Boarding ladder mounting apparatus

Abstract

A bracket is attachable to the side of a boat or dock and a latch is removably coupled to said bracket. The latch is pivotally attached to the upper end of a boat ladder so that the ladder can swing and can be adjustably angled with respect to the dock or boat when it is latched onto the bracket.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention is directed toward providing a mounting device for pivotably coupling a boat boarding ladder to a support structure such as a boat or a dock so that the ladder can be placed at an angle to the support structure and can swing with respect to the support structure if necessary. The ladder can be easily and readily coupled to or uncoupled from the mounting device. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART [0002] There are a number of commercially available boat or dock boarding ladders which are releasably attachable to the side of a boat or a dock. They are especially useful for divers who may need to climb into the boat or on to the dock with a full load of diving gear. Some of these prior art boarding ladders have the conventional spaced-apart support members with steps held between the support members with the upper ends of the support members curved or hooked for grasping onto the gunwale or some other convenient part of the boat. Other commercially...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a bracket that attaches a ladder to a boat or dock easily and quickly. The bracket has a front plate with a vertical slot for engaging a latching member. The latching member is pivotally engaged to the ladder so that it can swing with the ladder while attached to the bracket. This prevents the ladder from breaking away during strong waves. The latching member also has a cutout portion and an adjustable stop member attached to the ladder support for holding the ladder at an angle with respect to the side of the boat or dock. This makes it more convenient for a diver to climb up with full dive gear. The stop member can be adjusted to change the angle at which the ladder rests to avoid the need for shims."

Problems solved by technology

In all of these cases the ladder extends directly vertically downward from the bracket or generally parallel to the side of the boat or dock which sometimes makes it cumbersome or awkward for climbing into the boat or onto the dock.

Further, if there is some heavy seas the waves impacting the boat can impact the ladder with a force that the ladder may be ripped away from its mounting to the boat or dock.

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