Boat dock bumper & dockline storage system

Abstract

A bumper and mooring line receptacle apparatus for a dock facility includes an elongated bumper and mooring line receptacle for one or each mooring line, wherein each bumper and mooring line receptacle is connected with the dock facility; and further includes an abutment member connected with each mooring line at a distal end thereof. The bumper and mooring line receptacle has an interior hollow defined by a sidewall, having a slot therein along its entire length. The sidewall opposite the sot is attached to the sidewall of a selected dock facility via threaded fasteners or suitable. One bumper and mooring line receptacle can be located at the port bow, another at the starboard bow, another at the port stern and another at the starboard stern. Preferably, each of the sets of port and starboard bumper and mooring line receptacles end near each other at a generally amidship location on the gunwale where the skipper and crew / passengers enter and leave the watercraft. The mooring line is composed of conventional material used for nautical moorage, and has an abutment member at its distal end. The slot has a width either smaller than the cross-section of the mooring line such that the mooring line is forced through the slot into the interior hollow of the bumper and mooring line receptacle or is larger than the cross-section of the mooring line such that the mooring fine easily passes through the slot. Thereupon, the mooring line rests storingly in the interior hollow for storing the mooring line when not in use.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 506,970 Sep. 29, 2003 Confirmation #2282[0002] A bumper and mooring line receptacle apparatus for a dock facility includes an elongated bumper and mooring line receptacle for one or each mooring line, wherein each bumper and mooring line receptacle is connected with the dock facility, and further includes an abutment member connected with each mooring line at a distal end thereof. The bumper and mooring line receptacle has an interior hollow defined by a sidewall, having a slot therein along its entire length. The sidewall opposite the sot is attached to the sidewall of a selected dock facility via threaded fasteners or suitable. One bumper and mooring line receptacle can be located at the port bow, another at the starboard bow, another at the port stern and another at the starboard stern. Preferably, each of the sets of port and starboard bumper and mooring line receptacles end near each other at a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The present invention is a damage preventing bumper attached to a fixed docking facility to cushion boats and the like against engagement with the structure and also provides and effective, simple and easy to use way to hold mooring lines in a stored state with respect to the dock facility, yet the mooring lines are instantly available when docking is imminent.

[0010] The bumper and mooring line receptacle has an interior hollow formed by a sidewall composed of a durable or resilient material having a longitudinal slot therein. The sidewall opposite the slot is attached to the dock facility via threaded fasteners. One bumper and mooring line receptacle is located on the dock facility near the port bow, another at the starboard bow, another at the port stern and another at the starboard stern of the watercraft. Preferably, each of the sets of port and starboard bumper and mooring line receptacles end near each other at a location on the gunwale where the skipper and crew / passengers enter and leave the watercraft, generally aship of the watercraft. The mooring line is conventional nylon or other rope material used for nautical moorage. The slot has a width larger than the cross-section of the mooring line, such that the mooring line can be easily passed through the slot into the interior hollow of the bumper and mooring line receptacle. Alternatively the slot can contain flaps composed of a resilient material that will deform when the mooring line presses up against and passes through into the interior hollow. The flaps will rebound to their original shape when the mooring line is removed from the interior hollow. The abutment member abuts the end of the bumper and mooring line receptacle to thereby prevent the distal end of the mooring line from sliding into the interior hollow.

[0012] The mooring line freely passes through the slot and is not forced there through. Alternatively when flaps are utilized, the mooring line will pass through the deformed flaps into the interior hollow The mooring line simply lays in the interior hollow of the bumper and mooring line receptacle and is held substantially taught by an abutment member which is snappably engageable into the slot. Preferably, the abutment member is adjustably positionable on the mooring line to thereby be positioned to abut the far end of the bumper and mooring line receptacle when the mooring line is resident therein. A guide member at the near end of the bumper and mooring line receptacle can aid to guide the mooring line into the slot when the mooring line is being stored there inside. Alternatively the mooring line can be secured to a hardware member (eyebolt), which is affixed to the dock facility.

[0013] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bumper and mooring line receptacle apparatus for a dock facility, which provides for easy, Simple, outstretched storage of mooring lines in readiness for use when docking the watercraft. It is another object of the present invention to prevent damage to cushion boats and the like against engagement with the dock facility.

[0014] It is another object of the present invention to provide a bumper and mooring line receptacle apparatus, which provides convenient grabbing of mooring lines for rapid deployment during dockage of the watercraft. It is a further object of the present invention to provide attractive storage of mooring lines accompanied by quick ability to access the mooring lines when needed.

[0015] It is an additional object of the present invention to provide simple and easy storage of mooring lines without any possibility for the mooring lines to become tangled. It is an additional object of the present invention to provide protection on the dock facility for the watercraft.

Problems solved by technology

Problematically, when a skipper leaves dock, the mooring lines may be loosely placed on the dock facility, where after they may slide off and then dangle into the water.

Dangling mooring lines are, of course, unsightly, unsafe, and pose other problem on the dock facility.

On the other hand, if the mooring lines are secured to some component of the dock facility to prevent potential dangling, then when the mooring lines need to be made ready for docking considerable time and effort must be expended to free the lines.

This lost time could be critical if a skipper is in need of a fast securement to the dock in the event of an untoward docking situation, such as when other boats may limit free navigation or high seas or winds make docking particularly tricky.

Images