US3498410A - Boat ladder - Google Patents

Description

H. A. STORCH BOAT LADDER March 3, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 24, 1968 INVENTOR.

March 3, 1970 H. A. STORCH 3,498,410

BOAT LADDER Filed Oct. 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,498,410 BOAT LADDER Harold A. Storch, Birmingham, Mich., assignor t Mayfair Engineering Company, Birmingham, Mich.. a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 770,268 Int. Cl. E06c N36 US. Cl. 182-96 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The boat ladder most commonly employed for boarding a boat from the water utilizes a pair of hooks formed integrally with tubular side rails which are rotatable about their longitudinal axes to permit the hooks to be brought to a generally parallel overlapping relation. This type of boat ladder is only partially foldable and the hooks are generally very large to accommodate decks of varying widths. If the boat has a relatively narrow deck the ladder will be positioned in an outwardly and upwardly inclined position during use, which makes climbing the ladder extremely awkward. Furthermore, such ladders are not adapted for use on boats having extremely wide decks. While other ladders have been designed for custom fitting on a boat, such ladders have been extremely expensive, and they are not adapted to a wide variety of installations, It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a boat ladder which may be manufactured at a reasonable cost, which stows conveniently in a relatively narrow location within the boat, which is stable and safe in use, which is of strong durable construction, which is readily tailored to fit individual boats, and which is supported on the boat at the proper inclination irrespective of variations in the design of the particu lar hull.

The foregoing objects are achieved in a boat ladder wherein the steps of the ladder are hinged at their opposite ends to the ladders side rails so that the ladder may be folded to a position in which the side rails are closely spaced apart with the steps being in aligned parallel relation between the side rails. The ladder is supported and the weigh-t of the ladder user is carried by flexible straps which extend from the side rails to mounting plates or the like permanently aflixed to the boat hull. Pivotal movement of the upper end of the ladder is arrested by stabilizers which are hinged to the upper ends of the side rails, while the customary standoffs are pivotally mounted to the lower ends of the side rails, In one pre ferred form of the invention the stabilizers are joined to the straps by fittings carried at the ends of the stabilizers so that both the stabilizers and the straps are secured to the mounting plates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a boat ladder embodying the principles of the present invention, the ladder being shown mounted on a sectionally illustrated boat hull;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 of FIG. 1;

3,498,410 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 taken along the line 33 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 44 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a broken front elevational view of the boat ladder illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view of the ladder illustrated in FIG. 5 showing its folded position;

FIG. 7 is a view of the structure similarly illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a modified mounting arrangement for the ladder.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of a dual mounting plate; and

FIG. 9 is a view of the structure similarly illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a modified form of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG, 1, the boat ladder of the present invention is shown mounted on a boat hull 10 having a side wall 12, a deck 14, a gunnel 16, and a rub rail 18. A mounting plate or latch 20 is permanently secured to the upper side of the deck 14 by means of four threaded fasteners 22. The mounting plate 20 releasably supports the ladder on the boat during its use, The mounting plate or latch 20 is the only part of the ladder assembly which is permanently mounted in the hull, the remaining portion of the ladder structure being readily detachable from the boat hull.

The boat ladder per se includes a pair of spaced parallel side rails 24 and a plurality of steps 26 extending perpendicularly between the side rails 24. The steps are identical and the manner of connecting each of them to the side rails 24 is also identical. As seen in FIG. 5, the left-hand end of each step 26 is joined to one side rail 24 by a hinge 28, whereas the right-hand end of each step is joined to the other side rail by a hinge 30. The pivot axis of each hinge 28 will be seen to lie in a plane including the upper surface of its step 26 while the pivot axis of the hinge 30 lies in a plane including the lower surface of its step. By this means the entire ladder may be folded or collapsed to the position illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the two side rails 24 are spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the steps 26. It will also be seen that the steps 26 lie in end-to-end alignment in the folded condition of the ladder, The steps 26 are spaced apart vertically of the ladder a distance slightly greater than their width.

Each of the side rails 24 is provided with a pivoting standoff 32 adjacent its lower end. Each standoff 32 comprises a rod 34 having a resilient bumper 36 at its free end and a hinge 38 at its opposite end. It will be seen that each side rail has a plurality of holes 40 formed therein which permit the positioning of the hinge 38 in various locations along the length of each side rail 24. The rod 34 is joined to the hinge by a pair of fasteners 42 and it is possible to vary the length of the standoff by removing the rod 34 from the hinge, cutting the rod 34 to a desired length and then reinstalling it on its hinge 38. Accordingly, the ladder may be sold with a rod 34 of rather long length and the individual boat owner may trim the rod 34 to a length which will produce the desired inclination of the ladder with respect to the side 12 of the boat.

The weight of a person utilizing the ladder is borne by a pair of flexible straps 44 which may be made from fabric reinforced rubber, woven nylon, or a variety of other materials. Each strap 44 is connected to a separate one of the side rails 24 by a generally U-shaped bracket 46 and fasteners 48 passing through the bracket 46 and the strap 44 to hold the bracket and the strap to a given side rail 24. It will be seen that the bracket 46 is located in a position on the side rail 24 which is spaced downwardly from the upper end thereof. Each strap 44 is connected at its end opposite from the bracket 46 to a flanged stud or fitting 50. The stud 50 has a pair of annular flanges 52 formed at one end thereof and is joined to a clevis 54 by a nut 56. It will be seen that the strap 44 is apertured so that the stud 50 may pass therethrough and a serrated washer 58 is positioned between the flanged end of the stud and the strap to help hold the strap to the stud 50 and clevis 54. The clevis 54 is pivotally joined to one end of a rod 60. The opposite end of the rod 60 is fastened by screws 62 to a hinge 64. The clevis 54, the rod 60, and the hinge 64 form an assembly which may be termed a stablizer 66. When the boat ladder is mounted as illustrated in FIG. 1, the clevis 54 is generally perpendicular to the rod 60. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the stablizer 66 is not utilized in a fully open position. In other words, an end 68 of the rod opposite from the clevis 54 does not abut or engage the side rail 24 and the weight of the occupant is not carried at all by the stabilizer 66. The stabilizer 66 serves merely to prevent lateral movement of the upper end of the side rails. 24. It is to be noted that the length of the stabilizer 66 may be tailored to fit an individual boat. This is accomplished by removing the fastener 66, trimming the rod 60 to the desired length and then reinstalling the fastener 66. If the rod 60 is made from wood this is a particularly simple operation.

Referring now to the mounting plate or latch 20, it will be seen that this device, which may be made as a metal casting, includes a base portion 70 surrounding a generally upstanding box-like formation including vertical side walls 72 and a top wall 74. The top wall 74 is provided with a T-slot 76. As shown in FIG. 2, the slot 76 has a large diameter portion 76A and a small width portion 763. The large diameter portion 76A is of a size suflicient to permit the lowermost flange 52 to pass through it and lie beneath the wall 74. When this is accomplished, the stud 50 is moved into the small width portion 76B so that the lowermost flange 52 is prevented from moving upwardly by its engagement with the wall 74. Movement of the stud 50 out of the small width portion 76B can be prevented by an abutment member 78. The abutment member 78, which may be made from plastic, is slidably supported between an opposite pair of the side walls 72. The abutment member 78 is provided with a recess 82 and when this relieved portion is aligned with the large diameter portion 76A of the slot 76, the stud flange 52 may be passed through the slot 76. After this is accomplished the abutment member 78 is shifted to move its recess 82 out of registry with the slot 76 and thereby block the stud from movement back into the large diameter portion 76A. By this means the fitting or stud 50 is firmly locked to the mounting plate 20 and the ladder will not fall off the boat when one is preparing to use it. Of course, it will be appreciated that the weight of the user would normally hold the stud 50 within the small slot portion 76B when the ladder is in actual use.

As originally sold, the ladder may have straps 44 which are longer than necessary and the fasteners 48 may be packaged loose. The boat owner would then first install the mounting plates 20 and position the ladder on the boat with its studs 50 inserted in the mounting plates. The stand-off rods 34 are then trimmed, if necessary, to obtain the desired ladder attitude. The straps 44 are then pulled taught down through the brackets 46 to make sure that the stabilizers-66 are not all the way open and that the rod ends 68 are positioned away from the side rails 24. When the effective length of the strap has been properly adjusted, the fasteners 48 are then screwed through the straps 44 and brackets 46 into the side rails 24. It should be appreciated that the presence of a railing, or the like, above the deck 14 will not interfere with the mounting and use of the ladder of the present invention by virtue of the fact that the stabilizer and strap can easily go beneath a railing.

Of course, it will be appreciated that when the ladder is stowed, the stabilizers 66 and the standoifs 32 are folded flatly against their respective side rails 24. The straps 44, being flexible, will lie closely against the side rails 24, and the ladder may then be folded to the position illustrated in FIG. 6 so that the entire structure can be conventiently stowed ina relatively narrow location within the boat.

FIG. 8 illustrates a somewhat modified form of mounting member in the form of a step-plate 88 having a molded rubber step pad 90 positioned at its center. Fastener receiving openings 94 are located adjacent the opposite ends of the plate 88 with the step pad 90 being located generally centrally of the plate. Located on the opposite sides of the step pad 90 between the ends of the pad and fastener receiving openings 94 are a pair of T-shaped slots 96 adapted to receive the flanged studs 50 of the boat ladder. The plate 88 has the advantage that the positioning between the two slots 96 is predetermined, thereby eliminating the problem of obtaining the proper spacing between separate mounting plates. It is to be noted that the desired location of the boarding ladder is frequently the same at the place where a boat is boarded from a dock. Accordingly, the plate 88 is useful in boarding the boat from either a dock or the water.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified location of the mounting plates 20 on the side 98 of a boat hull 100. In this arrangement the clevis 54 is parallel to the rod 60. Of course, the rod 60 can be shortened as much as possible to bring the side rails 24 closer to the side 98 of the boat.

FIG. 9 illustrates a somewhat modified form of the invention in which a latch or mounting member in the form of a buckle 102 is fastened to an inner wall 104 of the boat 10. The buckle 102 has a spring biased tongue 106 releasably engageable with a strap 108. The buckle 102 is of the conventional type frequently employed on aircraft seat belts. The ladder used with the buckle 102 incorporates a pair of side rails 110 to which the straps 108 are fastened at their lower ends. A pair of stabilizers 112 having angled bumpers 114 at their free ends are pivoted to the side rails 110. The bumpers 114, being in the same plane as the straps 108, normally engage the straps 108 and press them against the boat hull, particularly when the user moves his weight forward on the ladder. While the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 9 does not provide any positive connection between the stabilizers 112 and the straps 108, the construction is, nevertheless, effective to resist any forward tilting movement of the ladder as the user reaches the upper steps and leans forward in order to swing a leg over into the boat. This is the primary undesired movement of the upper end of the ladder which it is desired to prevent. Of course, the ladder of FIG. 9' is intended to fold in the same manner as the previously illustrated ladder (not shown).

What is claimed is:

1. A boat ladder including a pair of parallel side rails, steps supported between said side rails, a pair of flexible members secured to said side rails, means fixed to said boat for detachably securing said flexible members thereto and thereby supporting the weight of said ladder and the user thereof, a pair of stabilizers each of which is pivotally secured to one of said side rails at one end thereof and is connected to said flexible members at the other end thereof to arrest forward tilting movement of the upper ends of said side rails during use of said ladder.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, which said flexible members comprise straps of greater width than thickness and in which a Wide side of each strap is engageable with the boat hull when the ladder is mounted thereon.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, in which said means comprises a mounting plate means fastened to the boat hull and fittings secured to said flexible members and said stabilizers and engageable in said mounting plate means.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 in which said fittings are connected to said stabilizers through clevis members pivotally joined to said stabilizers.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which said steps are pivotally connected to said side rails at the opposite ends thereof, and in which said side steps are pivotal to positions parallel said side rails.

6. A boat ladder assembly comprising mounting plate means adapted to be fixed to a boat hull, a detachable boarding ladder including a pair of parallel spaced side rails, steps supported between said side rails, a pair of rigid members having one end thereof pivotally attached to said side rails adjacent the upper ends thereof, a pair of fittings secured to the other ends of said stabilizers and releasably engageable in said mounting plate means, said stabilizers being operable, when engaged in said mounting plate means, to restrain horizontal movement of the upper ends of said side rails with respect to the boat hull.

7. The structure set forth in claim -6 in which said fittings are pivotally attached to said rigid members.

8. The structure set forth in claim 6 in which said mounting plate means is provided with keyhole slots and in which said fittings are provided with heads received in said keyhole slots, said mounting plate means having locking elements manually movable to positions preventing movement of said heads out of said keyhole slots.

9. The structure set forth in claim 7 in which said side rails are provided with pivoted standotfs being engageable with the boa-t hull and cooperable with said rigid members to hold said side rails away from the side of said boat hull.

10. The structure set forth in claim 8 in which said steps are pivotally connected to said side rails at the opposite ends thereof whereby said steps are movable to positions parallel to said side rails.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 449,859 4/1891 McBeth 18295 1,232,221 7/ 1917 Chesebro 182-206 2,500,086 3/1950 Mintus l82214 2,975,858 3/1961 Billingley l'82--196 3,355,030 11/1967 Cathcart 182196 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 182159, 206

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