Boat Entry Assistance System Guide Rails and Bench
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat lifts for small watercraft, such as canoes and kayaks, are difficult for individuals with impaired leg function or wheelchair users to board and disembark, and require significant manual effort for paddle or oar-powered boats to be propelled onto the lift.
Innovation Solution
A boat entry assistance system with guide rails and a bench system that includes elongate slides and support members, allowing users to comfortably lower themselves into the boat, and a floating boatlift with guide rails and an entrance/exit assist member to facilitate easy access and propulsion of paddle or oar-powered boats onto the lift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional boat lift with decking on both sides is used, then the boat lift provides stable support for watercraft, but it becomes difficult for individuals with impaired leg function or wheelchair users to board and disembark
Solution Approach 1:
The boat lift structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: an open passage area for watercraft entry/exit, guide rails positioned at accessible heights, and a bench system with slides. This segmentation allows individuals with mobility impairments to access the boat lift from the dock side without needing to navigate across decking on both sides, thereby improving ease of boarding and disembarking while maintaining structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
A bench system with extendable slides is introduced as an intermediary element between the dock and the watercraft. The slides can be extended to provide a bridging surface that facilitates transfer from the dock to the boat, and retracted when not in use. This intermediary structure enables easier access for individuals with impaired leg function or wheelchair users without requiring major structural changes to the boat lift itself.
2Ease of operation
If a boat lift requires motor boat power to propel the watercraft onto the lift, then the boat lift can easily receive powered boats, but it becomes difficult for manually powered boats like canoes and kayaks to be propelled onto the lift
Solution Approach 1:
The boat lift is designed with an open passage and guide rails that create a more favorable energy profile for manually powered boats. The guide rails are positioned to provide handholds at appropriate heights, allowing paddlers to use their upper body strength more effectively. The open passage reduces resistance and allows for smoother entry, minimizing the energy required to propel the boat onto the lift compared to navigating across decking.
Solution Approach 2:
The entrance area of the boat lift is modified with specific local features: guide rails with grab bars positioned at hand-reachable heights, and an open passage design. These local modifications concentrate the assistance where it is most needed during the entry process, allowing manually powered boats to overcome the energy barrier at the critical entry point without requiring changes to the entire boat lift structure or additional power sources.
3Ease of operation
If guide rails with grab bars are added to assist manual propulsion, then paddle or oar-powered boats can be more easily propelled onto the lift, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the open passage design, offer handholds with grab bars for manual propulsion assistance, and define the entry pathway for watercraft. By combining these functions into a single integrated element, the guide rail system improves ease of manual propulsion without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same structure performs several critical roles simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A boat entry assistance system for use with small, manual or paddle or oar powered watercraft (such as canoes and kayaks) is provided with guide rails on either side of a boat positioning unit, such as a boat lift, which can be utilized by a boater to propel his watercraft into the unit. The system includes a specially designed bench system which assists disabled persons with entering and exiting such small watercraft.