Boat launching, retrieval, transport apparatus and method

Abstract

A transport apparatus to launch a boat into the water and retrieve the boat from the water. There is an elongate main frame having forward and rear main frame sections pivotally connected to one another along a transverse axis at approximately a mid location along the length. At the forward end of the main frame, there is an operating station and also forward wheels which are capable of turning a full ninety degrees in either direction, and there are at the opposite end rear support wheels which can be raised or lowered. When a boat is being taken out of the water, the apparatus is moved so that its rear end moves into the water, the rear wheels are raised to lower the rear frame section and the two main frame sections are articulated relative to one another to lower the pivot location. In this configuration the boat can be brought onto the rear main frame section, the rear section raised, and the boat carried out of the water. In a similar manner, the boat could be deposited with the launch pad back into the water.

1 . A boat transport apparatus adapted to remove a boat from a body of water and/or launch a boat into a body of water, said apparatus comprising: 
 a) a main support frame having a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a front end, and a rear end, said main support frame comprising a forward main frame section and a rear main frame section, said forward and rear main frame sections being pivotally connected to one another about a pivot location, so as to be able to be rotated relative to one another between an upper pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a higher elevation and a lower pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a lower elevation;    b) said forward and rear main frame sections being arranged as right and left main frame side portions, each of which comprises a forward main frame side portion and a rear main frame side portion, and which define therebetween a boat receiving region comprising a rear entry portion, a rear boat receiving region portion located between the right and left main rear frame side portions at the rear main frame section, and a forward boat receiving region portion located between the right and left forward main frame side portions at the forward frame section;    c) a rear wheeled support section being connected to the rear main frame section and moveable between upper and lower configurations relative to the rear main frame section;    d) a forward support section connected to the forward main frame section;    e) said apparatus being arranged so that with said apparatus in an operating position in a body of water, the rear main frame section is able to be located at a first lower ground elevation in the body of water, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame in its lower pivot configuration, and by lowering the rear support section, the rear main frame section is at a second higher ground elevation in the body of water.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , where each of the main frame side portions has its own pivot connection between its related forward main frame side portion and rear main frame side portion.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein each of the rear main frame side portions can rotate independently from one another about its related pivot connection relative to its forward main frame side portion.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the front and rear main frame side portions of each main frame side portion have a related actuator to move the rear main frame side portion relative to its related forward main frame side portion.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said rear wheeled support section comprises left and right wheeled rear support portions, each of which has a wheel portion and a related actuator to raise or lower the wheel portion.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said forward main frame section has a front end frame portion connected between forward end portions of the forward main frame side portions.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said forward support section comprising a steerable wheeled section.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 7 , wherein said steerable wheeled section comprises at least two steerable wheels spaced laterally from one another with each steerable wheel having its own steering axis about which each steerable wheel can be rotated to various steering positions.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising an operating station which is at a forward location of the forward main frame section and at which an operator can control operation of said apparatus.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said forward support section comprises a connection component adapted to be a connected to a towing apparatus to move the transport apparatus.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein rear wheeled support section is arranged to provide ground support at a support location at a rear portion of said rear main frame section.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said forward support section has a support location at a forward portion of the forward main frame section.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said rear support section has a rear ground engaging support location and said forward support section has a forward support location by which the forward main frame section is supported from a ground surface, said pivot location being located at a pivot location spacing distance between about one third to three quarters of a distance from said rear ground engaging support location to said forward support location.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said pivot location spacing distance is no greater than about two-thirds of the distance from said rear ground engaging support location to said forward support location.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said pivot location is between about two fifths to three fifths of the distance from said rear ground engaging support location to said forward support location.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said pivot location is about one half of the distance from said rear ground engaging support location to said forward support location.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the two rear main frame side portions each have a longitudinally extending boat engaging support portion, each of said support portions comprising a longitudinally extending inflatable bunker to provide support for a boat being positioned thereon.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 17 , wherein said apparatus is arranged and sized so as to be able to support a boat of a smaller length dimension and also a boat up to a larger maximum length dimension extending into the forward boat receiving portion, said rear main frame section being configured and having a length such that a boat of the maximum length dimension being carried by said apparatus has a center of gravity which, when the boat is positioned on said apparatus, is behind said pivot location, such that at least a substantial portion of weight of the boat is supported by said inflatable bunkers.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is arranged and sized so as to be able to support a boat of a smaller length dimension and also a boat up to a larger maximum length dimension extending into the forward boat receiving portion, said rear main frame section being configured and having a length such that a boat of the maximum length dimension being carried by said apparatus has a center of gravity which, when the boat is positioned on said apparatus, is behind said pivot location, such that at least a substantial portion of weight of the boat is supported by said rear main frame section.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is arranged so that the rear main frame section is able to support at least a substantial portion of weight of a boat having a lengthwise dimension at least as great or greater than a lengthwise dimension of the rear main frame section so that when carried by the apparatus, a forward end portion of the boat extends into the forward boat receiving region portion, and said right and left rear main frame side portions have longitudinally extending support surface portions which engage the boat and which are positioned in a boat support reference plane, and said apparatus has a ground support reference plane which is defined at a rear support location by a rear ground support location of the rear support section and at the forward end of the apparatus by a forward ground support location of the forward support section, said apparatus being arranged so that with the rear support section in its lower configuration, and with the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration, the boat support reference plane has a downward and forward slant relative to the ground support reference plane.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 20 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its lower configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration the downward and forward slope relative the ground support reference plane is between about 2° to 12°.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 20 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration said boat support reference plane of the apparatus has a forward and downward slope relative the ground support reference plane.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 22  wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its lower pivot configuration said boat support reference plane of the apparatus has a forward and downward slope relative the ground support reference plane at an angle between about 0° to 10°.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 20 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration said boat support reference plane of the apparatus does not have a forward and downward slope relative the ground support reference plane.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 24 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its upper configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration, said boat support reference plane of the apparatus forward and forward and upward slope relative the ground support reference plane.  
   
   
       26 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its lower configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration said boat support reference plane of the apparatus is approximately parallel to its ground support reference plane.  
   
   
       27 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 20 , wherein said apparatus is arranged so that with the rear support section being in its lower configuration and the main support frame being in its upper pivot configuration, said boat support reference plane of the apparatus is aligned relative the ground support reference plane, so that an angle of the boat support plane relative to the ground reference plane is between about 4° in an upward and forward slant and 4° in an upward and rearward slant.  
   
   
       28 . A method of removing a boat from a body of water, said method comprising: 
 a) providing a boat removing apparatus, comprising: 
 i. a main support frame having a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a front end, and a rear end, said main support frame comprising a forward main frame section and a rear main frame section, said forward and rear main frame sections being pivotally connected to one another about a pivot location, so as to be able to be rotated relative to one another between an upper pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a higher elevation and a lower pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a lower elevation;  
 ii. said forward and rear main frame sections being arranged as right and left main frame side portions, right and left main frame side portions each of which comprises a forward main frame side portion and a rear main frame side portion, and which define therebetween a boat receiving region comprising a rear entry portion, a rear boat receiving region portion located between the right and left rear main frame rear side portions at the rear main frame section, and a forward boat receiving region portion located between the right and left forward main frame side portions at the forward frame section;  
 iii. a rear wheeled support section being connected to the rear main frame section and moveable between upper and lower configurations relative to the rear main frame section;  
 iv. a forward support section connected to the forward main frame section;  
   b) positioning said apparatus in an operating position in a body of water, so that the rear main frame section is located at a first lower ground elevation in the body of water, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame in its lower pivot configuration;    c) locating the boat in the body of water over the rear main frame section, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the rear main frame section in its lower pivot configuration;    d) lowering the rear support section to raise the rear main frame section to a second higher ground elevation in the body of water to raise the boat in the body of water;    e) moving the apparatus to carry the boat in a direction from the body of water.    
   
   
       29 . The method as recited in  claim 28 , further comprising subsequently raising or lowering the main support frame between its upper and lower pivot configuration or also raising or lowering the rear support location between its upper configuration and lower configuration with the apparatus being positioned on or traveling over a ground surface over the water.  
   
   
       30 . A method adapted to launch a boat into a body of water, said method comprising: 
 a) providing a boat launching apparatus, comprising: 
 i. main support frame having a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a front end, and a rear end, said main support frame comprising a forward main frame section and a rear main frame section, said forward and rear main frame sections being pivotally connected to one another about a pivot location, so as to be able to be rotated relative to one another between an upper pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a higher elevation and a lower pivot configuration of the main support frame with the pivot location at a lower elevation;  
 ii. said forward and rear main frame sections being arranged as right and left main frame side portions right and left main frame side portions each of which comprises a forward main frame side portion and a rear main frame side portion, and which define therebetween a boat receiving region comprising a rear entry portion, a rear boat receiving region portion located between the right and left main frame rear side portions at the rear main frame section, and a forward boat receiving region portion located between the right and left forward main frame side portions at the forward frame section;  
 iii. a rear wheeled support section being connected to the rear main frame section and moveable between upper and lower configurations relative to the rear main frame section;  
 iv. a forward support section connected to the forward main frame section;  
   b) locating the boat on said apparatus, moving said apparatus into a body of water to a launching location, and locating the rear main frame section at a lower ground elevation in the body of water, with the rear support section in its upper configuration and the main support frame in its lower pivot configuration, so that the boat is substantially supported by a flotation force of the water.    
   
   
       31 . The method as recited in  claim 30 , wherein prior to moving the apparatus to the launching location, the rear support section is in a configuration to have the boat at a higher elevation.