Apparatus and method for securing watercraft

An apparatus and method for securing a watercraft to a mooring structure, comprising inserting into a hole in a watercraft the lowermost end of a leg attached to a boom arm, situating said boom arm within a mooring position channel, and inserting the lowermost end of an opposite leg into a stabilizing means of a mounting base mounted to a mooring structure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for mooring and/or securing a 
watercraft to a dock, houseboat or similar item. Although the invention 
may be used for watercraft of different sizes, the invention is 
particularly suitable for person watercraft and small boats. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Although several problems relating to securing watercraft are well known, 
solutions remain unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. The ideal 
mooring device will maintain the positioning of the watercraft relative to 
the mooring structure, in such a manner to prevent or minimize any damage 
to the watercraft due to horizontal or vertical movement resulting from 
the movement of waves or water level relative to the mooring structure. An 
ideal mooring apparatus will also be easy to use, without being an 
obstacle when not in use. There are a number of patented mooring devices, 
such as: 
______________________________________ 
U.S. Pat. No. Inventor 
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5,493,991 Wright, et al. 
5,408,946 Jones, et al. 
5,243,929 Wright, et al. 
4,066,030 Milone 
2,965,064 Wallace 
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However, most of those devices suffer from being too complicated or 
cumbersome to use, and too expensive to manufacture. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for conveniently 
mooring and, if desired, securing a watercraft adjacent to a mooring 
structure such as a dock or houseboat. The present invention may be used 
for any watercraft having a hole or similar mooring eyelet through an 
essentially horizontally aligned surface such as, for example (not 
limitation), the prow or a gunwale. For such watercraft, no other means is 
necessary for attaching the watercraft to the invention. 
One primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that is 
easily used, and easily put in an essentially out-of-the-way position 
ready for use. Another object of the invention is to provide a mooring and 
securing apparatus that is economical to manufacture, and easy to install. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a mooring and securing 
apparatus that is readily usable with a variety of watercraft, without the 
necessity of having varied attachment means for each different watercraft. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of mooring and 
securing a watercraft that facilities all of the above objectives.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Before the present invention is described in detail, it is to be understood 
that the invention is not limited to the particular configurations, 
process steps and materials disclosed herein. It is also to be understood 
that the terminology used herein is not intended to be limiting, since the 
scope of the present invention will be limited only by the claims and 
equivalents thereof. Also, as used herein, the singular forms include the 
plurals, and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. 
In most general terms, the invention comprises an apparatus for mooring 
watercraft having at least one rigid mooring member, for interfacing with 
the watercraft, that can be engaged with a base mounted or otherwise 
secured to a mooring structure. (Although the description in this 
application definitely envisions a standard mounting of said base to 
either the sidewall or deck of a dock or houseboat, said base may be 
mounted on any other mooring structure by any other means.) In general, 
said mooring member is essentially a boom arm having a downstanding leg at 
both ends, the leg closest to the dock (the proximal leg) being for 
attaching the boom arm to the mounting base mounted on the dock, the leg 
further from the dock (the distal leg) being for inserting through a hole 
or similar mooring eyelet through an essentially horizontal surface of the 
watercraft, and extending beneath the surface of the water a sufficient 
distance to prevent the watercraft from escaping said mooring connection. 
(This invention is not necessarily limited by the order of either engaging 
the proximal leg of the boom arm with the mounting base, or impaling the 
mooring eyelet of the watercraft with the distal leg of the boom arm.) 
One of the important aspects of the invention is that the watercraft 
maintains its impaled connection with the mooring apparatus by its own 
buoyancy; the buoyancy of the watercraft essentially prevents the 
watercraft from submerging far enough below the water surface to allow the 
watercraft to slip off the end of the distal leg protruding below the 
water surface. It is also important to some versions of the invention that 
the mooring member may be locked in either a mooring position outstretched 
over the water, or in a lateral position essentially parallel and adjacent 
to the mooring structure, by insertion of a locking device through 
essentially matched channels or holes drilled, punched or otherwise 
created through the upper portions of paired walls defining channels 
wherein the boom arm is situated. If the lock is inserted while the boom 
arm is in a lateral position channel, the lock will prevent the boom arm 
from being removed from the mounting base. If the lock is inserted while 
the boom arm is in a mooring position channel, the boom arm may not be 
readily removed to allow the removal of either the boom arm or the 
watercraft impaled by the distal leg of the boom arm. 
The mooring member is comprised of at least one essentially horizontally 
oriented boom arm having at least one end proximal to the mooring 
structure and at least one end distal from the mooring structure. Said 
boom arm also has at least one essentially vertically oriented distal leg 
depending downwardly from said distal end a sufficient downward distance 
to prevent a watercraft impaled thereby from disimpaling. Said boom arm 
also has at least one essentially vertically oriented proximal leg 
depending downwardly from said proximal end a sufficient distance to 
facilitate engagement of said mooring member with a base attached to the 
mooring structure. 
Said base includes a rigid plate essentially in the shape of an inverted L, 
said plate having an essentially vertically oriented portion for securing 
to the mooring structure. Said plate also includes an essentially 
horizontally oriented portion having an upper surface and a lower surface 
and having an end proximal to the mooring structure and an end distal 
therefrom. Said upper surface of said horizontal portion has at least one 
upstanding pair of essentially parallel walls defining at least one 
channel extending along said horizontal portion from at least near said 
proximal end to at least near said distal end. Said horizontal portion 
also defines at least one portal between said upper surface and said lower 
surface, said portal sized to closely accept insertion of a lowermost 
portion of said proximal leg of said mooring member when said boom arm is 
situated within said channel. Said base may further include a means for 
stabilizing said proximal leg of said mooring member to facilitate the 
stable engagement of said proximal leg (with accompanying boom arm and 
distal leg) with said base. 
Although the description of the invention in this application definitely 
envisions an apparatus having only one boom arm per mounting base, the 
invention also includes an apparatus capable of including a plurality of 
boom arms carried either by a single proximal leg engaged with a single 
stabilizing means, or by a plurality of boom arms each of which is carried 
by a separate proximal leg engaged with a separate stabilizing means, and 
combinations thereof. In each respective embodiment of the invention, the 
channels on the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the base are 
aligned to accept the respective boom arm as needed for the respective 
configuration of boom arms. 
Another version of the apparatus includes a plurality of channels in the 
invention described above. Additionally, said stabilizing means and said 
portal in said horizontal portion of said mounting base are cooperatively 
sized and adapted to facilitate pivoting of said proximal leg of said 
mooring member to accommodate the placement of said boom arm into said 
channels separately, enabling said engagement when said boom arm is 
situated within any one of said channels. 
In another version of the apparatus described above, said proximal leg of 
said mooring member is cylindrical, and said stabilizing means is 
comprised of a rigid sleeve attached to said base and having its chamber 
opening situated directly beneath said portal. Said sleeve defines an 
essentially cylindrical interior chamber sized to closely accept the 
insertion of a lowermost portion of said cylindrical proximal leg of said 
mooring member, enabling the pivoting therein of said proximal leg along 
its longitudinal axis until said boom arm is situated within a channel. 
One particular embodiment of the invention described above includes an 
apparatus wherein said upstanding walls define an intermediate channel and 
two opposite lateral channels (or subchannels) sharing a common terminal 
juncture, said channels cooperatively situated in essentially the shape of 
an inverted T, as observed from the perspective of somebody standing on 
the mooring structure and looking down at the horizontal portion of the 
mounting base. The wall forming the top of the T of the channels may be a 
separate upstanding wall firmly attached (such as welding) across the 
upper surface of the horizontal portion of the base, along the L juncture; 
see FIG. 2. (Alternatively, in one version of the base, the horizontal 
portion is formed by firmly attaching the edge of an essentially 
horizontally oriented plate to the essentially vertically oriented portion 
of the base, at a point allowing a section of the vertical portion to 
extend upwards past the juncture of the horizontal plate to thereby form a 
backstop wall across the top of the T channel.) Said portal through said 
horizontal base portion is situated within said juncture of said channels. 
When said mooring member is engaged when said boom arm is situated within 
said intermediate channel, said boom arm extends out over the water in a 
position to moor a watercraft floating in the vicinity of the mooring 
structure. On the other hand, when said mooring member is engaged when 
said boom arm is situated within either of said lateral channels, said 
boom arm extends essentially parallel and adjacent with the mooring 
structure. 
The invention is not limited by construction materials to the extent that 
such materials satisfy the structural or functional requirements. For 
example, any materials may be used to make the mooring member and/or 
mounting base, so long as the materials fulfill the requirements that said 
components be rigid. The suitability of construction materials may be 
dependant upon the nature of the watercraft being moored or secured, 
and/or the nature of the mooring structure. Large heavy watercraft 
generally need a mooring apparatus made of stronger and more rigid 
materials than would generally be needed for a mooring apparatus for 
smaller light watercraft. 
In one embodiment suitable for personal watercraft and dinghies, the 
apparatus includes a rigid mooring member comprising an essentially 
horizontally oriented steel boom arm having an end proximal to the mooring 
structure and an end distal from the mooring structure. An essentially 
vertically oriented steel distal leg depends downwardly from said distal 
end a sufficient downward distance to prevent a watercraft mooring eyelet 
impaled thereby from disimpaling. An essentially vertically oriented steel 
proximal leg depends downwardly from said proximal end a sufficient 
distance to allow engagement of said mooring member with a mounting base 
attached to the mooring structure. 
Said mounting base includes a steel plate essentially in the side-view 
shape of an inverted L, said plate having an essentially vertically 
oriented portion defining a plurality of eyelet holes (401) sized and 
positioned to accommodate means for securing said base to the mooring 
structure. Said plate has an essentially horizontally oriented portion 
(essentially adjoining said vertical portion at said L juncture), having 
an upper surface and a lower surface and having an end proximal to the 
mooring structure and an end distal therefrom. Said upper surface of said 
distal end has an upstanding pair of L-shaped walls (as viewed from above 
looking down) essentially mirroring each other; said walls are essentially 
back-to-back L's separated by a channel defined by the portion of the 
walls that are back-to-back. Said upper surface of said proximal end of 
said horizontal base portion also has an upstanding wall essentially 
aligned along said L juncture; said juncture-aligned wall (20) cooperates 
with the non-back-to-back portions of the mirroring walls to define two 
aligned channels (or subchannels) perpendicular to the channel defined by 
the back-to-back wall portions. The configuration of said walls thereby 
define an intermediate and two opposite lateral channels joined in 
essentially the shape of an inverted T, from the perspective of the 
mooring structure, looking down at the horizontal portion of the mounting 
base. (As an alternative equivalent to the backstop at the top of the T 
being formed by attaching the upstanding juncture-aligned wall to the 
juncture of the horizontal and vertical base portions, the backstop may be 
formed by the appropriate attachment of the horizontal base portion to the 
vertical base portion, so that a section of the vertical base portion 
extends above the juncture of the horizontal base portion. Alternatively 
(and equivalently), the vertical base portion may be attached to an 
essentially vertical portion of a mooring structure, sufficiently below an 
essentially adjacent essentially horizontal portion of the mooring 
structure so that the horizontal portion of the mooring structure above 
said base essentially acts as a backstop comprising the top of the T 
channel.) Said horizontal portion of said base also defines a portal 
between said upper surface and said lower surface, said portal essentially 
comprising a hole situated at said juncture of said channels. Said portal 
is sized to closely accept insertion of a lowermost portion of said 
proximal leg of said mooring member when said boom arm is situated within 
one of said channels. 
Said base further includes a steel stabilizing sleeve attached to said base 
and having its chamber opening situated directly beneath said portal. Said 
sleeve defines a cylindrical interior chamber sized to closely accept the 
insertion of a lowermost portion of said cylindrical proximal leg of said 
mooring member, enabling the pivoting therein of said proximal leg along 
its longitudinal axis until said boom arm is situated within a channel. 
More particularly, said steel boom arm is constructed of square steel 
tubing approximately 1/2 inch to 2 inches in cross section and 
approximately 6 inches to 48 inches long. For mooring a personal 
watercraft with prow fronted into the mooring area of the mooring 
structure, the boom arm may preferably be approximately 8 inches long. For 
mooring a personal watercraft positioned with a side essentially parallel 
to the mooring area, the boom arm may preferably be approximately 30 
inches long. Said steel proximal leg is selected from the group of 
construction materials consisting of cylindrical steel rodding or tubing 
approximately 1/2 inch to 2 inches in diameter and approximately 3 inches 
to 48 inches long. Said steel distal leg is selected from the group of 
construction materials consisting of cylindrical steel rodding or tubing 
approximately 1/2 inch to 2 inches in diameter and approximately 12 inches 
to 60 inches long. Said steel base plate is constructed from steel plating 
approximately 1/8 inch to 1 inch thick and approximately 2 inches to 12 
inches wide, said vertical portion being approximately 3 inches to 12 
inches long, said horizontal portion being approximately 3 inches to 12 
inches long. Said steel stabilizing sleeve is constructed of steel tubing 
approximately 3 inches to 12 inches long and defining an interior chamber 
approximately 1/2 inch to 2 inches in diameter, attached to the lower 
surface of the horizontal portion, the vertical portion, or both. 
Even more particularly, said boom arm is constructed of square steel tubing 
approximately 1 inch in cross section and approximately 30 inches long, 
each end also having a cylindrical bore slightly more than 5/8 inch in 
diameter drilled vertically through said boom arm. Said proximal leg is 
constructed of stainless steel rodding approximately 5/8 inch in diameter 
and approximately 81/8 inches long, the uppermost end being inserted 
through said bore in said boom arm proximal end and firmly attached 
thereto (such as by welding). Said distal leg is constructed of stainless 
steel rodding approximately 5/8 inch in diameter and approximately 371/8 
inches long, the uppermost end being inserted through said bore in said 
boom arm distal end and firmly attached thereto. Said base plate is 
constructed of steel plating approximately 1/4 inch thick, approximately 4 
inches wide and having sufficient length to, when bent perpendicularly to 
its longitudinal plane, define a vertical portion approximately 101/4 
inches long and a horizontal portion approximately 41/4 inches long. Said 
walls are upstanding approximately 2 inches from said upper surface of 
said horizontal portion and firmly attached thereon, thereby defining said 
intermediate channel approximately 23/4 long and slightly more than 1 inch 
wide; said walls also defining each of said lateral channels approximately 
13/8 inch long and slightly more than 1 inch wide. Said portal has 
essentially the same diameter as that of said chamber of said stabilizing 
sleeve into which said portal opens. Said steel stabilizing sleeve is 
constructed of steel tubing approximately 81/8 inches long and defines an 
interior chamber slightly more than 5/8 inch in diameter. 
As mentioned above, in some versions of the invention, for each pair of 
said upstanding walls defining a respective channel, an uppermost portion 
of both of said walls defines matching eyelet holes (201) sized to accept 
a locking device (such as a pad lock, for example) transversing said 
channel when said boom arm is situated within said channel. 
If a mounting base cannot be secured to the mooring structure, the 
apparatus may further include an adaptor for securing the mooring 
apparatus to a horizontal surface of the mooring structure. Said adaptor 
includes attaching, to said horizontal portion of said inverted L base (in 
an essentially mirror-imaging arrangement), a horizontal portion of 
another member having approximately the same dimensions as said base, 
thereby forming an essentially T shaped assembly. One side of the T is 
secured to a horizontal surface of the mooring apparatus, and the other 
side of the T forms the horizontal portion of the base of the mooring 
apparatus. 
Besides the apparatus described above, the invention includes a method of 
mooring watercraft. Said method includes, after securing an apparatus 
mounting base to the mooring structure, performing the steps of inserting 
the lowermost end of a distal leg of a boom arm of a mooring member 
through a hole in a vertical surface of the watercraft, and engaging said 
mooring member with said base by positioning said boom arm in a channel 
when inserting a lowermost portion of a proximal leg of said boom arm 
through said base portal and into a stabilizing means. An additional 
method step may include inserting through said matching eyelet holes in 
said respective paired channel walls a locking device transversing said 
channel. The methods are not limited by the order in which steps are 
performed.