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US 6,067,925 AGranted
Collapsible trailerless pontoon boat
OwnerMark Littleinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pontoon boat having a support framework that includes a number of telescoping cross members that laterally extend and retract to vary the width of the craft. Included tires rotate into and out of ground contact to permit towing without the need for a separate trailer. A motor or hand crank controls a longitudinal lead screw mounted to a reciprocating trailer tongue. Lateral control arms pivot with motion of the tongue member and laterally displace longitudinal side rails and flotation pontoons. A deck and handrails are raised and lowered as the framework reciprocates between travel and flotation positions. One of the sets of telescoping cross members separately rotates the tire support assemblies. A deck control assembly controls the alignment and separation of the deck at a longitudinal seam.
Claims20
A watercraft comprising:
- a) a framework including a deck and a plurality of pontoons and wherein the deck is hinge mounted to pivot relative to the framework between a flotation position and a travel position;
- b) a longitudinal frame member and means for coupling the longitudinal frame member to the framework for reciprocating movement in relation to the framework;
- c) a plurality of cross frame supports coupled to said framework, wherein each cross frame support includes a plurality of members mounted for reciprocating movement in relation to one another, and wherein a plurality of first control arms couple said longitudinal frame member to each of said plurality of cross frame supports such that the framework laterally expands and contracts as said longitudinal member and said cross frame supports extend and retract to vary the width of the framework and pivot the deck, whereby in said flotation position the deck is rotated to lie parallel to the framework and in the travel position at least one longitudinal edge of the deck is elevated above the framework.
A watercraft comprising:
- a) a framework including a deck having adjoining edges of first and second deck sections that define a lonyitudinal seam, a plurality of pontoons and a plurality of tires and wherein the first and second deck sections are hinge mounted to pivot at the longitudinal seam between a flotation position and a travel position;
- b) a longitudinal frame member and a lead screw mounted to extend and retract the longitudinal frame member in reciprocating relation to the framework, and wherein a trailer coupler is mounted to the longitudinal frame member;
- c) a plurality of cross frame supports coupled to said framework, wherein each cross frame support includes a plurality of members mounted for reciprocating movement in relation to one another, wherein a plurality of first control arms couple said longitudinal frame member to each of said plurality of cross frame supports such that the framework laterally expands and contracts as said longitudinal frame member and said cross frame supports extend and retract to vary the width of the framework and pivot the deck, and wherein a plurality of second control arms extend from the plurality of first control arms and are mounted to rotate one of said plurality of cross frame supports as the longitudinal frame member extends and retracts;
- and
- d) tire support means mounted to said plurality of tires and the rotating one of said cross frame supports and moveable between said travel and flotation positions, whereby in said flotation position the first and second sections are rotated to lie parallel to the framework with the tires raised above the bottom of said pontoons and with the trailer coupler retracted and in said travel position the edges of said first and second deck sections at said longitudinal seam are rotated and elevated above the framework with the tires lowered below the pontoons and with the trailer coupler extended for mounting to a towing vehicle.
2 more elements
A watercraft comprising:
- a) a framework including a deck having adjoining edges of first and second deck sections that define a longitudinal seam, a plurality of pontoons, a plurality of tires and a plurality of railing members and wherein the first and second sections and railing members are hinge mounted to pivot at the longitudinal seam between a flotation position and a travel position;
- b) a longitudinal frame member and a lead screw mounted to extend and retract the longitudinal frame member in reciprocating relation to the framework, and wherein a trailer coupler is mounted to the longitudinal frame member;
- c) a plurality of cross frame supports coupled to said framework, wherein each cross frame support includes a plurality of members mounted for reciprocating movement in relation to one another, wherein a plurality of first control arms couple each of said plurality of cross frame supports to said longitudinal frame member such that the framework laterally expands and contracts as said cross frame supports extend and retract to vary the width of the framework and pivot the deck, and wherein a plurality of second control arms extend from the plurality of first control arms and are mounted to rotate one of said plurality of cross frame supports as the longitudinal frame member extends and retracts;
- d) a plurality of third control arms coupled to the rotating one of said plurality of cross frame supports and including a plurality of rollers and wherein rotation of the rotating one of said cross frame supports rotates the rollers to separate the first and second deck sections at the longitudinal seam;
- and
- e) tire support means mounted to said plurality of tires and the rotating one of the cross frame supports and moveable between said travel and flotation positions and wherein said tire support means includes means for latching said tires at the travel position, whereby in said flotation position the first and second sections are rotated to lie parallel to the framework with the tires raised above the bottom of said pontoons and with the trailer coupler retracted and in said travel position the edges of said first and second deck sections at said longitudinal seam are rotated and elevated above the framework with the tires lowered below the pontoons and with the trailer coupler extended for mounting to a towing vehicle for mounting to a towing vehicle in the travel position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.