Patent Publication Number: US-8539901-B2

Title: Boat casting platform

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a boat casting platform and especially to a casting platform for a fishing boat for supporting a fisherman during casting with a fishing rod. 
     A casting platform or casting deck generally is positioned on the front floor portion of a boat and is generally raised in order to give a fisherman a better view of the casting area and to give the fisherman more flexibility in movement during casting bait or an artificial lure or fly. 
     In the past, there have been various attachments for boats for supporting a fisherman. These attachments generally are mounted to the floor or to the bow of a boat and provide a fisherman with a seat or floor to stand on while fishing with a casting rod. 
     The casting platform is especially useful in fly fishing in which a fly fishing rod casts an artificial fly on the end of a fishing line. The fly line is heavy enough to send the fly to the target. Fly fishing differs from the use a spinner or bait casting rod which may have a weight or lure on the end of a line for casting. The weight pulls the line from a reel or from the basket during the forward motion of a cast. Once a fish is hooked, it can be retrieved onto a reel. A hooked fish is then fought on the reel. 
     The present invention is especially adapted for fly fishing and provides a casting platform which holds a fisherman in a raised position in order to get a better view of the casting area and allows more freedom of movement and at the same time, provides a place to keep the fishing line from tangling before a cast is made. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A casting platform for a fishing boat has a frame having a plurality of curved legs each having two ends and being attached together by a plurality of brace members extending perpendicular between the legs. A floor is supported on a plurality of the brace members for supporting a fisherman thereon. A handrail attaches to one end of the legs and a body support rail is supported with a plurality of body rail support members attached between the body support rail and a plurality of cross brace members. The body support rail is positioned inside the handrail for supporting a person thereagainst. A net is attached between the handrail and the body support rail to form a pocket for collecting fishing line or the like therein. Each leg member has a foot attached while the platform is attached to the bow of a fishing boat. Both the handrail and the body support rail are generally C-shaped with an opening therethrough with a gate to cover the openings therein. The gate includes a handrail member for attaching over the opening through the handrail and a body support rail member for attaching over the opening in the body support rail. The handrail gate member and the body support rail gate member are connected together for the removing and reattaching of the gate as a unit. The body support rail member has a pair of clips thereon for clipping onto a gate attaching protrusion attached to body rail support members. The frame is generally a tubular frame. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the written description and the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a casting platform in accordance with the present invention placed upon the bow of the boat having a fisherman supported therein; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the casting platform of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the frame of the casting platform of  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrating the entryway gate onto the casting platform. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings and especially to  FIG. 1 , a casting platform  10  is shown attached to the bow  11  of a boat hull  12 . The fishing platform  10  has a fisherman  13  standing therein holding a fly fishing rod  14  having the fishing line  15  extending therefrom. The fly rod  14  has a reel  16  attached thereto. The boat is shown floating in water  19 . 
     Referring more specifically to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the casting platform  10  has a framework  17  having a plurality of legs  18 . Each leg  18  is curved from foot  20  to an end position  21  which has a generally C-shaped handrail  22  attached thereto. The legs  18  have a plurality of cross-brace members  23 , each cross brace member being attached between pairs of legs  18 . Another plurality of cross brace members  24  are also attached between the legs  18 . A floor  25  is attached to the cross brace members  23  for supporting a fisherman  13  thereon. A body support rail  26  is a generally C-shaped tubular rail which is supported inside the generally C-shaped handrail  22  by a plurality of body rail support members  27  which are attached to the cross brace members  24  and to the legs  18 . 
     A net  30  is connected to the handrail  22  and to the body rail support members  27  to form a pocket  31  between the handrail  22  and the body support rail  26 . This net pocket is especially useful for collecting fly line as illustrated in  FIG. 1  in which a fisherman&#39;s hand is striping in a fly line. 
     The body support rail  26  has an opening  32  while the handrail  22  has an opening  33  therethrough. A U-shaped or curved rail support member  34  is connected between the rails  22  and  26 . An entry gate  35 , as more clearly seen in  FIG. 3 , has a body rail gate member  36  and a handrail gate member  37  with the rail members  36  and  37  being connected by a curved gate support members  38  and further braced with a cross gate brace  40  connecting the curved gate support members  38  together. This allows both the openings in the bottom support rail  26  and the handrail  22  to be opened and closed with one gate member. The handrail gate member  37  has a tubular support end portion  41  on each end thereof which fits onto the top of the ends of the handrail  22  adjacent the opening  33  while the body rail gate member  36  has a pair of clip members  42  which clip onto a pair of gate attaching protrusions  43 , one on each side of the rail support member  34  adjacent the opening  32 . The gate may also be covered with a netting, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and may be lifted with one hand by grabbing any portion thereof and lifting upward to allow a fisherman  13  to enter thereinto and stand on the floor  25 . The gate  35  may then be reattached by simply sliding it back into place with the clips  42  attaching to the gate attaching protrusions  43  with the handrail gate member  37  support ends  41  resting on the handrail  22 . 
     The platform  10  may be attached to the bow  11  of a boat  12  by having the feet  20  bolted to the bow of the boat or using a turnbuckle attached to the bow of the boat. The feet  20  can allow the platform to be removably attached to the bow of the boat. The casting platform, however, may be permanently attached with threaded fasteners or by any means desired. 
     It should be clear at this time that a casting platform for a fishing boat has been provided which is especially adaptable for fly fishing but which can be used for other fishing techniques as desired. The platform can be any height desired and may be attached to the hull of a boat as shown but may also be on the stern of the boat or attached to any part of the boat desired. However, the present invention is not to be construed as limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.