Wheel for floating watercraft port

Abstract

One example provides a wheel for conveying a watercraft on a floating drive-on watercraft port. The wheel includes a rim including a center hub having a tapered bore configured to receive an axle, the bore tapered such that a center diameter at a center circumference of the bore is less than an end diameter at bore openings at opposing ends of the bore. A tire is disposed about an outer circumference of the rim for engaging a hull of a watercraft.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wheel for conveying a watercraft on a floating drive-on watercraft port, comprising:
 a rim including a center hub having a tapered bore configured to receive an axle, the bore tapered such that a center diameter at a center circumference of the bore is less than an end diameter at bore openings at opposing ends of the bore; and   a tire disposed about an outer circumference of the rim for engaging a hull of a watercraft.   
     
     
         2 . The wheel of  claim 1 , the tapered bore defined by the sidewalls walls of the bore being at a bore angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore. 
     
     
         3 . The wheel of  claim 2 , the bore angle being in a range from 5 to 10 degrees. 
     
     
         4 . The wheel of  claim 2 , with an axle having a diameter equal to the center diameter disposed within the bore, a transverse axis of the wheel able to tip by the bore angle in opposite directions from a vertical axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the axle, the opposite direction being parallel with the longitudinal axis of the axle. 
     
     
         5 . The wheel of  claim 1 , the rim and tire each being single-piece molded copolymer materials, the tire being over-molded onto the rim. 
     
     
         6 . The wheel of  claim 1 , the rim including an outer barrel forming the outer circumference on which the tire is disposed. 
     
     
         7 . The wheel of  claim 6 , the outer circumference including a plurality of depressions to interlock with a mold material of the tire. 
     
     
         8 . The wheel of  claim 6 , the rim including a plurality of non-linear spokes extending between the center hub and the outer barrel. 
     
     
         9 . The wheel of  claim 8 , the non-linear spokes being arcuate in shape. 
     
     
         10 . The wheel of  claim 1 , the tire including a plurality of through-holes extending between opposing sidewalls of the tire, the through-holes arrayed along a circumference of the tire between an inner circumference and an outer circumference. 
     
     
         11 . The wheel of  claim 1 , the tire comprising a molded copolymer material having a durometer value between 50 and 75. 
     
     
         12 . The wheel of  claim 11 , the copolymer material comprising one of thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic rubbers. 
     
     
         13 . A wheel assembly for conveying a watercraft on a floating drive-on watercraft port, comprising:
 a wheel including:
 a rim including a center hub having a bore which tapers downwardly from bore opening at opposing ends toward a middle of the bore; and 
 a tire disposed about an outer circumference of the rim for engaging a hull of a watercraft; and 
   an axle extending through the bore, the wheel able to freely spin about the axle with a longitudinal axis of the axle defining an axis of rotation of the wheel, while rotating, the wheel able to tip back and forth along the axis of rotation.   
     
     
         14 . The wheel assembly of  claim 13 , wherein sidewalls of the tapered bore are at a bore angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore, the wheel able to tip back and forth over a range equal to twice the bore angle. 
     
     
         15 . The wheel assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the bore angle is up to 10 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . The wheel assembly of  claim 13 , the tire including a plurality of through-holes extending between opposing sidewalls of the tire, the through-holes arrayed along a circumference of the tire between an inner circumference and an outer circumference. 
     
     
         17 . The wheel assembly of  claim 13 , including spacers disposed on the axle on each side of the wheel to maintain a position of the wheel along a length of the axle. 
     
     
         18 . A floating watercraft port comprising:
 a plurality of floating sections hinged together to define an upper surface, the upper surface including a hull depression formed therein;   a plurality of roller pockets formed in the upper surface and extending symmetrically along opposite sides of a centerline of the hull depression;   a plurality of wheel assemblies mounted within the roller pockets in a symmetrical pattern on each side of the centerline line of the hull depression, such that the wheel assemblies together form a transport track on each side of the centerline to transport and cradle a watercraft hull along the watercraft port, wherein each wheel assembly includes:   a wheel including:
 a rim including a center hub having a bore which tapers downwardly from bore opening at opposing ends toward a middle of the bore; and 
 a tire disposed about an outer circumference of the rim for engaging a hull of a watercraft; and 
   an axle extending through the bore, the wheel able to freely spin about the axle with a longitudinal axis of the axle defining an axis of rotation of the wheel, while rotating, the wheel able to tip back and forth along the axis of rotation.   
     
     
         19 . The floating watercraft port of  claim 18 , wherein sidewalls of the tapered bore are at a bore angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore, the wheel able to tip back and forth over a range equal to twice the bore angle. 
     
     
         20 . The floating watercraft port of  claim 18 , the tire including a plurality of through-holes extending between opposing sidewalls of the tire, the through-holes arrayed along a circumference of the tire between an inner circumference and an outer circumference.