Rotating Dock Cradle for Single-Stage Kayak Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for lifting and storing small vessels like canoes and kayaks on docks are inefficient, causing obstruction of dock space, requiring a two-stage operation, and posing challenges with variable freeboard, excessive lifting force, and potential damage to the vessels or dock.
Innovation Solution
A three-sided cradle pivotally connected to dock lateral supports allows for single-stage lifting and secure vertical storage, accommodating variable freeboard and minimizing lifting effort by positioning the pivot point to maintain a constant distance from the vessel's center of gravity, with optional operation from either the water or dock side.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a winch mechanism is used to lift the vessel from the dock side, then the vessel can be lifted onto the dock surface, but the operation requires two stages and considerable dock space is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional lifting approach by enabling water-side lifting instead of dock-side lifting. The cradle is designed to be positioned in the water adjacent to the dock, allowing the operator to lift the vessel directly from the water side, eliminating the need to move to the dock side and perform a second operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting operation is extracted from the dock structure itself and repositioned to the water side. The cradle and lifting mechanism are detached from the dock surface and positioned independently in the water, allowing the lifting action to occur separately from the dock structure and enabling single-stage operation.
2Ease of operation
If the vessel is stored on the dock surface, then it is easily accessible, but most of the dock width is obstructed and access to the far end is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the storage location from the horizontal dock surface to the vertical water column adjacent to the dock. By storing vessels vertically in the water beside the dock rather than horizontally on the dock surface, the system preserves 100% of the dock width for foot traffic while maintaining easy water-side accessibility.
3Reliability
If the vessel is lifted onto the dock surface, then it can be stored out of the water, but lifting is clumsy or impossible for one person and may cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a water-side cradle as an intermediary device between the vessel and the dock. This cradle serves as a mediator that the operator can easily position and lift from the water side, then transfer the vessel into for storage, eliminating the need for direct one-person lifting onto the dock surface and reducing risk of damage.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a flexible cradle loop is used to lift the boat, then pinching stress on the gunwale is avoided, but the vessel cannot be secured in a vertical position for storage over the water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible cradle loop constructed from flexible material that conforms to the vessel's hull shape. This flexible construction distributes lifting forces evenly across the hull, avoiding concentrated pinching stress on the gunwale, while still enabling secure vertical storage positioning through proper loop configuration and attachment points.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides efficient, safe, and space-saving storage by enabling easy single-stage lifting and secure vertical positioning of small vessels, reducing effort and risk of damage, while allowing flexible operation from either side.
Implementation Method 1
A three-sided cradle (11) pivotally connected to two dock lateral supports (12) allows for single-stage lifting and secure vertical storage
Implementation Method 2
positioning the pivot point to maintain a constant distance from the vessel's center of gravity, with optional operation from either the water or dock side
Data Source
AI summary
A small vessel dock racking system provides a three-sided cradle that is rotatably connected to two lateral supports extending outward from one side of the dock. A person in the water can float the canoe or kayak into the cradle and lift it into a secure vertical storage position on the side of the dock without having to get up on the dock. A pivot point extending out into the water has the advantages of both accommodating freeboard and minimizing the distance between the pivot and the boat's center of gravity, thereby allowing for much less effort in lifting. Depending on the depth of the vessel, the cradle can be dimensioned so that the position of the vessel's center of gravity tends to hold the cradle in a vertical alignment after it's been lifted. Where needed, a cradle latch that can be activated from the water side further secures the storage position.