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US 2019/0337599 A1Published application
Watercraft Securing System and Method of Use
AssigneeSteele Tribe LLC
InventorsLisa Steele, Larry Steele
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A floating dock includes a frame, a float, and first and second dock posts. The frame has a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal that define a slip there between. The dock posts are operatively secured to and project upward from the frame and are on opposite sides of the slip. The posts have self-adjusting line systems including a slide, an elongate member, an upper stop, a lower stop, and a line. The slide is slidable along the elongate member between the upper stop and the lower stop. The line is coupled to the slide. The line is adapted to tether the slide to a watercraft. The slides are capable of moving independently to allow vertical translation, pitch, and roll of the watercraft while the watercraft is secured within the slip.
Claims11
A floating dock comprising:
- a frame;
- at least one float;
- first and second dock posts;
- and
- first and second self-adjusting line systems, each of the first and second self-adjusting line systems comprising a slide, an elongate member, an upper stop, a lower stop, a line, and a damper, the slide being slidable along the elongate member between the upper stop and the lower stop, the line being adapted to tether the slide to a watercraft, the line passing through the damper, the damper being configured to damp a varying tension force in the line caused by movement of a watercraft resulting from wave action;
- the at least one float being coupled to the frame, the at least one float being adapted to support the frame on water, the frame having a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section, the first longitudinal section operatively secured to the second longitudinal section,
- the first and second longitudinal sections of the frame defining a slip therebetween, the slip being sized and configured to receive a watercraft within the slip, the first dock post secured in a fixed vertical position relative to and projecting upward from the first longitudinal section, the second dock post secured in a fixed vertical position relative to and projecting upward from the second longitudinal section, the first dock post and the second dock post being positioned on opposite sides of the slip, the first self-adjusting line system being attached to the first dock post, and the first and second self-adjusting line systems configured such that when a watercraft tethered to the first slide via the first line and tethered to the second slide via the second line moves as a result of wave action the first slide and the second slide are capable of moving independently to allow vertical translation, pitch, and roll of the watercraft while the watercraft is secured within the slip.
4 more elements
A method of fitting self-adjusting line systems to a floating dock comprising:
- attaching a first self-adjusting line system to a first dock post of the floating dock, the first dock post being secured in a fixed vertical position relative to a first longitudinal section of a frame, the first dock post projecting upward from the first longitudinal section, the frame further having a second longitudinal section, the first longitudinal section being operatively secured to the second longitudinal section, the first and second longitudinal sections defining a slip there between, the first dock post positioned on a first side of the slip, the first self-adjusting line system comprising a first slide, a first elongate member, a first upper stop, a first lower stop, a first line, and a first damper, the first slide being slidable along the first elongate member between the first upper stop and the first lower stop;
- attaching the first line to the first slide;
- attaching the first damper to the first line such that the first line passes through the first damper, the first damper being configured to damp a varying tension force in the first line caused by movement of a watercraft resulting from wave action;
- attaching a second self-adjusting line system to a second dock post of the floating dock, the second dock post being secured in a fixed vertical position relative to the second longitudinal section of the frame, the second dock post projecting upward from the second longitudinal section, the second dock post positioned on a second side of the slip, the second side of the slip being opposite the first side of the slip, the second self-adjusting line system comprising a second slide, a second elongate member, a second upper stop, a second lower stop, a second line, and a second damper, the second slide being slidable along the second elongate member between the second upper stop and the second lower stop, the second slide being slidable independently of the first slide;
- attaching the second line to the second slide;
- and
- attaching the second damper to the second line such that the second line passes through the second damper, the second damper being configured to damp a varying tension force in the second line caused by movement of a watercraft resulting from wave action.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.