Patent Publication Number: US-6981463-B1

Title: Bow eye seal

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a bow eye having sealing means for sealing the bow eye in the hull of the watercraft. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Lifting eyes, stern eyes, and bow eyes are commonly used on watercrafts to provide securing means for ropes and cables used to tie the boat to a dock, tow other boats, anchor tie-offs, pull skiers or for lifting the boat from the water. Lifting and bow eyes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,765,365 and 3,863,588 to Gillespie and 4,200,944 to Gillespie et al., the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
   More specifically, bow eyes are typically U-shaped bolts having a pair of threaded legs. A significant portion of the bow eye legs is threaded such that the entire portion of the legs passing through the watercraft is threaded. A first nut is threaded onto each of the leg portions. A bow eye plate with through holes is mounted on the bow eye behind the first nuts, and the bolt is inserted through apertures in the hull of the watercraft. A second bow eye plate may be mounted on the bow eye from the inside of the hull and then a second nut is threaded onto the free, inner ends of each of the leg portions and is tightened to secure the bow eye to hull of the watercraft. 
   When installing the bow eye onto a watercraft, the apertures in the hull are typically larger than the outer diameter of the bow eye legs and thus, water may leak into the watercraft through the apertures. In some prior art embodiments, caulking material has be used to seal the open areas around the threaded portions of the bow eye where the bow eye goes through the hull. The caulking material may be applied to the bow eye plate. In addition, the caulking material may be placed in the apertures in the hull through which the legs of the bow eye are inserted. Alternatively, the caulking material may be applied to the bow eye itself. In additional, the bow eye may be sealed with caulking material after the bow eye is installed. 
   A problem with using caulking material to seal a bow eye is that the caulking material must be installed by hand, leaving open the possibility that the apertures are not completely sealed. In addition, the life span of the caulking material may be unreliable. The caulking material may become old, drying out or cracking, thus requiring the aperture to be resealed repeatedly. Further, the caulking material may become a host for foreign material which may cause a discoloration to the hull of the boat. Some forms of caulking material omit fumes that are undesirable and may cause discomfort for those exposed to the fumes. Caulking material may also exhibit different cure times due to ambient conditions. 
   After a bow eye has been installed with caulking material, removal of the bow eye is an extensive, time consuming and expensive process. The bow eye component must be thoroughly cleaned before being re-installed and the mounting area in the hull must be prepared to accept the new installation. 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , bow eye  40  illustrates a prior art bow eye. Bow eye  40  includes U-shaped bolt  42  having threaded legs  44 . Protrusions  46  are formed at the upper portions of legs  44 . A solid rubber member  48  is a one piece member having a plate (not shown) molded therein. Member  48  is mounted on legs  44  and is positioned such that extended portions  50  of member  48  engage protrusions  46 . Member  48  is shown with extended portions  50  positioned below protrusions  46  for illustration purposes. U-shaped bolt  42  and member  48  are a complete sub-assembly with member  48  being securely held in place on bolt  42  by engagement of extended portions  50  on protrusions  46 . When bow eye  40  is mounted to the hull of a boat, lower surface  52  of member  48  engages the surface of the hull to seal bow eye  40  to the hull. Plate  54  is then placed on legs  44  and a pair of nuts  56  is threaded onto legs  44  to secure the position of bow eye  40 . 
   Problems exist with member  48  that are similar to those of the caulking material. For example, rubber member  48  may become old and cracked, requiring bow eye  40  to be removed and the sub-assembly consisting of U-shaped bolt  42  and member  48  to be replaced. 
   It is desired to provide a seal for sealing the bow eye in the hull of a watercraft that is dependable and easy to install. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a bow eye for marine use. The bow eye includes a U-shaped bolt having two threaded legs. Two metal plates are provided that are located respectively on either side of the hull material of the watercraft. A first pair of nuts are threaded onto the bow eye legs to the full extent of the threaded portion of the bow eye legs with one plate being positioned adjacent to the installed nuts. The plate is located on the external surface of the hull of the watercraft. A second pair of nuts is used to secure the bow eye to the hull. The metal plate that is on the inside of the watercraft may be optional for certain uses so that only a pair of nuts is used on the inside of the hull. 
   In the present invention, the caulking material typically used to seal apertures in the hull is replaced by a gasket that is affixed to the outside metal plate and the hull. The gasket is a unitary piece constructed from a foam material. The apertures in the gasket material through which the bow eye legs pass are smaller than the apertures in the hull and smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the bow eye legs. Alternatively, the gasket may be provided with a pair of bisecting cuts, which replace the gasket aperture, to provide an opening in the gasket. The length of each cut is substantially equal to that of the diameter of the aperture in the previous embodiment. When the bow eye plate having the gasket affixed thereto is pushed onto the legs of the bow eye, the gasket will pucker slightly toward the gasket side of the plate. When the bow eye legs are inserted into the hull, the puckered portion of the gasket will at least partially fill the apertures in the hull. Once the nuts of the bow eye on the inside of the hull are tightened, the gasket is forced further into the hull apertures to seal the bow eye in the hull. 
   The present invention comprises, in one form thereof, a bow eye for mounting on a rigid, substantially planar surface. The bow eye includes a rigid U-shaped bolt having a pair of threaded legs with at least one plate assembled with the legs. A sealing gasket is mounted to the plate. A first and second pair of nuts is removably mounted on each of the legs with the nuts securing the U-shaped bolt to the substantially planar surface, such that the gasket is compressed and sealingly secures the bow eye on the planar surface. 
   The present invention comprises, in another form thereof, a bow eye for mounting on a watercraft. The bow eye includes a rigid U-shaped bolt having a pair of threaded legs, and at least one plate mounted on the legs. A gasket is secured to the plate. A first and second pair of nuts is removably mounted on each of the legs. A pair of apertures is located in the watercraft and the legs are received in the apertures. The first and second pairs of nuts are used to secure the U-shaped bolt to the watercraft such that the gasket is sealingly compressed into the apertures. 
   An advantage of the present invention is that the bow eye is effectively sealingly secured to a watercraft. A further advantage of the present invention is that installation of the bow eye is simplified with the sealing method of the present invention. 
   A still further advantage of the present invention is that the dependability of the seal is improved. 
   Another advantage of the present invention is that there are no fumes from the use of caulking material to seal the bow eye in the hull. Further, there is no required cure time as with caulking material before insuring a seal. Additionally, there is no installation clean up required for caulking material that may extrude on to the surface of the hull or on the bow eye components. 
   A further advantage of the present invention is that the gasket material does not dry out or crack, and thus does not require that the gasket material be replaced. The gasket material is also flexible enabling it to fill irregularities that may exist at the apertures. 
   Another advantage of the present invention is that if the bow eye must be removed, the extensive, time consuming and expensive cleaning process required when using caulking material is eliminated. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a boat having bow eyes mounted thereon in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a bow eye in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the bow eye of  FIG. 2  prior to affixation of the sealing gasket to one of the bow eye plates; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the bow eye of  FIG. 2  after the sealing gasket has been affixed to one of the bow eye plates; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the bow eye of the present invention being mounted in the hull of a boat; 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the bow eye of  FIG. 5  in a tightened and sealed position; 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the circled area of  FIG. 6  labeled  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a bow eye in accordance with the prior art; and 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the bow eye of  FIG. 2  illustrating an alternative embodiment of the sealing gasket, prior to affixation of the sealing gasket to one of the bow eye plates. 
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, the embodiment disclosed below is not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , bow eyes  10  are mounted at various locations on the bow and stern of watercraft  14 . Although it is not shown, bow eye  10  may also be mounted to the upper deck  15  of boat  14  if desired. In the illustrated embodiment, watercraft  14  is a boat, however, it is understood that bow eye  10  may be mounted to any type of watercraft. Depending on the location of bow eye  10 , bow eyes may be used for any suitable purpose including tying boat  14  to a dock, towing a skier, supporting an anchor, or lifting boat  14  from the water. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , bow eye  10  is mounted in a hull  12  of boat  14  and includes a conventional U-shaped bolt  16 . Bolt  16  may be constructed from any suitable material able to withstand the loads applied to bow eye  10  and the environmental conditions to which it is exposed such as, for instance, stainless steel. Bolt  16  has a pair of legs  20  integrally linked by curved portion  18 . Alternatively, legs  20  do not have to be connected by a curved portion  18 . For example, a substantially rectangular or triangular shaped portion may integrally connect legs  20 . Legs  20  are threaded substantially the entire length thereof. A first pair of nuts  22  and a second pair of nuts  24  are threaded onto legs  20  to secure bow eye  10  to boat hull  12 . 
   Also mounted on legs  20  are a pair of metal plates  26  and  28  which are interposed between the respective pairs of nuts  22  and  24  and the interior and exterior surfaces of hull  12 . Plates  26  and  28  provide load bearing surfaces for nuts  22  and  24  when bow eye  10  is mounted to boat  14 . Plates  26  and  28  further distribute forces applied to bow eyes  10  when rope loads from mooring, anchors, or the like are applied to the bow eye. Plate  28  on the inside of boat  14  may be eliminated for certain uses so that only the pair of nuts  24  is used on the inside of hull  12 . Plates  26  and  28  are typically constructed from stainless steel material and may be formed by any suitable method of construction including stamping, for example. The stainless steel plates may be polished to improve the aesthetic appeal of the plates on the external surface of boat  14 . In addition, plates  26  and  28  may be any suitable shape including having flanged portions for tying off ropes, for example. 
   Secured to exterior plate  26  is gasket  30  that provides a seal between bow eye  10  and hull  12 . Gasket  30  is a marine sealant constructed from a suitable foam material by any suitable method including being die cut. More specifically, the sealant used for gasket  30  may be a closed cell silicone sponge tape. One particular type of material that may be used to form gasket  30  is a sealing material or sealant or silicone tape from Kelcom Inc., 21419 Protecta Drive, Elkhart, Ind. One type of marine sealing material sold by Kelcom Inc. is silicone tape, the KS600 Series. The silicone tape is a pre-compressed, adhesive backed sealant that provides an impermeable barrier to the external environment, preventing infiltration of environmental forces into boat  14 . 
   Gasket  30  is fixedly secured to exterior plate  26  by any suitable method. One such method may be to provide gasket  30  with an adhesive backing. The adhesive located on gasket  30  would be covered with a protective, reasonable, disposable layer which is removed to expose the adhesive. The gasket  30  is then adhered to a plate  26 . Alternatively, adhesive used to secure gasket  30  to plate  26  may be applied to either gasket  30  or plate  26  during installation of bow eye  10  onto boat  14 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , hull  12  of boat  14  has apertures  32  formed therein at the location where bow eye  10  is to be mounted. Apertures  32  are sized to receive legs  20  of U-shaped bolt  16 . Legs  20  are threaded a distance that allows at least a portion of the threaded legs  20  to extend externally of hull  12 , thus allowing the first pair of nuts  22  to be threadedly received on legs  20 . A portion of threaded legs  20  extends beyond the internal wall of hull  12  also to receive the second pair of nuts  24 . The length of the threaded portions of legs  20  may be greater than the typical thickness of hull  12  to accommodate varied thicknesses in hull  12  at different location on boat  14  or different boats. The threaded length of legs  20  also allows bow eye  10  to be mounted on an inclined surface as will be discussed further hereinbelow. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , plates  26  and  28  are provided with apertures  34  located on opposite ends of the plates. Apertures  34  are positioned to align with and receive legs  20 . Gasket  30  also has apertures  36  provided at both ends thereof that align with plate apertures  34  when gasket  30  is secured to plate  26 . The diameter of apertures  32  in hull  12  and apertures  34  in plates  26  and  28  is larger than gasket apertures  36 . Gasket apertures  36  have a slightly smaller diameter than the outer diameter of legs  20 . When gasket  30  is forced onto legs  20  of bow eye  10 , gasket  30  will pucker slightly. When the bow eye legs  20  are inserted into hull  12 , the puckered portion of gasket  30  will at least partially fill apertures  32  in hull  12 . Once the first and second pairs of nuts  22  and  24  are tightened, gasket  30  is forced further into hull apertures  32  to seal bow eye  10  in hull  12  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The thickness of gasket  30  may be varied as long as there is sufficient material to pucker into hull apertures  32  and plate apertures  34  to seal bow eye  10 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 9 , an alternative embodiment of gasket  30  is illustrated. Gasket  30 ′ is provided with a pair of bisecting cuts  60  which form an “X.” Bisecting cuts  60  replace apertures  36  in gasket  30 . Cuts  60  each have a length substantially equal to the diameter of aperture  36 . When gasket  30 ′ is forced onto legs  20  of bow eye  10 , the material between cuts  60  will extend outwardly creating an opening through which legs  20  pass. When the bow eye legs  20  are inserted into hull  12 , the material portions defined between cuts  60  will at least partially fill apertures  32  in hull  12 . In addition, since the length of cuts  60  is substantially equal to the diameter of apertures  36 , the gasket material of gasket  30 ′ in contact with legs  20  will pucker in a similar manner to that of gasket  30  described above. The puckered portion of gasket  30 ′ also at least partially fills hull apertures  32 . 
   Bow eye  10  is typically mounted to a flat, rigid surface of boat  14 ; however, bow eye  10  may be mounted to any surface of the boat. Bow eye  10  may be mounted to an inclined portion of hull  12 . In this instance, one of each pair of nuts  22  and  24  may be adjusted along the threaded length of one leg  20  until plates  26  and  28  are tightened against hull  12  and gasket  30  fills hull apertures  32  and plate apertures  34 . 
   During installation of bow eye  10 , the first pair of nuts  22  is threaded onto legs  20  of U-bolt  16 . First plate  26  having gasket  30  secured thereto is then positioned on legs  20  adjacent the first pair of nuts  22 . Legs  20  are aligned with apertures  32  in hull  12  and bow eye  10  is positioned in hull  12 . Alternatively, plate  26  having gasket  30  secured thereto may be located against the interior surface of the exterior wall of a hollow hull  12  for sealing the apertures in which bow eye  10  is mounted. Second plate  28  is placed on legs  20  and is positioned adjacent the interior surface of hull  12 . The second pair of nuts  24  is then threaded onto legs  20  and tightened until bow eye  10  is secure against hull  12 . The material  35  of gasket  30  then fills hull apertures  32  and first plate apertures  34  to seal bow eye  10  to hull  12 . 
   While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.