Device for cleaning stays

A cleaning unit including a stay cleaning means such as a brush is mounted in the housing and is permitted to freely rotate around the axis of the stay. When the housing is moved up and down the length of the stay in a fixed angular position, the cleaning unit is free to rotate with the wind of the stay and thus the stay is cleaned.

This invention relates generally to a device for cleaning stays of the type 
that are used on a sailboat for holding the mast in a fixed position. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Stays that are commonly in the form of wound cables are used on sailboats 
for holding masts in fixed position. These stays, or guide wires as they 
are sometimes called, generally extend from the mast at various positions, 
most usually from an upper portion, to a point on the deck or hull of the 
boat. Commonly, these stays require frequent cleaning due to corrosion, 
rust and the collection of salt and dirt. This has been traditionally a 
manual operation requiring an individual to climb to the upper portions of 
the stays and hand clean them with handheld cleaning items such as cloths. 
Several prior art patents have been directed to apparatus and devices for 
cleaning stays and these include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,219,051; 1,407,674; 
1,748,900; 3,116,811 and 3,791,330. These prior cleaning apparatus range 
from the simplistic device of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,330 patent to the 
rather complicated mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,811. These prior art 
cleaning devices, however, have had problems either because the devices 
tend to wind the pulling cord or halyard around the stay, or the devices 
are mechanically complicated, unreliable and expensive to manufacture. 
SUMMARY 
According to this invention there is provided a stay cleaning device which 
comprises in combination a cleaning unit housing and a cleaning unit 
mounted therein. 
The cleaning unit housing is adapted to be moved up and down along the 
length of the stay in fixed angular position. That is to say, the housing 
does not rotate around the axis of the stay. A cleaning unit including a 
stay cleaning means such as a brush is mounted in the housing and is 
permitted to freely rotate around the axis of the stay. When the housing 
is moved up and down the length of the stay in a fixed angular position, 
the cleaning unit is free to rotate with the wind of the stay and thus the 
stay is cleaned. 
A halyard which is normally used on a sailboat for lifting the sails into 
position to catch the wind, can be used to tow the cleaning unit up and 
down along the length of the stay. In addition to the halyard, other lines 
that are normally used on a sailboat can be used for this towing purpose 
when connected to the cleaning unit. 
It was an object of this invention to provide a stay cleaning device which 
would be reliable, and which would eliminate as many moving parts as 
possible. 
Another object of this invention is a provision of a stay cleaning device 
that is relatively compact and could be operated with existing equipment 
on a sailboat. 
A still further object of this invention was to provide a stay cleaning 
device which would not wind a halyard or line to which it was attached 
around the stay. 
These and other objects of the invention were accomplished by the provision 
of a stay cleaning device wherein a simple housing can be moved up and 
down along the length of the stay in fixed angular position while a 
cleaning unit within the housing is free to rotate with the wind of the 
stay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a stay cleaning device 10 
according to the invention. The stay cleaning device 10 includes a 
cleaning unit housing 11 and a cleaning unit 12 which is assembled of 
several different components. As shown in FIG. 4, cleaning unit housing 11 
is adapted to be moved up and down the length of a stay 13 in a fixed 
angular position, that is to say it will not rotate with respect to the 
axis of the stay. Cleaning unit 12 on the other hand is mounted in housing 
11 for free angular rotation around the axis of the stay so that it can 
follow the wind of the stay. 
Cleaning unit 12 includes sector 14, and a like sector 15 which form halves 
of the cleaning unit. The sectors 14 and 15 include a slot 16 and a 
corresponding ridge 17 on the opposite side of the sector to provide 
alignment of the two sectors 14 and 15. In the middle of each sector 14 
and 15 is a groove 18. Adapted to be placed in groove 18 is a brush 
assembly 19 which includes brush mounting base 20 and a brush 21 which has 
a concave surface 22. 
Biasing spring 23 is provided to fit behind brush assembly 19 to force the 
brush assembly outwardly in the direction of the brush bristles 22. 
Biasing spring 23 can be fastened to brush base 20 by means of a fastener 
24 which can be inserted through hole 25 in the biasing spring 23 and 
imbedded in brush base 20. Adapted to be positioned on the ends of sector 
13 are bearing plates 26 and 27. These bearing plates in turn can be fixed 
by fasteners 28 which pass through holes 29 and are imbedded in the 
material of sectors 14 and 15. Fastened to sector 14 are spring clips 30 
which are adapted to mate with spring clip retainer groove 31 in the 
mating sector 15. 
housing 11 has a cylindrical interior section 32 into which cleaning unit 
12 is inserted. Sectors 14 and 15 of cleaning unit 12 are assembled 
together by means of the spring clips 30 in sector 14 being snapped into 
spring clip retainer grooves 31 in sector 15. Similarly, ridges 17 fit 
into groove 16 on the opposite sector resulting in the formation of the 
fully assembled cleaning unit 12. The two halves of housing 11 are hinged 
together by hinges 33 fastened with hinge pins 34. The housing is locked 
together by locking flanges 35 which are locked by fastener 36. 
At each end of housing 11 are pulling flanges 37 provided with holes 38. 
Housing 11 is further provided with side flanges 39 which in turn are 
provided with elongate holes 40. 
Housing 11 is also provided with a threaded water inlet 41 to which a 
fitting 42 can be fixed. 
In operation, after the two halves of cleaning unit 12 are placed over a 
stay 13 and the assembly closed and locked with spring clips 30 being 
engaged with retainer grooves 31, housing 11 is placed over cleaning unit 
12 and closed and secured by fastener 36 through locking flanges 35. Brush 
21 is forced by biasing spring 23 in contact with the wind of stay 13. 
Halyards or lines can be connected to flanges 37 whereby the cleaning 
device can be moved up and down along the length of the stay by pulling as 
shown in FIG. 4. Since the brush 21 is in contact with the wind of stay 
13, the cleaning unit which is free to rotate within the interior 
cylindrical section 32 of housing 11 will rotate on bearing plates 26. 
Because the introduction of water to the interior housing 11 during the 
cleaning operation may be helpful to promote cleaning and remove debris 
that is brushed from the stay, such may be introduced during the cleaning 
operation through part 41 and fitting 42. 
Housing 11 may also be positioned and moved up and down stay 13 by means of 
a boat hook 43 (as shown on dotted lines on FIG. 4) which can be inserted 
through elongate slots 40. 
In accordance with an object of the invention, the parts of the cleaning 
device can be easily manufactured of desirable materials. Both the housing 
and the sectors of the cleaning unit can be made by means of injection 
molded plastics, composite materials such as filled plastics and/or metal 
or other materials with machining capabilities to create the structures 
described herein. The same is true of brush base 20. It is preferred to 
have bearing plates 26 manufactured of teflon materials because of their 
durability and lubricity. 
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing 
from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present 
embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative 
and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the 
appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all changes 
which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are 
therefore intended to be embraced therein.