Hinged Boat Door With Gusseted Frame For Safer Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat designs for drift or dory boats lack an efficient entry and exit mechanism, posing a safety risk and difficulty for passengers, especially older individuals, children, and those with disabilities, as they require climbing over the gunwale, which can be hazardous and cumbersome, especially when wearing protective gear.
Innovation Solution
A hingedly secured boat door with a door lock assembly and gussets, allowing easier access and egress by reducing the height of the entry point, and a method for manufacturing this door involving weld penetration lines, layout, cutting, welding, and installation of hinges and locks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passengers enter or exit the boat by climbing over the gunwale, then the boat structure remains simple, but the safety and ease of operation deteriorate due to the hazardous climbing process
Solution Approach 1:
The door is divided into multiple components including the door assembly, door frame, hinges, and locking mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between safety and complexity by breaking down the door system into manageable functional segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly acts as an intermediary element between the passenger and the boat interior, providing a safe transition point. The door frame and hinges serve as intermediary structures that connect the door to the boat hull, enabling controlled access while maintaining structural strength, thus improving safety without excessive complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the entry point height is reduced to improve accessibility, then the ease of operation improves, but the structural strength may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly utilizes composite construction with the door panel, frame, and supporting gussets working together as an integrated structural system. This composite approach distributes structural loads across multiple components, allowing the entry point to be positioned lower for improved accessibility while maintaining overall structural strength through the combined action of all door components.
Solution Approach 2:
The door frame and supporting gussets extend in multiple dimensions from the door panel, creating a three-dimensional structural framework. This dimensional expansion allows the entry point to be lowered while the vertical and lateral extensions of the frame and gussets provide the necessary structural support, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and strength.
3Ease of operation
If a door assembly with multiple components is installed, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door panel, door frame, hinges, and locking mechanism are merged into an integrated door assembly that functions as a unified access system. This merging allows the multiple components to work together seamlessly, improving ease of operation while presenting a single coordinated system rather than separate complex elements, thus managing the complexity through functional integration.
4Ease of operation
If the door is positioned above the water line, then the ease of operation improves for opening while traveling, but the area available for door placement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The door is positioned at a specific location above the water line where the hull provides adequate structural support and sufficient clearance for door operation. This local positioning optimizes the door placement area by selecting the most suitable region on the hull that balances the need for operational ease with the available surface area, resolving the contradiction through strategic location selection.
Data Source
AI summary
A boat hull having a door and a method of making the door, which can swing to an open position and closed position. The door can be used for entering or exiting the boat. The door can remain closed with a door lock assembly and door strike. An outer door frame and gussets provide support for the hull and door.