Abstract:
A boat shoring system for cradling and supporting a boat in dry storage comprising two or more interconnected sub-system assemblies. Each sub-system comprises a central load bearing post and two laterally spaced outside supporting stands securely interconnected with laterally adjustable and angularly directed cable or chain means tautly stretched and preferably in tension to stabilize lateral movement. Two adjacent sub-systems are further stabilized by tautly stretched center cable means. The load bearing posts and outside supporting stands are vertically adjustable and transversely movable both laterally as well as forwardly and rearwardly. The boat shoring system can be easily assembled for use or dismantled into individual components and compactly stored during non-use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention pertains to a system of shoring posts and supporting stands useful for storing boats out of water and particularly to a boat shoring system comprising individually adjustable and collapsible shoring posts and supporting stands securely interconnected with stabilizing cables to provide a boat cradle or support system readily adjustable to support variable size boat hulls removed from water. 
     Supporting systems or boat cradles for supporting boats in dry storage are known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,285 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,150 disclose boat blocks and boat cradles comprising fixed dimension wooden base members resting on the ground with adjustable vertical supports secured at the distal ends of fixed lateral members for supporting the hull section of a boat while U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,911 discloses laterally adjustable posts resting on a fixed lateral cross-beam. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,277 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,667 disclose adjustable support members for supporting a boat hull with a center keel. In said U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,167, sailboats are supported by vertical posts interconnected to a series of horizontal stabilizing pipes. 
     The prior art devices, however, are deficient in that the boat shoring structures are unstable, particularly with high center of gravity larger boats, and are not easily adjustable to accomodate various size boat hulls. Stabilizing heavy and bulky boat hulls against inadvertent shift requires equalizing and balancing supporting forces particularly important in maintaining safe storage of boats. Further, prior art showing structures are not easily dismantled for storage during non-use. 
     It now has been found that a plurality of individually adjustable shoring posts or stands can be independently adjusted both vertically and transversely to safely support a wide variety of boat hulls of different widths, lengths and heights. The individual shoring stands are securely stabilized with angularly directed lateral stabilizing cables or chains in conjunction with similar horizontally disposed stem to stern center cables or chains. The boat shoring system of this invention comprises two or more sub-systems where each sub-system includes a vertically adjustable central load bearing post adapted to support the keel of the vessel in combination with outer adjustable spaced shoring stands particularly directed inwardly on a vertical bias toward the central load bearing post to engage and support the boat. The interconnecting cables or chains prevent ground slippage of individual outer shoring stands in the system while the entire weight of the boat is supported evenly by the entire shoring system. The individually stabilized outer biased shoring stands provide inwardly directed biased supporting forces while being securely chained to prevent lateral ground movement thereof. The entire shoring system can be easily assembled and adjusted vertically and transversely for use or easily dismantled for compact storage of the individual parts thereof. These and other advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent by referring to the accompanying drawings as described in the appended specification. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly, the boat shoring system of this invention comprises a plurality of interrelated supporting means adapted to be both vertically and transversely adjustable and securely anchored together by means of interconnecting cables or chains. The boat shoring system comprises at least two interconnected sub-systems where each sub-system contains a central load bearing post adapted to engage the central beam member of the boat hull in conjunction with at least two outwardly extending supporting stands disposed on either side of the central load bearing post and adapted to support the boat hull generally. The two outer supporting stands are particularly biased inwardly with inside legs thereof biased and shorter than outside biased legs thereof to off-set and stabilize the angular weight force imparted by the hull and supported by each outside supporting stand. 
    
    
     IN THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the boat shoring system of this invention supporting a boat hull as shown in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the boat shoring system showing a forward sub-system assembly interconnected with rearwardly disposed partial sub-systems supporting a portion of a boat hull; 
     FIG. 3 is a front vertical view of a single sub-system assembly of the boat shoring system with the stern or bow of the boat shown in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical perspective view of a central load bearing shoring post of the boat shoring system; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the central load bearing shoring post shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the central load bearing shoring post shown in FIG. 4 with member 17 rotated 90° and the upper load bearing block 12 removed and shown in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 7 is a vertical perspective view of a biased outside supporting stand of the boat shoring system; 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the biased outside supporting stand shown in FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the biased outside supporting stand shown in FIG. 8 with the upper supporting block removed and shown in phantom lines. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts, FIG. 1 illustrates a boat shoring system of this invention shown in plan view the boat hull supported thereby being shown in phantom lines. As viewed in FIG. 1, the boat hull depicts the stern of the hull at the top of the drawing and the bow portion at the bottom of the drawing. 
     The boat shoring system of this invention comprises a plurality of individual vertically disposed shoring parts adapted to support the boat hull. The boat shoring system comprises two or more sub-systems wherein each sub-system preferably comprises a central load bearing shoring post 10 interconnected with a pair of outer biased supporting shoring stands 15 by lateral cables or chains 20. For supporting the boat hulls, the boat shoring system can include a plurality of load bearing shoring posts 10 as indicated supporting the keel portion of the boat hull in FIG. 1. Each standard sub-section includes lateral cables or chains 20 interconnecting the central load bearing posts 10 and said posts with adjacent outside biased supporting stands 15. The lateral cable means or chains 20 are literally adjustable and preferably interconnected between the lower base portion, preferably the base plate 14 of the posts 10 and the upper portion of each outside supporting stand 15 in such a manner as to maintain a taut angular interconnection, preferably in tension as best viewed in FIG. 3. As shown, hooks 21 on posts 15 are used to anchor chains 20 secured as by hooks 30 to the central load bearing shoring posts 10 to adjacent sub-systems. The posts 10 are interconnected by a taut center cable means or chain 25 between the lowermost base portion or base plate 14 of each such central load bearing post 10 while maintaining each center cable or chain 20 horizontally close to the ground as best viewed in FIG. 2. 
     FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 disclose in more detail a preferred embodiment of the central load bearing shoring post 10. The central shoring post 10 contains a horizontal base plate 14 preferably of heavy metal supporting a centrally located vertical tube 32 for receiving and supporting an adjustable threaded screw-lift load bearing member 34. The screw-lift member 34 contains outside threads adapted to be engaged by inside threaded member 36 adapted to be manually rotated 360° by adjusting crank means 17 to move the screw-lift member 34 upwardly or downwardly as desired. The uppermost end of the screw-lift member 34 is secured to a holding means 11 preferably having a wooden load bearing block 12 seated thereon for engaging the hull surface. The vertical tube 32 is supported by a plurality of bracing members 13 secured to the upper part of the vertical tube 32 and at their lower ends to the outer periphery of a flat horizontal base 14 for the post. The pair of cable or chain anchoring or hook means 30 disposed on the base 14 are adapted to receive an end of a chain 20 and said hooks are welded or otherwise secured to the base plate 14 and preferably further secured to an upper portion of the vertical tube 32 by similar means. 
     FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, further depict in further detail the preferred construction of the outside biased supporting stand 15. The outside supporting stand 15 contains four spaced leg members 23 maintained in a spaced relationship by an intermediate bracing plate 16 and an upper bracing plate 22. A center support tube 19 projects through an opening in the upper bracing plate 22 and said tube 19 is adapted to receive an exterior threaded support or screw-lift member 40 fitted within the short center support tube 19. 
     The threaded screw-lift support member 40 is operative to move upwardly or downwardly within the tube 19 by rotating an interior threaded collar 42 operative by rotating hand crank means 47 attached to the collar 42. As best shown in front elevational view in FIG. 8, the outer supporting stand 15 is disposed at an angle and/or biased inwardly with relatively longer angled outer legs and relatively shorter less angled or biased inner legs 23. The outside support stand 15 is angled or biased from a vertical line whereby threaded member 40 provides an angled support member having a large, flat, wooden supporting block 18 adapted to engage a center portion of the boat hull. The top plan view shown in FIG. 9 shows the supporting block 18 removed from the stand and in phantom lines further illustrates the degree of bias off-set from the vertical where the off-set is directed inwardly as viewed in FIGS. 8 and 3. A cable or chain anchor means or hook 21 is secured to the upper part of one of the shorter inner leg members 23 and is adapted to engage and secure a lateral cable or chain 20 tautly stretched between each outside stand 15 and a common central keel load bearing post 10 to comprise a sub-system assembly. Accordingly, two or more sub-systems are interconnected by a center chain 25 tautly interconnected between two or more central load bearing shoring posts 10. As best viewed in FIG. 3, lateral cable means or chains 20 are anchored to the bottom base member 14 of the common central post 10 and stretched upwardly and outwardly on an angle to securely engage anchor means 21 secured to the upper part of each outside supporting stand 15. 
     As shown in the preferred form of this invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the boat shoring system comprises two sub-system assemblies supporting the forward end of the boat hull with a plurality, preferably three, of load bearing posts 10 supporting the boat hull. The two forward and intermediate sub-systems each comprise a central keel load bearing post 10 in combination with two outside biased support stands 15 adapted to support either of the surfaces of the boat hull. The stern position load bearing posts 10 are adapted to support the relatively flat profile surface of the stern section boat hull. Where three load bearing posts 10 are utilized for the stern section, the center post engages the center beam or keel of the hull and is considered a central load post 10 whereas the central end posts 10 are considered support posts 10. 
     It is readily seen that the boat shoring system of this invention provides stabilized and balanced support to just about any size boat hull. The major weight force is a vertically downwardly directed force through the keel which is supported by the central load bearing post 10. Providing stabilized support to the forward portion of the boat hull requires biased supporting stands 15 and thus the upper supporting block 18 is tangentially orientated to the curved hull surface and essentially perpendicular to the load bearing threaded member 40 secured within the central support tube 19. As best viewed in FIG. 8, the inner leg members 23 are less angled or biased than the outer leg members 23 and the outer leg members 23 are at a greater angle to the vertical than the angle to the vertical of the load bearing threaded member 40 within the tube 19. The downward thrust of the boat weight is directed primarily on the outermost legs 23 although considerable weight is supported by the innermost legs 23 of each biased stand 15. To prevent lateral movement of the biased supporting stands 15 in use, lateral cables or chains 20 are tautly secured between upper anchor means 21 secured to the biased stands 15 and to the lower anchor means or hook 30 on the base plate 14 of the central load bearing post 10 whereby a structural triangle is formed between the ground, the central post 10, and each angled supporting stand 15. The downward vertical force on the central load bearing post 10 literally renders that point of the triangle immovable while the taut lateral chain renders the top or apex of the triangle immovable and the downward biased force on each biased support stand 15 renders the third ground point of the triangle immovable. Hence, the downward weight forces of the boat hull through each central post 10, in conjunction with both biased side stands 15, comprising a sub-system, advantageously promotes stability to the sub-system and particularly stabilizes the bias forces through the different skewed biases of the innermost legs 23 and outermost legs 23 with the central load bearing threaded member 40 at a bias less than the outside legs 23 but more than the bias of the inside legs 23. It should be further noted that the structural configuration of each biased outside stand 15 in itself forms a structural triangle comprising a load bearing point forming the upper point while the distal opposite ends are formed by ground resting points of the inner and outer legs 23. The third side of the triangle is formed by the ground between said respective ground or floor resting points of the inner and outer legs 23. 
     In use, the boat shoring system is easily assembled from a plurality of central posts 10 with complementary outside biased supporting stands 15 interconnected with lateral cables or chains 20 and center cables or chains 25, depending on the number of sub-systems utilized. Two or more central load bearing posts 10 are aligned with the keel or central beam member of the boat hull A center cable or chain 25 is stretched tautly between each pair of central posts 10 and secured therebetween by locking engagement with the respective anchor means 30 secured to the base plate 14 whereby the center cables or chains 25 are maintained substantially horizontal and close to ground level. Each central post 10 is a load bearing post and provides the center post for each sub-system assembly. The vertical height of each central post 10 can be adjusted by rotating the adjusting crank 17. 
     Each sub-system comprises a central load bearing post 10 interconnected with a pair of complementary side supporting posts 15 disposed laterally of and above on either side of the central post 10. Lateral side cables or chains 20 securely anchored to the base plate 14 of the central post 10 are stretched upwardly on an angle and tautly secured to anchor means 21 welded to the upper portion of each outer biased supporting stand 15. The boat hull dead weight is distributed primarily on the central load bearing posts 10 and partially distributed on each of the angled or biased outer supporting stands 15. The dead weight of the boat hull increases the tension on the lateral cables or chains 20 as well as the center cable or chains 25 which further increases the stability in use of the boat shoring system of this invention. The boat shoring system is easily assembled for use with various size boat hulls and can be easily disassembled and compactly stored, while not in use. 
     Although the foregoing drawings and description discloses preferred embodiments of the boat shoring system of this invention, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited except by the appended claims.