Patent ID: 8037839

Claim:
A lifting system for use with a boat for vertically and horizontally moving a load to and from a boat, comprising: a pivot arm having a cross member defining a free end and two legs for pivotable connection to a boat, the pivot arm operable between a lower position and an upper position wherein the cross member is sized to permit the load to pass between the two legs such that the load does not interfere with the pivot arm when the pivot arm is in a substantially vertical upper position; a catching hook connected to the free end in a fixed orientation having a catching surface; a lifting line having a first end operatively connected to the free end; a lifting hook slidably engaged with the lifting line, the lifting hook having a lifting hook surface oriented to engage and disengage with the catching surface at a pre-determined position between the upper and lower position; wherein applying tension to the lifting line when the pivot arm is in the lower position causes arcuate upward movement of the pivot arm and lifting hook such that at the pre-determined position between the lower position and upper position, the lifting hook surface engages with the catching surface to transfer the load to the pivot arm as the pivot arm is moving and wherein releasing tension on the lifting arm when the pivot arm is in the upper position causes downward arcuate movement of the pivot arm and lifting hook such that, at the predetermined position, the lifting hook surface disengages with the catching surface to transfer the load to the lifting line while the lifting line is in tension.