Patent ID: 6095075
Filing Date: 2000-08-01
Classification: B63B,B65H

Abstract:
A retractable mooring line for mooring a boat, comprisinga stationary housing for mounting the device to a surface of a boat,a payoff reel having opposed guide walls rotatably mounted within the housing such that the payoff reel rotates in a plane substantially perpendicular to the surface, said guide walls retaining the mooring line on the reel, for extending and retracting the mooring line, anda locking mechanism comprising at least one latch disposed in alignment with a plurality of openings provided in a circumferential extension of a radial periphery of one guide wall, the circumferential extension extending toward the other of said opposed guide walls with a clearance between the circumferential extension and the other of said opposed guide walls to allow the mooring line to freely unwind from the payoff reel, and the latch being movable upon actuation of an actuating member between an unlocked position in which the latch is retracted form the at least one guide wall and a locked position in which the latch extends into at least one of the plurality of openings to thereby rotationally lock the payoff reel to the housing,wherein when the device is mounted to a surface of a boat the actuating member is exposed for manual actuation and the mooring line is exposed for extension to a mooring structure.