Abstract:
Floating dock suitable for docking sailboats comprising a floating deck area and two floating arms extending therefrom, the arms having interior edges adjacent an open area therebetween which, in use, is open to the water below, characterized in that the dock further comprises: a support bracket attachable to the interior edges of the arms and adapted to resist a force urging said arms apart; and an arrangement of rollers upstanding from the dock and adapted to support the underside of a boat guided thereon.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a National Stage entry of International Application No. PCT/GB2014/050003 filed Jan. 2, 2014, which claims the benefit of GB Application No. 1300075.7, filed Jan. 3, 2013, said applications being hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     This invention relates to floating docks, in particular those comprising multidirectional floating dock elements, and especially suited for docking sailboats. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Floating docks comprising multidirectional floating dock elements are well known. Floating docks can be constructed from subunit dock elements having projecting tabs at their edges for attachment to adjacent dock elements. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,529,013, 5,682,833, 5,947,050, 6,431,106 and 5,931,113 teach a floating drive-on dock assembled using parallelepiped shaped units. The docks generally consist of two arms (single rows) of hollow and airtight floatation units. Between the arms is an area open to the water surface. At the distal end of the two arms, a floatation unit connects the arms together to prevent the arms from spreading apart as a craft is driven onto the arms. 
     The open centre of the above type of drive-on dock does not provide sufficient guiding for several types of boat hulls. In particular, the drive-on dock is unsuitable for sailboats which cannot be driven onto the dock. Furthermore, sailboats have a depending keel which either interferes with passage onto a dock of this type, or causes the two arms to spread apart undesirably. In either case, damage to the underside of the hull and/or keel may occur. 
     Consequently, sailboats are not docked on drive-on docks. Either they are hoisted vertically clear of the water using a hydraulic lift, examples of which are provided at http://www.boatlift.com. Alternatively, they may be winched out of the water onto a road trailer, examples of which are provided at http:/www.sbstrailers.com/. The latter requires sufficient waterside access for both the trailer and towing vehicle, which may not be convenient or even possible. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a floating dock suitable for docking sailboats, which improves upon the known systems described above. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In accordance with the present invention there is provided a floating dock suitable for docking sailboats comprising a floating deck area and two floating arms extending therefrom, the arms having interior edges adjacent an open area therebetween which, in use, is open to the water below, characterised in that the dock further comprises:
         a support bracket attachable to the interior edges of the arms and adapted to resist a force urging said arms apart; and   an arrangement of rollers upstanding from the dock and adapted to support the underside of a boat guided thereon.       

     Preferably the arms are substantially parallel one another so as to define a strip of open water between them into which the keel of sailboat can fit. The support bracket is preferably U-shaped and/or made of steel. 
     The floating dock ideally includes a winch, preferably an A-frame winch, suitable for hauling a sailboat onto the dock. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the deck area and/or the arms comprise a plurality of sub-unit floating dock elements, each dock element being connectable to adjacent dock elements. Any suitable floating subunit dock elements may be employed, not necessarily the multidirectional dock elements of the above-mentioned prior art patents. 
     Each dock element is preferably provided with one or more horizontally oriented tabs with an aperture therethrough, to enable connection of each dock element to adjacent dock elements. The uniform nature of the dock elements means that a floating dock of any desired size and configuration can be created. The horizontally oriented tabs (which, in use, lie generally parallel the surface of the water) can also be used to mount the support bracket and/or roller assemblies as set out in further detail below. 
     Preferably, each corner of each dock element is provided with one of said tabs. 
     Regardless of whether a plurality of sub-unit dock elements is used to construct the dock, the interior edges of the arms, bounding the open area, are provided with a plurality of horizontally oriented tabs projecting into said open area, each tab having an aperture therethrough. 
     Preferably, the support bracket is attachable to said arms by way of a plurality of downwardly depending pins which are locatable in the apertures of said tabs. 
     The arrangement of rollers on the floating dock preferably comprises a plurality of roller assemblies, each roller assembly comprising:
         a roller support having a lower end attachable to said deck or one of said arms and an upper end adapted to support a roller; and   one or more rollers supported on said roller support.       

     Preferably, each roller assembly further comprises a roller holder comprising an upstanding holder attachable to the deck or one of the arms and said roller support having a lower end of complementary shape to said holder and adapted to fit therewith. The roller holder and the roller support are preferably of non-circular cross-section, for example generally square cross-section. 
     Various configurations of rollers are envisaged and may be used in combination in a single floating dock. The rollers may include: a keel roller of generally cylindrical shape, a double roller comprising two rollers, one on each end of an axle and/or a quad roller comprising four rollers, one on each end of each of two axles connected by a cross bar. 
     Preferably, each roller assembly is attachable to said dock by way of a downwardly depending pin which is locatable in the aperture of one of said tabs. 
     Further preferably, the roller support is slidable in said roller holder in order to adjust the height of the roller assembly. Alternatively said roller assembly further comprises one or more spacers enabling height adjustment of the roller assembly. This allows for easy adaptation of the roller arrangement on the floating dock to accommodate different models of boats. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the arrangement of rollers on the dock is such that it mimics the pattern of rollers on a road trailer for a known boat type. 
     The dock preferably further includes one or more docking arms each comprising an elongate rod having a downwardly depending pin which is locatable in the aperture of one of said tabs. 
     Further features are described in the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the invention are further described hereinafter by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a floating dock embodying the invention; 
         FIG. 1A , drawn to a larger scale, shows detail of a roller assembly; 
         FIG. 2A  is a side view of a support bracket; 
         FIG. 2B  is a top view of the support bracket of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2C  is a perspective view, viewed from underneath, of the support bracket of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view, partly exploded, of a roller assembly mounted directly on the support bracket; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a keel roller; 
         FIG. 4B  is a side view of the keel roller of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a double roller; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a quad roller; 
         FIG. 7A  is a schematic perspective view of a sailboat part-way through being winched onto the floating dock of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 7B  is a schematic perspective view of a sailboat having been winched onto the floating dock of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a floating dock  10  has a deck area  11  and two generally parallel arms  12 ,  13  extending therefrom. The arms  12 ,  13  have an open area  14  between them which is open to the water below. The whole dock  10  is made up from a plurality of individual sub-unit dock elements  15  of known type which are locked together to form a dock of desired size and shape. The dock elements  15  at the entry end  16  of the arms are typically shallower in depth than those which make up the deck area to facilitate a sailboat entering the floating dock from the water. 
     Whereas in a conventional floating dock (for powered boats, jet skis etc) the boat can propel itself up onto the dock, this is not possible with a sailboat. An A-frame winch  17  is provided at the deck end of the dock to haul the sailboat out of the water and onto the dock. 
     Furthermore, a sailboat has a depending keel which must be protected from damage and it is therefore necessary to ensure that the underside of the sailboat is properly supported throughout the docking process. An arrangement of rollers is provided which has the dual purpose of, firstly, guiding the sailboat when it is being winched onto or pushed off the dock and, secondly, to support the sailboat on the dock once the docking process is complete. 
     Different models of sailboats require a different arrangement of rollers to properly support them. The arrangement of rollers in the present invention, described in more detail below, enables easy adjustment of the position and/or height of each roller with respect to the dock so as to set up the dock for a particular model of sailboat. This is achieved by having different types of height-adjustable roller assembly available, which can be attached to the dock by way of the already-present means for attaching the individual dock elements together and/or by attachment to a support bracket. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, at the entry end  16  of the dock is an arrangement of double rollers  18  (see  FIGS. 1, 1A and 5 ). Near the interface of the arms  12 ,  13  and the deck area  11  is an arrangement of quad rollers  19  (see  FIGS. 1 and 6 ). Two further double rollers  18  are provided on the deck area to guide the bow of the sailboat onto a keel roller  20 . The bow of the sailboat may be further supported by a raised platform between the keel roller and the winch, preferably constructed from additional dock elements  15  (not illustrated). 
     In order to strengthen the dock and, in particular, to resist the force urging arms  12 ,  13  apart when a sailboat is being docked, there is provided a support bracket  21 , shown in more detail in  FIGS. 2A-2C . The support bracket  21  is preferably made from steel box section and has a generally U-shaped configuration, open to the entry end of the dock. The deck end of the support bracket has braces  24  for additional strength. 
     Each of the subunit dock elements  15  has, at each corner, a horizontally orientated tab  22  with an aperture  23  therethrough. These tabs are used to connect the dock elements  15  together by placing fixings through the overlapping apertures of adjacent dock elements. In the present invention, these tabs can also be used to mount the support bracket and/or the roller assemblies. 
     The arms of the support bracket are provided with a plurality of downwardly depending pins  25  whose spacing coincides with the apertures in the dock element tabs  22  extending along the interior edges of the arms  12 ,  13 . The support bracket  21  can therefore be easily mounted on the interior edges of the arms  12 ,  13  by dropping the pins  25  through the apertures  23 . 
     The arms of the support bracket are also provided with a plurality of spaced holes  26  on which roller assemblies can be mounted. 
       FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of how a roller assembly can be mounted to the support bracket  21 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 1A , the double roller assembly comprises a roller holder  30 , a roller support  31  and a two rollers  32  one on each end of an axle  33 . The roller holder  30  can either be mounted on the overlapping tabs  22  of adjacent dock elements (as shown in  FIG. 1A ) or welded directly onto the support bracket  21  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). Alternatively, a roller assembly without roller holder can have its roller support  31  inserted into one of the support bracket holes  26 . The illustrated roller holder  30  has a box section of suitable size to receive a roller support  31 , whose lowermost end is also of box section. Other non-circular shapes are envisaged for the roller holder and lowermost end of the roller support. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the roller support  31  is height adjustable. Height adjustment can be achieved either by having a telescopic roller support or by the provision of one or more spacers intermediate the roller holder  30  and the roller support  31 . Mounted on the roller support  31  are the rollers  32  which, in the case of a double roller, are on either end of an axle  33 . A quad roller (as illustrated in  FIG. 6 ) has four rollers  32  mounted on two axles  33  connected by a cross bar  34 . A keel roller (as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  has a single roller  32  mounted on the roller support  31 . 
     The pattern in which the roller assemblies are arranged on the dock is selected according to the model of sailboat it is intended to dock. Ideally, the arrangement of rollers mimics the pattern of rollers present on a road trailer for that particular model of sailboat. Double rollers (which have more of a guiding function than a support function) are typically located at the entry end of the dock. Quad rollers (which have more of a support function than a guiding function) are typically located at the deck end of the arms. All of the roller assemblies are height adjustable by virtue of the telescopic roller supports or provision of spacers. The lowermost end of the roller support may extend downwardly beyond the roller holder, or a depending pin may be provided on the roller support which can locate in the tab aperture  23  or the hole  26  in the support bracket. 
     Each of the individual dock elements  15  from which the dock is constructed has tabs  22  at its corners, meaning that roller assemblies can potentially be placed anywhere on the dock. Roller assemblies placed on the support bracket at the interior edges of the arms  12 ,  13  have the additional strength provided by the support bracket itself. Different support brackets  12  (with different patterns of holes  26  therein) can be provided for different models of sailboats. 
     In use, in order to dock a sailboat on the floating dock, the sailboat approaches the entry end of the dock. The winch  17  is connected to the bow of the sailboat. The winch can be wound manually or operated automatically to haul the sailboat into the entry end of the dock wherein the bow rises onto the double rollers at the entry end of the arms  12 ,  13 . Continued winching pulls the sailboat onto the rollers, with the keel located in the open area  14 . As the bow approaches the deck area  11 , it is supported by roller on the deck area until the bow comes to rest on the keel roller  20 . Docking arms  40  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) provide lateral support for the sailboat. These docking arms can be located in any of the tab apertures  23 . 
     When it is desired to launch the sailboat from the dock, it can simply be pushed back towards the entry end  16 , guided by the rollers, in the reverse of the docking operation. 
     The floating dock of the present invention thus provides a convenient and relatively low cost means for docking a sailboat which minimises the risk of damage to the keel. The dock is easily configurable for different models of sailboat. 
     Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise” and “contain” and variations of them mean “including but not limited to”, and they are not intended to (and do not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps. Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise. 
     The word “floating” as applied to a floating dock or dock element is used for consistency with the prior art and simply means “floatable” i.e. that the dock or dock element is able to float on water. The word includes within its scope floatable elements regardless of whether they are currently in or out of the water. 
     Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed. 
     The reader&#39;s attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.