Boat enclosure assembly for boat maintenance

• US 5,138,963 A
• Filed: 07/26/1991
• Issued: 08/18/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ECO Safe Systems A General Partnership of CA
• Original Assignee: ECO Safe Systems A General Partnership of CA
• Inventors: Eichert, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotelo, Jesus D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avila, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US07/736,429
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 114/44, 114/45, 114/46, 114/47, 114/48, 114/222, 114/258, 114/259, 114/260, 114/263
• US Class Current: 114/222
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/045 by wrapping the submerged hull or part of the hull with an impermeable sheet stopping temporarily leaks in hulls with impermeable sheets B63B43/16

Abstract

A boat enclosure system for performing boat maintenance work on the water has a U-shaped floating dock forming a three sided enclosure with an opening at one end to enable boats to sail into and out of the enclosure. A bag of flexible, waterproof material is suspended around part of its periphery from the periphery of the dock to form a chamber below the dock, the remainder of the bag periphery extending across the open end of the dock so that it can be dropped into a lowered position allowing clearance below the water for boats to sail in and out of the chamber, and pulled up above the water level when a boat is in the dock to form a closed chamber below the water surface around the hull of the boat. The chamber is connected to a pump and filter unit for circulating water from the chamber through a filter and returning filtered water back to the chamber during maintenance work.

Claims

1. A boat enclosure assembly, comprising:

a U-shaped floating dock for floating on the water surface forming a three-sided enclosure with an open end for allowing vessels to move into and out of the enclosure;

a bag of flexible, waterproof material suspended around part of its periphery from the periphery of the dock to define a chamber below the dock for enclosing the hull of a vessel in the dock, the remainder of the periphery of the bag extending across the open end of the dock and being moveable vessels to move into the chamber, and a raised position above the water level to close the chamber below the water and completely enclose submerged portions of the hull of a vessel in the dock, the bag dimensions being greater than those of the enclosed vessel hull to form a unitary chamber between the bag and opposing hull surfaces below the water level with the bag surface spaced from the opposing hull surfaces across its entire submerged area, the bag having an outlet port;

a pump and filter assembly mounted on the dock for filtering debris from water pumped through the filter assembly;

an inlet hose connecting the bag outlet port to an inlet of the pump and filter assembly; and

an outlet hose connecting the pump and filter assembly to the bag for returning filtered water to the chamber.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, including a housing extending upwardly from the opposite sides of the dock and over the enclosure to cover a boat in the dock.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing comprises an open, generally U-shaped framework and a flexible cover sheet for extending over the framework.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag comprises a sheet of material having opposite first and second faces and is reversible for selectively mounting with the first face innermost or with the second face innermost, the inlet hose having releasable connector means for releasably connecting said inlet hose to said sheet outlet port on either side of said sheet.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, including surface skimmer means for floating on the exposed water surface surrounding a vessel within the enclosure between the vessel and the dock for skimming off floating debris.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the periphery of the bag extending across the open end of the dock includes a drawstring for drawing the bag above the water level to close the opening, and is weighted to drop down in the water when released.

7. A method of carrying out maintenance on a vessel while in the water, comprising the steps of:

sailing the vessel into a U-shaped floating dock for enclosing the vessel on three sides;

enclosing the portions of the vessel below the water surface in an envelope extending downwardly from the sides of the dock and below the vessel hull to form an enclosed chamber between the surface of the envelope and the submerged surface of the hull;

working on the surface of the vessel;

connecting the chamber below the vessel to a pump and filter assembly to pump water from the chamber through a filter unit to remove debris from the water and returning filtered water to the chamber; and

releasing at least one end of the envelope when work on the vessel is completed to provide an opening allowing the vessel to sail out of the dock.