BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a vertically-movable roof for a pilot house or helm station of a boat in order to vary the height of the roof, so that during inclement weather, the roof may be lowered and the control-compartment closed, or may be elevated during sunny or warm weather where the compartment is open to the ambient surrounding. Helm stations for relatively large boats, as yachts, is the compartment where controls for the boat are located, are generally and conventionally provided with an elevated roof raised above the remainder of the control compartment, thus providing an open space between the interior of the compartment and the outside. Typically, when one desires to close off such opening to the outside, a canvas or other type of enclosure is wrapped about the open space between the bottom of the elevated roof and the upper surfaces of the compartment side walls and front wall or wind shield, or the like. Such enclosure may be snapped into place, or otherwise removably secured. Smaller boats of the 11-30 feet range generally have a center console or pilot house without any general protective covering at all, as in a

helm station. The present invention is as equally applicable to a pilot house a sit is to helm station, so as to define a new type of center control compartment for a smaller boat with the advantages of the helm station of a larger boat. Helm stations of large boats typically include a rear upstanding radar arch, which sometimes actually mounts radar, but usually is only an aesthetic appurtenance having remained even though its prior function as radar-equipment support has been made largely obsolete. Some of the helm stations above- referred to do utilize the upper surface of the radar arch to support a fixed roof at the rear, or for supporting protective but removable enclosure-canvas, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention tα provide a convertible helm-station that combines the advantages of all of the prior-art enclosures into a simple and but highly effective and easy to use convertible roof.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a pilot house of smaller boats with the same general design of a convertible roof as for the helm-station.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to utilize the largely aesthetic radar arch for slidingly and adjustably supporting an adjustable roof.

Toward these and other ends, the convertible helm station or pilot house of the invention is provided with a roof that defines downwardly-extending braces that are adjustably positionable with respect to tracks mounted in the two interior side wall surfaces of a radar arch of a conventional helm station, or by providing such a radar arch for a pilot house for small boats. The roof is positionable at a plurality of different elevations for a desired height above the side walls and windshield of the compartment of the helm station or pilot house.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be more readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a helm-station or pilot house incorporating therein the height-adjustable roof of the invention;

Figure 2 is a rear view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side view thereof showing the roof in its elevated state;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the connection between the roof and radar arch; Figure 5 is an isometric view thereof with the roof in its downward, protective state;

Figure 6 is a side view showing a modification of the improved helm station or pilot house of the invention with the provision of a pivotal retaining loop for ensuring the elevated state of the roof;

Figure 7 is a rear view thereof;

Figure 8 is a side view showing the elevated state of the roof;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view thereof similar t Fig. 4 and showing the engagement of the retaining loop with the forward end of the roof;

Figure 10 is a front view thereof showing the roof in its elevated state; and

Figure 11 is an isometric view thereof with the roof in its downward protective state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, and Figs. 1-5, there is shown a helm-station, or pilot house, 10 for a boat. The helm station 10 of the invention includes a pair of side walls 12 in each of which is formed a sliding door 14 allowing access into

and through the helm station enclosure. There is also provided a front wall 16 that curves for interconnecting the forward edges of the side walls, and a rear wall 19. A windshield 20 is provided on the upper edge of the front wall and curves similarly to it, and a rear windshield 19' is provided on the upper edge surface of the rear wall. Projecting upwardly from the top of the rear of the side walls, and formed integrally therewith, is a radar arch 24 that has an elevated, horizontal connecting arch-section 20'. The radar arch is generally an aesthetic appurtenance, though it is occasionally still used in its originally-intended capacity as a support for radar equipment. In the present invention, the radar arch proper has been given a new function:To wit, sliding support of a roof 30 of the helm station/pilot house so that the roof may be slid upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, to allow access to the ambient surroundings for opening up the enclosure during sunny days, and the like, and closing off the enclosure during rainy days, and the like. The sliding mounting of the roof 30 is achieved, in the preferred embodiment, via a pair of slots or channels 30' formed in the rear of the roof 30 through which slots are received the pair of side beams or braces 23, 25 of the radar arch 24, so that the roof 30 proper may be guided

therealong. The upper limit of the movement of the roof 30 is defined by the arch 24 ^• of the radar arch, while the lower limit of movement is defined by the upper edges of the side walls 12. Each of the side beams or braces 23, 25 is provided with an interior-facing track 40 on the inner surface thereof. Each track is provided, in the preferred embodiment, with a plurality of linearly- aligned holes extending along a certain length thereof, which holes are used for variably positioning the roof at a desired height above the upper edges of the side walls of the helm station compartment. The interior-facing, or lower surface face, of the roof 30 is provided with a pair of oppositely-disposed, downwardly-projecting bracket-arms 50, one on each lateral side of the roof, the two bracket-arms 50 being interconnected by a transversely-extending, cross- support member 52 fixedly secured to the underside of the roof. A pair of sandwiching support struts 54, 56 may also provided for additional structural integrity. Each bracket-arm 50 is provided with a series of linear- aligned holes 60 for matching with the holes formed in the respective track 40, so that one or more holes 60 can be aligned with one or more holes of the respective track 40 for securing the roof at the desired elevation via bolts 62. Each bracket-arm 50 projects downwardly

at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal roof 30 to accommodate the rearwardly sloped radar arch 24 and rearwardly sloped side rails 23, 25 and tracks 40 thereof. Of course, the radar arch 24 may have no slope at all, but may be vertically oriented only, or even have a forward-sloping incline. The openings 30' of the roof also are made to accommodate such rearward incline of the radar arch, with the interior surfaces of the slot thereof being appropriately canted at the same sloping angle to accommodate the sliding interconnection therebetween, and to also provide as tight a fit as possible for protecting the interior of the enclosure from ambient conditions when the roof is in its downward-most position. Appropriate and conventional gaskets 30" may be used for sealing the connections therebetween. It is also desired to allow for the removal of the arch portion 24' from the side braces 23, 25, so that if it is desired to completely remove the roof 30, such is possible. Thus, the arch portion 24' may be removably secured to the upper surfaces of the side braces 23, 25 as by brackets and screws, and the like, to allow for such removal. The lines 70, 72 in Fig. 5 indicate such removable coupling. In the raised state of the roof 30, there is also provided a forward support bar 70, which is removably and manually

positioned between two reinforced bearing surfaces 72, 74, formed in the upper surface of the forward part of the windshield 20 and bottom surface of the forward portion of the roof 30, respectively, so as to support the forward portion of the roof in its raised state, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The bar or rod 70 may be made upwardly tapering so as to be narrower on top as on the bottom, so that the upper bearing support 74 may be telescoped into the lower support 72 when the roof is in its downward-most state, where, in combination with a recessed bearing support 72, a tight enclosure is formed when the roof is in its lowered state.

A slightly modified form of the invention is shown in Figs. 6-11, where like parts are indicated by like reference numerals. In this modification, the bar 70 has been replaced with a U-shaped, pivotal, partial loop-member 80 pivotally secured at its two ends 82, 84 to the upper forward surface of the front wall 16 via pivot connections 86, 88. The partial securing loop 80 has a central portion 90 that cooperates with a loop- contact member 92, which may be a bolt, or the like, the shaft portion of which rests upon the member 90. Of course, any contact-member 92 could be used that will prevent the accidental and unwanted removal of the loop- member 80 from under the roof.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope, spirit and intent of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the roof may be lowered and raised using a winch, or using a power cylinder, and the like, instead of the manual approach above- described.