Patent ID: 7717054

Claim:
A linkage for guiding movement of a watercraft arch assembly between a raised position for use and lowered position for clearance, the linkage including: a first guide member mounted with respect to a watercraft hull and shaped to provide a first guide track having a substantially linear first track section and an adjacent arcuate second track section; a first carriage mounted to a first leg of an arch assembly; a second guide member mounted with respect to the watercraft hull and shaped to provide a second guide track having a substantially linear third track section and an adjacent arcuate fourth track section, and a second carriage mounted to a second leg of the arch assembly; first and second spaced-apart coupling elements mounted to the first carriage and contained for reciprocal movement along the first guide track to support the first carriage for alternative extension and retraction, between a retracted position corresponding to a raised arch assembly in which the first and second coupling elements are disposed along the first track section, and an extended position corresponding to a lowered arch assembly in which the first coupling element is disposed along the second track section; and third and fourth spaced-apart coupling elements mounted to the second carriage and contained for reciprocal movement along the second guide track to support the second carriage for alternative extension and retraction between the retracted position in which the third and fourth coupling elements are disposed along the third track section, and the extended position in which the third coupling element is disposed along the fourth track section; wherein a track length of the first track section and a substantially equal track length of the third track section are selected to provide for substantially simultaneous extension of the first and second carriages at least a predetermined distance from the retracted position before the first and third coupling elements reach the second and fourth track sections, respectively the arch assembly pivoting in a vertical plane between the retracted position in which the legs of the arch assembly are engaged with the hull, and the extended position in which the legs of the arch assembly are spaced apart from the hull.