Ships – Fenders
Patent
1994-03-30
1996-01-30
Avila, Stephen
Ships
Fenders
114362, B63B 5902
Patent
active
054873495
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention is a combined ladder, fender and life-buoy for boats and marine purposes. It is designed to serve equally well in any of these functions. The device can also be used as a safety ladder, boarding ladder, bathing ladder and life-buoy.
In later years there has been a strongly developing trend in purchasing and enjoying the use of yachts and pleasure craft of various types. A pleasure boat represents a sizeable investment and it is desirable to keep it in best shape as long as possible. One wishes therefore to avoid the danger of damage to boats when they dock alongside quay, alongside another craft or in marinas with floating stages and piers, especially in wind and rough seas.
Fenders have traditionally been used to prevent such damage. With a soft surface and a somewhat compressible consistency, their purpose is to protect hull and freeboard. Fenders vary greatly in shape, from the spherical balls of rope to cork and plastic fenders. The function and suitability of a fender depend largely on its design. A spherical fender provides a safe distance from boat to quay but a minimal contact face and an unstable contact point against irregular surfaces. A cylindrical fender provides a larger contact face. However, this is not always sufficient in certain cases as it slips easily. The most practical fenders are designed with a large contact face. The use of fenders of traditional design is particularly problematic as a protection against quays using car tires as fenders. The boat's own fenders slide inside and between the tires and are of little use for preventing discoloration of the boat by the tires. In addition, quays which are supported by straight vertical posts only have always been a problem for small craft. The traditional shapes given to fenders prevent the fenders from resting against the posts in a stable position, and it is necessary to resort to the well-known trick of using a so-called fender board a between the quay posts b and the boat's fenders. See FIG. 6.
For reasons of convenience and safety, various devices have traditionally been used for embarking and disembarking. When the deck of the craft and the quay, or floating stage or other craft, are at different heights, it has been necessary to use ladders or gangways made of rope, wood or metal.
The trend in development has also resulted in combined ladders and fenders. GB patent no. 921,383 presents a ladder equipped with an anti-slide and somewhat elastic material on the side of the ladder which is in contact with the hull. This solution has very little to do with a fender, and its purpose is more to prevent the metal ladder from damaging the hull. U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,856 shows a further step in the development of a combined ladder and fender in the form of a fixed quay ladder equipped with side members acting as fenders. This invention is quite suitable for quays, but is of no help on board a craft.
Norwegian patent no. 165,063 shows a fender provided with a pullout rope ladder. The result is a rescue ladder intended as an emergency device should someone fall overboard, but it is hardly suitable as a boarding ladder under normal circumstances. The fender function has a certain stabilizing function between two hulls with straight freeboard, but is not satisfactory when used against slanting freeboards or as a fender against quay posts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,166 presents a combined ladder and raft equipped with float elements along the outer edge, ribs between the edges, and a bow-like part to which a paddle is attached. A person can He on the ribs and operate the paddle which can rotate in relation to the bow. This will propel the craft forward. The raft can function as a floating device for rescue purposes, but cannot be slipped over the person's head as a life-buoy can, and provide the necessary stability and safety to reserve a person in danger.
The rapidly increasing number of yachts and pleasure boats has accelerated the development of marinas equipped with floating stages and piers where boats can dock and moor. Such
REFERENCES:
patent: 3540403 (1970-11-01), Russell
patent: 4014057 (1977-03-01), Kuojarvi
patent: 4376419 (1983-03-01), Heilskov
patent: 4546856 (1985-10-01), Nagao
patent: 4788926 (1988-12-01), Ullman et al.
patent: 5152245 (1992-10-01), Olsen
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