speeds which are somewhat above those normally encountered. An anchor constructed in accordance with the invention possesses these characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An anchor constructed in accordance with the invention comprises a flat, substantially planar body having opposite ends to one of which is secured a flange that extends in a direction away from the plane of the body and overlies the adjacent portion of the body. At the opposite end of the body is a pair of wedge-shaped flukes that may be embedded in a bank or shore adjacent a body of water. The flange is joined to the body by an arcuate bridge which provides a convenient surface on which a foot of the user may bear to embed the flukes in the ground. The flange overlies the anchor body at an angle of about 45°, thereby facilitating embedding of the flukes in the ground at such an angle to the vertical as to resist withdrawal of the flukes as a result of substantially horizontal forces exerted on the anchor such as are generated by wind and/or current and wave action of a body of water.

[0005] The flukes are formed by a V-shaped notch extending inwardly from one end of the body. From the opposite end of the body extends a flange which is inclined outwardly from the body, but overlies the latter and is joined to the body by a brace. Either the flange or the brace, or both, may be provided with an opening in which one end of a painter may be secured, the opposite end of the painter being secured to the boat.

[0006] At the juncture of the body and the flange is a bridge which may be utilized by a person to assist in embedding the fluke in the ground adjacent a body of water. The bridge is arcuate and provides a convenient step on which a foot of the user may bear to apply a force on the anchor to embed the flukes in the ground. The bowing of the bridge and the inclination of the flange to the anchor body provides a visual and mechanical aid in embedding the flukes in the ground at an appropriate angle to the vertical, thereby increasing the ability of the anchor to resist forces applied by a boat and its painter in directions to dislodge the flukes from the ground.

THE DRAWING

[0007] A preferred embodiment of the anchor is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view; and

[0010] FIG. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section and illustrating the anchor in a position to tether a boat to the ground adjacent a body of water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] An anchor constructed in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is designated generally by the reference character 1 and comprises a flat, generally planar body 2 formed of sheet aluminum or other suitable material of appropriate thickness and having opposite ends 3 and 4. Inwardly from the end 3 extends a V-shaped notch 5 which forms a pair of wedge-shaped flukes 6 each of which terminate in a pointed tip 7. The notch terminates short of the end 4 of the body and the flukes 6 preferably are of uniform area.

[0012] A flange 8 is joined to and extends from the end 4 of the body 2. The flange comprises a planar tongue 9 and the juncture between the tongue and the body 2 comprises a bowed bridge section 10. The tongue 9 extends in a direction away from the body 2 at an angle of about 45° so as to be spaced from and overlie one side of the body. The tongue 9 terminates at a level corresponding substantially to that of the base of the notch 5.

[0013] The flange 8 forms a convenient handle for transporting the anchor and has a width less than that of the body 2. The flange preferably is centered with respect to the opposite edges of the body.

[0014] A reinforcing brace 11 spans and is secured to the body 2 and the tongue 9. The brace inhibits movement of the tongue toward and away from the body.

[0015] The tongue 9 has an opening 12 therein and the brace 11 has a similar opening 13 for a purpose presently to be explained.

[0016] The anchor is adapted to be used in those instances in which a small boat, raft, or personal watercraft is to be tethered to the shore, designated 14, along a river, lake, or other body of water 15 so that the boat may remain in the water without having to be dragged onto the shore. This objective may be accomplished by embedding the flukes 6 into the shore 14 at an angle of about 45° to the vertical, and the embedding of the flukes in the ground at such angle may be facilitated by a person's placing his foot on the bridge section 10 and exerting a force thereon to force the flukes into the ground. The angular relationship between the body 2 and the tongue 9 will facilitate the angular orientation of the flukes to the vertical. When the flukes have been embedded to the desired depth within the ground of the shore 14 one end of a painter 15 may be secured either to the tongue 9 via the opening 12 or the brace 11 via the opening 13 and the opposite end of the painter may be secured to the boat (not shown).

[0017] When the anchor is placed in the position shown in FIG. 3 generally horizontal forces transmitted from the boat to the anchor via the painter 15 will be resisted by the embedded flukes. For the flukes to be dislodged from the ground by such forces the anchor will have to be rotated clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 3, and such rotation will be resisted by the angular position of the flukes relative to the ground. Such rotation can only be accomplished by the combination of an upward and clockwise movement which requires the earth to the right of the body 2 to be displaced. The resistance of the earth to such displacement therefore assists in retaining the flukes embedded in the ground, thereby ensuring secure tethering of the boat.

[0018] The angular relationship between the flange 8 and the body 2 results in there being virtually no moment arm between such parts when the body is embedded in the round at the preferred angle to the vertical. As a consequence, the tendency of the flukes to be pulled from the ground by generally horizontally transmitted forces is minimal.

[0019] The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An anchor construction comprising a body having opposite ends, said body terminating at one of its ends in at least one fluke and at its opposite end in a flange, said flange being joined at one end thereof to said opposite end of said body, said flange being inclined to and overlying said body and having a free end terminating at a level between the opposite ends of said body.

2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said body has a pair of flukes.

3. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said body has a notch extending inwardly of said body from said one end thereof to form a pair of said flukes.

4. The construction according to claim 1 including a brace extending between and joined to said body and said flange adjacent said opposite end of said body.

5. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said body is planar.

6. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said flange is joined to said opposite end of said body by a bridge section.

7. The construction according to claim 6 wherein said bridge section is bowed.

8. An anchor construction comprising a flat, planar body having opposite ends, a notch at one end of said body forming a pair of side-by-side flukes at said one end of said body, a flange having a free end spaced from said body and a bridge at the other end thereof joined to said body adjacent its opposite end, and a brace spanning and joining said flange and said body at a level between the opposite ends of said body.

9. The construction according to claim 8 wherein said bridge forms a smoothly bowed joint between said flange and said body.

10. The construction according to claim 8 including means for securing one end of a painter to said flange.

11. The construction according to claim 8 including means for securing one end of a painter to said brace.

12. The construction according to claim 8 wherein said flange has a width less than that of said body.

13. The construction according to claim 8 wherein said notch is V-shaped and extends inwardly of said body from said one end thereof toward said opposite end, said notch terminating at a level between said ends of said body.

14. The construction according to claim 8 wherein said flange has a width less than that of said body and is substantially centered with respect to the width of said body.