Boat bow access ladder for trailer

A boat ladder attached to a trailer for easy access to a bow of a boat. The ladder comprises two side rails with spaced-apart steps or rungs between the side rails, the lower portion of one of the side rails curving a predetermined distance toward the other side rail and then running parallel with the other side rail wherein the lower ends of the ladder side rails fit into bases secured to a front longitudinal member of the trailer. The bases are secured on each side of the longitudinal member of the trailer, and the lower ends of the side rails fit into cylindrical tubes attached to the sides of the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to ladders for climbing onto a boat and in particular to a ladder that quickly attaches to a base mounted on a boat trailer and provides access to a bow of the boat.

2. Description of Related Art

Boat trailers generally have a frame that is Y-shaped at the front end having a tongue for mounting on a hitch attached to the rear of a vehicle, and a winch post mounted on a longitudinal member of the Y-shaped frame front end.

When a boat is being launched and the boat and trailer are backed into water, accessibility to the boat is restricted and usually not very easy to accomplish especially when there is no dock. Generally, boat ladders are for access to a boat when it is in the water. However, it is often necessary to climb onto the bow of the boat either before launch or after loading the boat back onto the trailer. It is common to stand on the trailer near the winch, but it is difficult to get onto the bow or nose platform from the trailer without climbing on a ladder.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,941, issued Apr. 3, 1979 to Ivan S. Haslam, discloses a boat bow ladder assembly comprising a mounting bracket and a ladder portion. The ladder portion includes a plurality of exposed rungs disposed at least during use in a substantially vertical orientation. The mounting bracket attaches to the bow of the boat by means of an existing eye used to connect the bow of the boat to a trailer.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,946, issued Apr. 27, 1999 to Wesley E. Brackett, discloses a boarding ladder and winch mount system for a boat trailer. A front member mounts on a frame of the trailer; a top member mounts a winch for drawing a boat onto the trailer. A step subassembly mounts to a stringer member and crossbar and the rungs have an accurate shape extending approximately ninety degrees from the front member to the stringer member. It is particularly useful for climbing onto the deck of a pontoon boat when it is loaded on a trailer.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,372, issued Jun. 23, 1992 to Noboru Kobayashi et al., and assigned to Yamaha et al., discloses a ladder which is stowed within a recessed area on a bow of a boat and it is moveable over the tip of the bow to extend from the boat to a landing area in order to assist in boarding or alighting a boat or other similar watercraft. It is particularly useful when a boat is beached bow first. It does not attach to a trailer and could present safety issues if used when a boat is on a trailer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,621, issued Nov. 14, 2000, to John E. Nye, discloses a foldable boarding ladder for a boat bow. This ladder is suitable for boarding the bow end of a boat which has been beached bow first, and when the ladder is not in use it can be folded to a size convenient for compact storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a ladder that readily attaches to a boat trailer and provides access to a bow of a boat.

It is another object of this invention to provide a ladder base that attaches to the front end of a boat trailer, and has receptacle sides for insertion of the legs of the ladder.

It is another object of this invention to provide a boat bow access ladder having a lower portion wherein a first side rail curves a predetermined distance toward a second side rail and then continues parallel to said second side rail for insertion into the ladder base.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ladder that is easily set-up and removed from a boat trailer.

It is another object of this invention to provide ladder rungs that are slip-resistance by attaching anti-slip material to the upper surface of the rungs.

These and other objects are accomplished by a boat bow access ladder comprising means attached to a trailer for holding the ladder, the ladder having side rails and a plurality of steps, the side rails being inserted into the holding means secured to a trailer for providing access to a bow of a boat. A first one of the side rails curves a predetermined distance toward a second of the side rails then proceeds parallel to the second of the side rails for insertion into the holding means. The holding means comprises a pair of receptacles secured on opposite sides of the holding means for receiving the side rails of the ladder. The holding means comprises cylindrical tubes. Each of the steps comprise a slip resistant material adhered to an upper surface of the steps.

The objects are further accomplished by a boat bow access ladder comprising means attached to a trailer for receiving ladder side rails, and a ladder having a plurality of rungs positioned between the side rails wherein an end portion of a first side rail curves toward a second side rail a predetermined distance until the first side rail and the second side rail are parallel and insertable into the receiving means. The receiving means comprises receptacles secured on opposite sides of the receiving means. The receptacles comprise cylindrical tubes. The receiving means comprises an inverted U-shaped base having a receptacle attached to each side of the base. Each of the rungs comprises a slip resistant material adhered to an upper surface of the rungs.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG.1andFIG. 2, a perspective view of a boat bow access ladder10according to the invention is shown. The ladder10is attached to a boat trailer16and positioned near the bow area14of a boat15.FIG. 2is a front elevational view of the boat bow access ladder10according to the invention. The boat bow access ladder10is particularly useful when the boat15and trailer16are on a loading ramp and the accessibility to the boat15is restricted because of the submerged position of the boat15and the trailer16under the boat's stern. The boat bow access ladder10is inserted into base plates12and13which attach to each side of longitudinal member17of the trailer16.

The ladder10comprises side rails20,22and a plurality of steps or rungs26,28,30which are welded between the side rails20,22. The lower portion24of side rail20below rung26curves inward a predetermined distance A from side rail20toward side rail22and then runs parallel to side rail22again at a predetermined distance B. The predetermined distance B is determined by the width of the base12into which the ladder10mounts. In the present embodiment the lower end of side rail20curves to a point midway across the width of the step26. The side rails20,22and the steps or rungs26,28,30may be embodied with tubular aluminum although other known materials such as plastic may also be used to implement the ladder10. A one inch wide strip of non-skid material32,34,36is applied to the upper surface of each rung26,28,30to make the ladder safer to use when it is wet. The non-skid material may be embodied by a safety slip-resistance material made by 3M.

Referring now toFIG. 3, a front elevational view of each base12and13is shown for mounting the boat bow access ladder10on the trailer16. Each base12and13comprises an elongated base plates45and70and two side sections44,46forming an inverted U-shape bracket or bases12and13for mounting on the trailer16. A first receptacle or hollow cylindrical tube40is attached to the side section44and a second receptacle or hollow cylindrical tube42is attached to the side section46. Cylindrical-shaped stop pins50,52are inserted through ⅛ inch holes in the side of the cylindrical tubes40,42near the lower end of the cylindrical tubes40,42for stopping the ends of the ladder side rails20,22, when inserted into the base cylindrical tubes40,42, from protruding from the bottom of the bases12and13. The stop pins50,52may be stainless steel or aluminum. The base sections44,46may be embodied with ½ inch×4 inch aluminum, and the base cylindrical tubes40,42may be embodied by 1-½ inch. The cylindrical tubes40,42are attached to the side sections44,46by welding.

Referring toFIG. 4, a top view of the bases12and13are shown. The cylindrical tubes40,42are attached to base sides44,46respectively, and the stop pins50,52extend across the diameter of the cylindrical tubes40,42.

Referring again to FIG.1andFIG. 5,FIG. 5is a side elevational view of each base12and13showing the cylindrical tubes40and42attached approximately in the center of side section44and46.FIG. 1shows a front perspective view of the bases12and13attached to the longitudinal member17of trailer16. At least 4, ⅜ inch holes54,56,57and60are provided in the lower and upper portion of each of the side sections44and46for inserting bolts58,5961, and62through holes54,56,57and60in order to secure the bases12and13to the longitudinal member17of the trailer16.

This invention has been disclosed in terms of certain embodiments. It will be apparent that many modifications can be made to the disclosed apparatus without departing from the invention. Therefore, it is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of this invention.