Carrying trays and methods for transporting and installing latching assemblies on cowlings for marine drives

A carrying tray that facilitates transport and installation of a latching assembly on a cowl of a marine drive, the cowl having a first cowl portion and a second cowl portion that mates with the first cowl portion to enclose the marine drive, the latching assembly comprising a plurality of latching devices configured to latch and unlatch the first cowl portion to the second cowl portion, an actuator that actuates the plurality of latching devices, and a plurality of flexible connectors that operatively couples the plurality of latching devices to the actuator, the carrying tray comprising:

• a central base wall;
• a plurality of sidewalls that define a plurality of latching device cavities configured to retain the plurality of latching devices in a spaced-apart orientation in which each latching device can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• an actuator retainer that is configured to retain the actuator with respect to a mounting position of the actuator on the cowl so that the actuator can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• wherein the actuator retainer and the plurality of latching device cavities are located on opposite sides of the central base wall with respect to each other;
• and
• wherein the actuator retainer comprises a handle retaining member extending from the central base wall for retaining the actuator in the actuator retainer;
• and
• an aperture formed through the central base wall, the aperture configured to facilitate manually pushing the actuator out of the actuator retainer when the carrying tray is rested on a support surface.

A carrying tray that facilitates transport and installation of a latching assembly on a cowl of a marine drive, the cowl having a first cowl portion and a second cowl portion that mates with the first cowl portion to enclose the marine drive, the latching assembly comprising a plurality of latching devices configured to latch and unlatch the first cowl portion to the second cowl portion, an actuator that actuates the plurality of latching devices, and a plurality of flexible connectors that operatively couples the plurality of latching devices to the actuator, the carrying tray comprising:

• a central base wall;
• a plurality of sidewalls that define a plurality of latching device cavities configured to retain the plurality of latching devices in a spaced-apart orientation in which each latching device can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• and
• an actuator retainer that is configured to retain the actuator with respect to a mounting position of the actuator on the cowl so that the actuator can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• wherein the actuator retainer and the plurality of latching device cavities are located on opposite sides of the central base wall with respect to each other;
• wherein the actuator retainer comprises a handle retaining member extending from the central base wall for retaining the actuator in the actuator retainer;
• and
• wherein each latching device cavity in the plurality of latching device cavities has a rectangular shaped body portion for retaining a mounting bracket and pulley of a respective latching device of the plurality of latching devices and a rectangular shaped head portion that is narrower than the rectangular shaped body portion and is for retaining a hook portion of the respective latching device of the plurality of latching devices.

A carrying tray that facilitates transport and installation of a latching assembly on a cowl of a marine drive, the cowl having a first cowl portion and a second cowl portion that mates with the first cowl portion to enclose the marine drive, the latching assembly comprising a plurality of latching devices configured to latch and unlatch the first cowl portion to the second cowl portion, an actuator that actuates the plurality of latching devices, and a plurality of flexible connectors that operatively couples the plurality of latching devices to the actuator, the carrying tray comprising:

• a central base wall;
• a plurality of sidewalls that define a plurality of latching device cavities configured to retain the plurality of latching devices in a spaced-apart orientation in which each latching device can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• an actuator retainer that is configured to retain the actuator with respect to a mounting position of the actuator on the cowl so that the actuator can be directly installed onto the cowl without tangling or damaging the flexible connectors;
• wherein the actuator retainer and the plurality of latching device cavities are located on opposite sides of the central base wall with respect to each other;
• wherein the plurality of latching device cavities comprise a first latching device cavity configured to retain a latching device in a face-up orientation and second and third latching device cavities configured to retain a respective latching device in a sideways orientation;
• and
• wherein the second and third latching device cavities are spaced apart from each other by a space that is configured to nest sidewalls of a first latching device cavity of a horizontally adjacent carrying tray;
• and
• abutment walls extending into the space and being configured to engage with the sidewalls of the first latching device cavity of the horizontally adjacent carrying tray.