Patent ID: 8186095

Claim:
An adjustable fishing outrigger apparatus for use on a marine vessel for positioning an outrigger pole, said apparatus comprising: a receiver adapted for holding the outrigger pole, said receiver being mounted to allow relative movement between said vessel and said receiver with respect to both (i) an angle of rotation of the outrigger pole about an axis, and (ii) an angle of the outrigger pole to a plane which is perpendicular to said axis; a rotatable driving device; a ball screw mechanism including a ball screw and a ball nut, one of said ball screw and said ball nut being mechanically coupled to said rotatable driving device to effect (i) relative rotation of said ball screw with respect to said ball nut in response to rotation of said driving device, and to effect (ii) relative linear movement of said ball screw with respect to said ball nut; a helical track pitched in a direction along said axis; and a member coupled to said ball screw mechanism and to said helical track to simultaneously effect, in response to said relative linear movement of said ball screw with respect to said ball nut, both linear movement of said member in a direction parallel to said axis and rotation of said member about said axis, said member further being coupled to said receiver for driving said receiver to simultaneously effect both (i) adjustment of said angle of the outrigger pole relative to said plane and (ii) adjustment of said angle of rotation of the outrigger pole relative to said axis.