FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for lifting an object from water into a boat. The present invention has particular application to lifting craypots into a boat, and for convenience will be described from hereon with reference to that application. However, the present invention may be applied to lifting a variety of other objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Crayfish are generally caught by first laying a craypot on the sea floor with bait to attract crayfish. The craypot is attached to a buoy by means of a rope, which is long enough to allow the buoy to float on the surface to mark the location of the craypot.

Some time after laying the craypot, the fisherman returns to check the craypot for a catch. In order to do this, the fisherman locates the buoy, and then draws the craypot up from the sea floor by pulling on the rope. The fisherman manually lifts the craypot into the boat, and any crayfish in the craypot are simply removed. If desired, the craypot can then be placed back into the water for another catch.

Although a motorised winch may be used to pull the craypot up by the rope, the fisherman typically performs the next part of the job - the task of pulling the craypot into the boat - by leaning over the edge of the boat, reaching down to the water to grab the craypot, and hauling it up into the boat.

This presents two difficulties - firstly, a craypot can be heavy, weighing in the order of 25 kg. Lifting this weight up into the boat is not a trivial task, and it is difficult to obtain proper lifting technique when out on the water, leaning over the side of a boat. There is therefore the risk of undue strain or injury whilst lifting the craypot.

Secondly, in order to reach the craypot to lift it, the fisherman must lean over the edge of the boat while lifting, to keep the craypot away from the hull of the boat. This can be a precarious task, especially if there is a significant swell at the time. Accordingly, on occasion, fishermen can fall out of the boat, presenting obvious safety risks.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce or eliminate some or all of the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for lifting an object from water into a boat, comprising: an attachment means for attaching the object to the apparatus; a lifting arm pivotally mountable to the boat, moveable between a lower position wherein an end of the lifting arm is proximate the water, and an upper position wherein the end of the lifting arm is above a gunwhale of the boat; and a lifting handle, positionable inside the boat, and operable to move the lifting arm from the lower position to the upper position, whereby, when the object is attached to the apparatus by the attachment means, movement of the lifting arm is effective to lift the object from the water to above the gunwhale.

The lifting handle may be pivotally attached to the lifting arm, such that the handle can be folded into a convenient storage position when not in immediate use. In the storage position, the lifting handle may be folded to align with the lifting arm.

The upper position of the lifting arm may be such that the lifting arm angles downwardly towards the middle of the boat. In this way, once the lifting arm has been moved to its upper position, the object can slide along the lifting arm into the boat. One or more stops at the base of the lifting arm can stop the object's slide at a convenient position.

The apparatus may further comprise a rope guide, for holding a rope attached to the object away from the boat, as the rope is drawn up.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a craypot lifter for lifting a craypot from water into a boat, comprising: an attachment means for attaching the craypot to the apparatus; a lifting arm pivotally mountable to the boat, moveable between a lower position wherein an end of the lifting arm is proximate the water, and an upper position wherein the end of the lifting arm is above a gunwhale of the boat; and a lifting handle, positionable inside the boat, and operable to move the lifting arm from the lower position to the upper position, whereby, when the craypot is attached to the apparatus by the attachment means, movement of the lifting arm is effective to lift the object from the water to above the gunwhale.

A detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments of the invention is provided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention. While the invention is described in connection with such embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any embodiment. For the purpose of example, numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the present invention is not unnecessarily obscured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention being mounted to a boat;

FIGURES 2 to 7 are cross-sectional views of the apparatus of Figure 1, mounted to a boat, and in operation to lift an object from the water into the boat;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1 , with the lifting arm in a lower position; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1, with the lifting arm in an upper position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures, there is depicted apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the form of a craypot lifter, which is suitable for mounting to a boat 200. The apparatus comprises a lifting arm 20, which is pivotally attached at joints 60 to a support structure comprising support struts 50 and cross piece 55. A mounting bracket 90 is also provided, which is fixed to the boat 200. Holes are provided in the mounting bracket 90, which extend vertically downwards into the hull of the boat 200. As shown in Figure 1, the support structure is mounted on the gunwhale of the boat 200, by inserting the support struts 50 into the holes in the mounting bracket 90. In this way, the lifting arm 20 is securely and pivotally mounted to the boat 200.

A lifting handle 30 is pivotally attached to the lifting arm 20 at joint 65. The lifting handle 30, in this embodiment, can be rotated at joints 65 almost 360 degrees about the lifting arm 20.

The apparatus 10 further comprises a cable 40, which is attached at one end around a cross arm 35 of lifting handle 30. At the other end of the cable 40 is a hook 45, for attaching to a craypot. In this embodiment, the apparatus also comprises a rope guide 80 positioned at the end of a rope guide arm 70, which is pivotally mounted to another mounting plate 95, fixed to the gunwhale of the boat 200. The mounting plate 95 protects the hull from damage potentially caused by the guide arm 70 pressing against the hull.

Turning now to Figures 2 to 7, the operation of the craypot lifter will now be described. As in typical cray fishing, a craypot is laid attached by a rope 160 to a buoy 150 used to mark its position. After some time, the fisherman returns to check the craypot and locates the buoy 150, as shown in Figure 2.

The buoy 150 is picked up from the water, into the boat. Once it is confirmed that the craypot 100 at the end of the rope 160 is not snagged to the seabed, the rope 160 is aligned with the rope guide 80 and wound around motorised winch 250, as shown in Figure 3. The motorised winch 250 is then switched on to wind in the rope 160 and draw up the craypot 100. The rope guide 80 is spaced from the hull 200 by the guide arm 70, which helps ensure that the rope 160 is kept away from the hull of the boat 200, and the craypot 100 itself does not bang against the hull when it reaches the surface.

Once the craypot 100 reaches the surface of the water (as shown in Figure 4), the fisherman ensures the lifting arm 20 is in its lower position, with the end of the lifting arm 20 proximate the water surface. In the figures, the end of the lifting arm 20 is slightly beneath the water surface, although in alternative embodiments it may be slightly above the water surface.

In any case, with the rope wound around the winch 250 and aligned in the rope guide 80, the fisherman leans down and hooks the craypot 100 onto the hook 45. The hook thereby provides an attachment means for attaching to the craypot 100. At this point, a fisherman can grasp the lifting handle 30, and rotate it such that it is pointed towards the middle of the boat, as shown by arrow A in Figure 4. This could, of course, be performed earlier or later as desired.

It will be noted that, as best shown in Figures 8 and 9, the rope guide is positioned to a side of the lifting arm 20. Accordingly, hooking the craypot 100 onto the hook 45 is (probably) the most strenuous part of the use of the present invention. However, it is significantly easier than manually lifting the craypot 100 into the boat according to conventional approaches. Typically, it can be accomplished by drawing the cable over sideways to the craypot 100, and connecting the hook 45. The craypot can then be released, and in a pendulum motion will swing back in the water to locate against the lifting arm 20. Alternatively, in some embodiments or according to the preferences of users, the craypot 100 could be moved sideways to the hook 45 at the end of the cable 40. Regardless, Figure 5 depicts the position of the craypot 100 once it has been hooked onto the end of the cable 40. In this position, the craypot 100 is located against the end of the lifting arm 20.

To move the lifting arm 20 from its lower position to its upper position, it must be rotated about pivot joints 60, as shown by arrow B in Figure 5. To do this, working from within the boat (for instance, whilst holding on to the opposite side of the hull), the fisherman can pull down on the handle 30, in direction C shown in Figure 6. This draws the lifting arm 20 from its lower position proximate the water, up to a point above the gunwhale of the boat 200. The craypot 100 is consequently lifted out of the water, up above the gunwhale. This makes use of the leverage of the lifting arm 20 to quickly, easily and safely lift the craypot 100 from the water. Due to the length of the lifting handle 30, the length of the inner part of the lifting arm, and the pivoting connection between these components, the fisherman can lift the craypot from well within the confines of the boat.

In accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, the lifting handle can be drawn further downwards as shown in Figure 7, until it locates against an edge of the inside of the boat. This pivots the lifting arm 20 further into its upper position, past horizontal, such that it is angled downwardly into the boat. This causes the craypot 100 to slide along the lifting arm in direction C (see Figure 7), until it abuts against stops 25 at the inner end (or 'base') of the lifting arm 20. In this way, the craypot 100 is moved into the boat 200, by a fisherman performing the lifting operation from well within the boat 200 - there is a significantly lower risk of falling out of the boat 200. Furthermore, the craypot 100 itself is positioned and held at a convenient height (within the boat 200) for inspection of the catch.

The craypot 100 can easily be returned to the water by first unhooking it, then pushing the base of the lifting arm 20 up (optionally using lifting handle 30), so that the lifting arm 20 is returned to its lower position and the craypot 100 slides along the lifting arm 20 and back into the water.

The fisherman can then travel to locate the next buoy and check the next craypot. During this time, the apparatus can be demounted, or alternatively (depending on the speed of travel) the lifting arm can be placed into its upper position so that it is clear of the water. Similarly, the rope guide arm 70 may also be rotated to a position within the boat, as shown in Figure 1. In various positions, the cable 40 may be looped around the support structure (e.g. as shown in Figure 9) and clipped back onto itself, which can prevent it dangling loose. The cable may be provided with a karabiner (to which the hook can be attached) to adapt it to this purpose.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention. Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed within the scope of the present invention.

For example, although the present invention has been described in relation to the lifting of craypots during a cray fishing excursion, the present invention could be used for a number of other applications. The present invention would be suited to other types of fishing applications, but beyond this, it could be used for rescue operations, whereby a person overboard can be recovered and lifted back into the boat using lifting apparatus according to the present invention. In this case, the attachment means may be modified to be, for instance, a belt for wrapping around a person's waist. Subsequently lifting the person from the water is then substantially easier due to the leverage provided by the present invention. Another application would be in scuba diving, where the apparatus could be used to lift either people or diving equipment (e.g. air tanks) from the water. The gearing of the apparatus could of course be changed depending on the object to be lifted - for the craypot lifter illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a 25 kg craypot can be lifted with the equivalent to 5 kg of lifting force on the end of the handle, due to the leverage provided by the lifting handle. However, for different applications (e.g. lifting people from the water), the ratio could be higher.

As another example, the apparatus could be formed of many different materials (e.g. steel, plastic, wood) without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the apparatus could be mounted to the boat using various different means, and the components of the apparatus could be joined together using many conventional fastening devices - e.g. screws, nut and bolt arrangements, or the components could be clipped together.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may be provided without the rope guide 80 and rope guide arm 70.

These examples are not intended as an exhaustive list, and are only intended to be indicative of other embodiments still in accordance with the present invention.

Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless the context requires otherwise, the words 'comprise' and 'include' and variations such as 'comprising' and 'including' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.