Vessel floatation aid
OwnerJohn Coates, Paul Coatesinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is a vessel floatation aid for vessels of the type including a water line and laterally spaced gunwales. The floatation aid includes an inflatable bladder including an outer membrane attached to a backer strap and the space there between defining said inflatable portion, such that said backer strap and outer membrane together oriented along said longitudinal direction for temporarily providing increased buoyancy; and including upper tabs and lower tabs connected to a backer strap, said tabs adapted for receiving cords for temporarily lashing said floatation aid to a vessel for releasably and temporarily attaching said buoyancy means below and adjacent a gunwale of a vessel, and proximate a waterline.
Claims11
A vessel floatation aid for vessels of the type including a water line and laterally spaced gunwales, said floatation aid comprising:
- (a) a means for temporarily providing increased buoyancy, said buoyancy means including a flexible substantially half pipe tubular shaped inflatable bladder oriented alone a longitudinal direction and extending substantially the entire length of a gunwale of a vessel;
- (b) said bladder formed out of at least two substantially longitudinally continuous flexible elements;
- including a half pipe shaped outer membrane attached to a planar backer strap, wherein the space between said outer membrane and said backer strap defining an inflatable portion;
- (c) means for releasably and temporarily attaching said buoyancy means below and adjacent substantially the entire length of a gunwale of a vessel, and just above the resting vessel waterline, wherein one side of said backer strap oriented adjacent to and conforming to the outer curvature of said vessel;
- and
- (d) means for inflating and deflating said bladder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.