Watercraft launching and lift assembly and kit therefor

A launch and lift assembly for small watercraft adapted for mounting on a dock with a launching edge overlying a body of water, said assembly comprising an elongated approximately rectangular skid cradle having a pair of parallel side rail members spaced apart for engaging and slidably supporting the hull of said watercraft in a stable seated relation thereon for longitudinal sliding movement forwardly thereof and off the forward end of said skid cradle, support means normally supporting said skid cradle in a horizontal position on said dock for longitudinal rolling movement thereon, said support means comprising a depending caster mounted on the rearward end of said skid cradle for rolling engagement with the dock and a pair of roller cage stand assemblies anchored to the dock adjacent said launching edge and in spaced apart relation thereon and provided with respective support rollers supporting the forward end of said skid cradle on said dock for rolling movement thereon, said support rollers having coincident axes of rotation extending approximately parallel to said launching edge of said dock, and a pair of slide rails mounted on said cradle side rail members and extending longitudinally thereof in parallel relation and engaged and confined in said roller cage assemblies in resting engagement with said support rollers thereof for longitudinal sliding movement thereon, said slide rails extending rearwardly of said skid cradle from the said forward end thereof to a point rearwardly beyond the center of gravity of said watercraft, when seated in launching position on said skid cradle, to permit tilting of said slide rails and associated forward end of the skid cradle on said support rollers downwardly over said launching edge of the dock to a sufficient angle, when the skid cradle is rolled longitudinally forward on said caster and support rollers a sufficient distance to locate said center of gravity of the seated watercraft at a point forwardly of said support rollers, to cause the watercraft to slide forwardly of and down off the forward end of the tilted skid cradle by its own weight to effect launching of the watercraft.