Abstract:
A kelp removing system is provided. The system may comprise a kelp remover and an access tube. The access tube is pre-installed on the hull of the boat adjacent to and exterior of the keel for providing access to the leading edge of the keel from within the boat. A proximal end of the access tube is located above the water level such that the water does come into the boat through the access tube and flood the boat. The kelp remover is insertable into the access tube with a blade in a retracted position. Once the kelp remover is inserted into the access tube, the blade may be traversed to the extended position exposing a sharp edge. The blade is rotated against the leading edge of the keel by rotating the handle. The handle is lifted up while applying pressure on the keel leading edge with the blade. In this manner, kelp tangled on the keel is cut off of the keel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not Applicable  
       STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     The present invention relates generally to a device and a method for removing kelp and debris from a keel of a boat.  
         [0004]     The keel of a sail boat is a rigid, relatively flat piece of material attached to the lowest part of the hull and is used to give the sail boat greater directional control and stability. Keels on large sail boats may also behave as foils which use the forward motion of the sail boat to generate lift to counter the lateral force from the sails. Simply put, the keel increases the competitive advantage of the sail boat.  
         [0005]     During a race or leisurely ride, a sail boat may cross the path of kelp which typically floats on the surface of the sea water. Kelp will become tangled with the keel which reduces the sail boat&#39;s performance. For example, the boat may no longer be able to point, the rudder may flutter or the helm&#39;s feel may change. In this instance, a visual inspection of the keel through a keel window may determine whether there is kelp tangled on the keel.  
         [0006]     There are generally three methods of removing kelp from the keel. The first method involves a long slender stick. The stick method is quick and effective but the operator may not be able to reach the kelp with the stick. The reason is that kelp usually floats. As such, when kelp is tangled onto the keel, the kelp tends to float to the upper most portion of the keel directly under the hull of the boat. For example, it may be difficult to reach the top of the keel because the operator&#39;s arms are not sufficiently long such that the stick may be extended out and away from the hull. In use, the operator lays on the deck with the stick in hand. With the operator&#39;s arms extended out and away from the boat, the operator lays the stick on the water next to the hull. The water moves the stick under the boat and up against the keel. The operator prys the stick up against the hull of the boat to scrape the kelp down and off of the keel. Hopefully, the stick is positioned above the kelp. If not, then the kelp at the upper most portion of the keel remains on the keel, and thus, unfortunately, the stick method may not be able to remove kelp from the upper most portion of the keel.  
         [0007]     The second method involves a rope which may reach the upper most portion of the keel. The rope method may be utilized to remove kelp from the keel when the stick method is ineffective. The rope is tossed out to leeward until the rope is fully extended along and behind the boat. The rope is moved under the knuckle at the bow of the boat to position the rope at the upper most portion of the keel. The operator&#39;s hand is raised a foot then lowered while making his/her way to the aft. The rope moves down the keel to remove the kelp from the keel. Unfortunately, this method requires time for the operator to slowly push the kelp off of the keel. Also, this method may require two people to remove the kelp.  
         [0008]     The third method involves sailing backwards to release the kelp from the keel. Unfortunately, this maneuver requires a great deal of skill and practice.  
         [0009]     In sail boats with fixed keels, a blade may be integrated with the keel. The blade may be located within the leading edge of the keel. The blade may be rotated from a stored positioned to a cutting position. In the stored position, the blade is tucked inside of the keel. In the cutting position, the blade is rotated out and may be traversed along the entire vertical length of the keel to cut the kelp off of the keel. In use, the operator will traverse the blade to the bottom portion of the keel. The blade is traversed to the cutting position. The blade is then traversed up the leading edge of the keel with a pully system integrally built into the keel and the boat. As the blade is traversed up the leading edge of the keel, kelp is cut off of the keel. Unfortunately, prior art movable blades are only used on boats with fixed keels and are not employed on boats with removeable keels or trailable boats.  
         [0010]     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved device and method for removing kelp from a boat keel.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0011]     The kelp removing system discussed herein addresses the deficiencies in the prior art identified above, discussed below and other deficiencies known in the art.  
         [0012]     The kelp removing system discussed herein may have a kelp remover and an access tube. The kelp remover may have a trigger, a handle, a shank, a blade and a blade linkage system. The trigger is operative to traverse the blade between a retracted position and an extended position via the blade linkage system. The blade has a sharp upper leading edge which is operative to cut kelp when the blade is traverse vertically along the keel leading edge. Moreover, the blade is aligned to the handle to indicate the angular location of the blade when the kelp remover is inserted into the access tube and below the boat hull.  
         [0013]     The access tube may be attached to the hull of the boat. The access tube provides access to the keel from within the boat. The access tube may define a first distal end and a second distal end. The first distal end may be located above a water level of the boat. In this manner, sea water does not overflow into the boat through the access tube. The second distal end may be located adjacent the keel. The access tube may be positioned adjacent a leading edge of the keel such that the blade edge may be rotated tangentially adjacent the keel leading edge, as shown in  FIG. 8 . Also, the access tube is vertically aligned to the keel which also has a vertical orientation such that as the kelp remover is slid up and down within the access tube, the blade follows the keel leading edge and cuts kelp off of the keel.  
         [0014]     In a method of employing the kelp remover, the access tube is installed on the boat hull adjacent to the leading edge of the keel. While sailing, kelp may become tangled on the keel. To employ the kelp remover to remove the kelp from the keel, an operator traverses the blade to the retracted position. The kelp remover is inserted into the access tube. The operator traverses the blade to the extended position. The operator rotates the blade against the leading edge of the keel by rotating the handle and/or the trigger. The operator lifts the handle traversing the blade&#39;s sharp leading edge against the keel leading edge to cut kelp off of the keel. The operator cyclically traverses the blade up and down the vertical leading edge of the keel until all of the kelp is removed from the keel.  
         [0015]     After all of the kelp is removed from the keel, the operator traverses the blade to the retracted position. The operator then removes the kelp remover from the access tube and stores the kelp remover for future use. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a kelp remover with the blade in a retracted position;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the kelp remover with the blade in an extended position;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the kelp remover of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the blade and blade linkage system of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the blade linkage system illustrating the undercenter relationship of a second pivot point with respect to a travel axis defined by a first pivot point and a third pivot point;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the blade linkage system at an intermediate position as the blade is traversed to either the extended position or the retracted position;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the blade linkage system with the blade at the extended position; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a cross sectional top view of the kelp remover and keel showing the blade rotated into position adjacent the keel to cut the kelp off of the keel. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0025]     Referring now to the drawings which are for the purposes of illustration and not limitation,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a side view of a kelp remover  10 . The kelp remover  10  has a handle  12  attached to a shank portion  14 , a trigger  16 , a blade  18  and a blade linkage system  20 . The trigger  16  is linked to the blade  18  via the blade linkage system  20  and may traverse the blade  18  between a retracted position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5  and an extended position as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 7 . The blade  18  is traversed to the extended position when the operator is ready to cut the kelp off of the keel  22 . To move the kelp remover  10  into position to cut the kelp off of the keel  22  the distal end  24  of the shank portion  14 , while the blade  18  is in the retracted position, is inserted into an access tube  26  which is attached to the hull  28  of the boat. The access tube  26  is positioned adjacent to the keel  22  and provides access to the keel  22 . Once the kelp remover  10  is inserted into the tube  26 , the trigger  16  is actuated to traverse the blade  18  to the extended position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The handle  12  may be rotated to dispose the blade  18  edge tangentially against the leading edge of the keel  22 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Also, the handle  12  may be raised and lowered to traverse the blade  18  against the length of the keel  22  leading edge, and more importantly, the upper portion of the leading edge of the keel  22  due to kelp floating to the keel upper portion. Kelp tangled on the keel  22  will be cut by the blade  18  and removed therefrom. In this manner, a simple yet effective system/device is shown for removing kelp from a boat keel. No special skill is necessary. The operator merely inserts the kelp remover  10  into the access tube  26  pre-positioned adjacent to the keel  22 , traverses the blade  18  to the extended position, rotates the blade  18  adjacent the leading edge of the keel  22 , cuts the kelp off of the keel  22 , removes the kelp remover  10  from the access tube  26 , and stores the kelp remover  10  for future use.  
         [0026]     The shank portion  14  of the kelp remover  10  may have a hollow cylindrical configuration which may completely houses the blade  18  and the blade linkage system  20  when the blade  18  is in the retracted position such that insertion of the shank  14  into the access tube  26  is easy, safe and efficient. The operator of the kelp remover  10  does not have to align any other part with the access tube  26  to fully insert the shank portion  14  into the access tube  26 . When the shank portion  14  is inserted into the access tube  26 , the blade  18  is adjacent to the keel  22 . The shank portion  14  is sufficiently long such that the blade  18  may be raised and lowered against the entire vertical length of the keel  22 . The diameter of the shank portion  14  may be sized and configured to fit within the access tube  26 . In particular, the outer diameter of the shank portion  14  is sufficiently smaller compared to the inner diameter of the access tube  26  such that there is no excessive slack or play between the shank portion  14 , and the access tube  26  and the shank portion  14  is allowed to slide within the access tube  26 .  
         [0027]     The handle  12  may be attached to the proximal end  36  of the shank  14 . The handle  12  may have a cylindrical configuration (see  FIG. 3 ) and be attached perpendicularly with respect to the shank  14  (see  FIG. 1 ). Also, the handle  12  may be aligned to the leading edge of the blade  18  when the blade  18  is in the extended position. In this manner, the operator knows the rotational orientation of the blade  18  even though the blade  18  may be out of sight underneath the hull  28 . Additionally, a top side of the handle  12  may have indicia  32  to indicate the angular orientation of the blade  18  such that the angular position of the blade  18  is known after the kelp remover  10  is inserted into the access tube  26 . The handle  12  may be sized and configured to be graspable by a human hand.  
         [0028]     The trigger  16  may be attached to a rigid elongate bar  34 . A proximal end  36  of the elongate bar  34  may be attached to the trigger  16  having a bulbous configuration such that the operator may push the trigger  16  down or pull the trigger up without undue stress on the operator&#39;s fingers. The trigger  16  is operative to translate the blade  18  between the retracted and extended positions via the blade linkage system  20 . When the trigger  16  is in the up position (see  FIG. 1 ), the blade  18  is in the retracted position. Also, when the trigger  16  is in the down position (see  FIG. 2 ), the blade  18  is in the extended position.  
         [0029]     The blade linkage system  20  may be defined by three links having three pivot points. The first link is the elongate bar  34  that extends from the trigger  16 . The second link is the blade  18 . The elongate bar  34  and the blade  18  is attached to each other at the first pivot point  38 . The third link  40  is pivotally attached to the blade  18  at the second pivot point  42 . Also, the third link is pivotally attached to the distal end  24  of the shank  14  defining the third pivot point  44 .  
         [0030]     More particularly, the distal end  46  of the elongate member  34  may have a slot  48  (see  FIG. 4 ) which is pivotally pinned to the blade  18 . The blade  18  may have a flat configuration with a sharp blade edge  50  which is oriented in the upward direction when the blade  18  is traversed to the extended position. Each time  52  of the third link may be disposed on opposite sides of the blade  18 . Also, first distal ends of the third link may be pivotally pinned to a middle portion of the blade  18  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . Second distal ends of the times  52  may be attached to a base  54 . The base  54  which is fixedly attached to the shank portion  14  distal end may have two slots for receiving each of the times  52  of the third link.  
         [0031]     The operator may push down on the bulbous portion of the trigger  16  to traverse the blade  18  from the retracted position to the extended position. In particular, the first and third pivot points  38 ,  44  may define a travel axis  56  (see  FIG. 5 ) of the elongate member  34  when the trigger  16  is pushed down or pulled up by the operator. When the operator pushes down on the trigger  16 , the first pivot point  38  is moved closer to the third pivot point  44 . Also, the second pivot point  42  is moved laterally outward from the travel axis  56  to traverse the blade  18  to the extended position, as shown in  FIGS. 5-7 . The downward force pushes the second pivot point  42  outward because the second pivot point  42  is undercenter with respect to the first and second pivot points  38 ,  42 . When the operator pulls up on the trigger  16 , the first pivot point  38  is drawn away from the third pivot point  44 . Also, the second pivot point  42  is moved laterally toward the travel axis  56 . The undercentered relationship of the second pivot point  42  with respect to the travel axis  56  is maintained when the blade  18  is in the retracted position because a back surface  58  of the blade  18  is in contact with an inner surface  60  of the shank  14 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The inner surface  60  of the shank  14  limits the pivotal range of the blade  18  to pivot such that the second pivot point  42  is not aligned to or inwardly offset with respect to the travel axis  56  which would possibly lock the blade  18  in the shank portion  14 .  
         [0032]     As best shown in  FIG. 5 , the second pivot point  42  is outwardly offset with respect to the travel axis  56  defined by the first and third pivot points  38 ,  44 . With slight downward pressure on the trigger  16 , the blade  18  may be traversed to the extended position as shown in  FIG. 7 . The blade  18  is fully traversed to the extended position when the distal end  62  of the elongate bar  34  contacts or is adjacent to the base  54 . At this point, the trigger  16  and the elongate bar  34  cannot be traversed downward any further. Also, the blade leading edge  50  is preferably perpendicular to the travel axis  56 . In the extended position, the blade  18  cannot be or it is difficult to retract the blade  18  back into the shank  14  via a downward force applied to the distal end  62  of the blade  18 . Rather, the weight of the elongate bar  34  and the downward pressure applied to the trigger  16  maintains the blade  18  in the extended position as the kelp remover  10  and more particularly the blade  18  is traversed upward along the keel  22  leading edge to cut the kelp off of the keel leading edge.  
         [0033]     At the upper most stroke of the blade  18 , the blade  18  may contact the bottom of the hull  28  thereby possibly cutting or damaging the boat hull  28 . To prevent any such damage, the hull  28  bottom may have a kickplate  64  fabricated from non-corrosive material to prevent the blade  18  from damaging the boat hull  28  while the blade  18  is being traversed upward to cut the kelp off of the keel  22 . More particularly, the kickplate  64  may extend about the periphery of the access tube  26  such that the blade  18  does not damage the boat hull  28 . Also, the kickplate  64  may extend in front of the leading edge of the keel  22 .  
         [0034]     The access tube  26 , as discussed above, provides access to the keel  22 . The access tube  26  may be preinstalled through the hull  28  of the boat. More particularly, the access tube  26  may have a straight cylindrical configuration with a hollow center. The bottom end  66  of the access tube  26  may be attached to the hull  28  of the boat near the front leading edge of the keel  22 . In this manner, when the kelp remover  10  is inserted into the access tube  26  and the blade  18  traversed to the extended position, the blade  18  may be rotated tangentially against the leading edge of the keel  22 . The access tube  26  may be sufficiently long such that the upper end  68  of the access tube  26  is clearly above the water level  70  when the boat is in water. This prevents water from entering the boat interior via the access tube  26 .  
         [0035]     In use, the kelp remover  10  may be operative to remove kelp from a leading edge of the keel  22  without significant disruption from the operations of the boat. For example, the kelp remover  10  may be employed while the boat is in full forward motion. Also, the kelp remover  10  may be operated by a single person.  
         [0036]     To remove kelp from the keel  22 , the operator may check to ensure that the blade  18  is in the retracted position. With the blade  18  in the retracted position and blade  18  and blade linkage system  20  fully disposed within the shank  14 , the outer diameter of the shank  14  is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the access tube  26  such that the kelp remover  10  shank may be inserted into the access tube  26 . The operator may insert the distal end of the kelp remover  10  shank into the access tube  26 . The top side of the handle  12  may have an arrow  32  and the handle  12  may be aligned to the blade  18  to indicate the angular location of the blade  18  when the blade  18  is in the extended position under the hull  28 . The user knows whether the blade  18  is in the retracted position or the extended position based on the height of the bulbous portion of the trigger  16  with respect to the handle  12 . If the bulbous portion of the trigger  16  is up, then the blade  19  is in the retracted position. Alternatively, if the bulbous portion of the trigger  16  is down, then the blade  18  is in the extended position. With the bulbous portion still in the up position, the operator may press down on the trigger  16  to traverse the blade  18  to the extended position.  
         [0037]     As the blade  18  is traversed to the extended position, the blade  18  and the third link folds out of the shank  14  through an aperture  72  formed at the distal portion of the shank  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The second pivot point  42  is undercenter with respect to the first and third pivot points  38 ,  44  (i.e., the travel axis  56 ) to buckle the blade  18  outward of the shank  14  due to the downward pressure applied to the trigger  16 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . When the blade  18  is fully extended, the leading edge of the blade  18  is preferably perpendicular to the travel axis  56 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The operator rotates the handle  12  until the arrow  32  indicates that the blade  18  is adjacent the leading edge of the keel  22  (see  FIG. 8 ) and until the operator confirms the same based on the feel of the blade  22  contacting the keel  22  leading edge.  
         [0038]     The operator then cyclically lifts the handle  12  up and pushes the handle  12  down while applying rotational pressure to handle  12  to maintain the blade  18  against the keel  22  leading edge to cut the kelp off of the keel  22  leading edge. The operator continues to cut the kelp off of the leading edge until all of the kelp is removed from the leading edge of the keel  22 . Thereafter, the operator lifts the trigger  16  to the up position to traverse the blade  18  back to the retracted position. When the blade  18  is in the retracted position, the blade  18  and the blade linkage system  20  are confined within the shank  14  such that the shank  14  may be removed from the access tube  26  in an easy, safe and efficient manner.  
         [0039]     In an aspect of the kelp remover  10 , the trigger  15 , shank  14 , handle  12  and blade  18  do not rotate with respect to each other about the travel axis  56 . In particular, as discussed above, the base  54  is fixedly engaged to the distal end  24  of the shank  14 . For example, the base  54  may be swaged or welded to the distal end  24  of the shank  14 . The base  54  provides two slots  48  which receive and are pivotally pinned to the times  52  of the third link. The times  52  of the third link are disposed on opposed sides of the blade  18  and pivotally pinned thereto. The blade  18  is then received into and pivotally pinned to the slot  48  formed in the distal end  46  of the rigid elongate member  34 . Accordingly, the slots  48  and pins fix the rotation movement about the travel axis  56  between the trigger  16 , shank  14 , handle  12 , and blade  18 .  
         [0040]     In another aspect of the kelp remover  10 , the same is independent of the keel  22 . In the prior art, the blade  18  was made integral with the keel  22 . However, only fixed keels or large sail boats had keels with integral blades. Smaller boats or trailable boats could not incorporate the integral blades in the keel because the keel had to be removed when being trailered. Smaller boats had to rely on the stick, the rope or backward sailing methods discussed in the background to remove kelp from the keel. The kelp remover  10  discussed herein permits smaller boats with removable keels to efficiently cut kelp off of the keel  22  with the kelp remover  10 .  
         [0041]     The kelp remover and/or the access tube may be fabricated from stainless steel or other suitable material.  
         [0042]     Optionally, it is contemplated that the blade  18  may be biased to the retracted position. For example, a torsion spring may be attached to the third link and the base  54 . If the blade  18  is biased to the retracted position, then the blade  18  does not become exposed during storage creating a hazardous sharp object.  
         [0043]     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. For example, the kelp remover may be employed in powerboats with stabilizers. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.