Adjustable Guide Rails for Automatic Boat Trailer Latching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Loading pontoon-style boats onto trailers is difficult, especially in windy conditions, due to the challenge of aligning the pontoons with the support rails, and existing guide rails often fail to function effectively on sloped boat ramps as they become submerged underwater.
Innovation Solution
The design of a boat trailer with sloped and adjustable guide rails that are higher at the rear, allowing them to extend above water when backing down a ramp, enabling easier alignment and automatic latching of the boat onto the trailer, and incorporating a latch system for secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If guide rails are positioned at the rear of the trailer to align boats, then boat alignment is improved, but the guide rails become submerged underwater on sloped ramps and fail to function
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail system is made adjustable in height to adapt to different ramp slopes. The rails can be raised or lowered to maintain proper positioning above water level regardless of the ramp angle, ensuring continuous functionality. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by allowing the guide rails to remain effective across varying operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The height parameter of the guide rails is made variable through an adjustment mechanism. By changing the vertical position of the rails, the system compensates for different ramp slopes and water levels, preventing submersion and maintaining alignment functionality under diverse conditions.
2Device complexity
If fixed guide rails are used, then the structure is simple, but the guide rails cannot adapt to varying ramp slopes and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail system incorporates adjustable components that allow height and angle modifications. This dynamic capability enables the same basic structure to adapt to multiple ramp configurations and boat sizes, achieving versatility without requiring completely different rail systems for each condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable guide rail system serves multiple functions: it can accommodate different ramp slopes, various boat sizes, and varying water levels. This multi-functionality is achieved through the adjustment mechanism that allows a single rail system to be configured for different operational scenarios, eliminating the need for multiple specialized rail sets.
3Ease of operation
If manual alignment assistance is provided in the water, then boat alignment is achieved, but additional support and safety risks are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable guide rails enable the boat to self-align with the trailer as it is winched up the ramp. The visible rails above water provide automatic guidance without requiring personnel to manually position the boat or provide alignment assistance in the water, simplifying the loading procedure and eliminating safety risks associated with water-based assistance.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a boat trailer that has sloped and adjustable guide rails which are higher at the rear of the trailer as compared to the front of the trailer. Accordingly, when backed down a boat ramp the guide rails extend above the water in order to engage the pontoons of a boat. This arrangement of guide rails allows a boat to powered onto the trailer where it can automatically be latched into place.