Retractable Boat Swim-Step Extension Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stern-mounted boat lifting platforms create a safety hazard and instability due to the gap formed between the boat and the watercraft when lowered, increasing the risk of injury and item loss, especially in rough sea conditions.
Innovation Solution
A protective extension platform is attached to the swim-step or adjacent surface, extending past the boat stern to cover the gap, and a retractable screen is mounted to prevent items and foreign objects from falling into the gap, deploying only when the lifting platform is lowered.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lifting platform is lowered to allow passengers to board and watercraft to dismount, then access convenience is improved, but a safety hazard is created due to the gap between the boat and platform
Solution Approach 1:
The extension platform acts as an intermediary structure between the boat stern and the lifting platform. It fills the gap created when the lifting platform is lowered, providing a continuous walking surface that eliminates the safety hazard while maintaining passenger access convenience.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the lifting platform moves rearward when lowered to prevent collision, then collision safety is improved, but a gap is created that makes boarding difficult and hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The extension platform serves as a mediator that bridges the gap created by the rearward movement of the lifting platform. It allows passengers to safely traverse from the boat to the platform without exposing them to the hazards of the open gap, while the lifting platform maintains its collision-preventing rearward position.
3Shape
If the extension platform is made retractable to maintain aesthetic appearance, then visual appeal is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extension platform is designed with retractable capability, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position. When retracted, it maintains the boat's aesthetic appearance; when extended, it provides the safety function of filling the gap. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between appearance and functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A boat protective extension platform apparatus for use in connection with watercraft lifting platforms is provided. The extension platform is preferably attached to the stern of a boat and serves to at least partially cover a gap created between the boat and the lifting platform when the lifting platform is in a lowered position. The extension platform can include a retractable screen that is removably attachable to the lifting platform such than when said screen is extended, the aforementioned gap is further covered, thus preventing items carried by passengers and crew from falling or rolling into said gap and being lost or damaged.