WO2013039433A1

WO2013039433A1 - Resilient and floating device for prevention of fouling of boat bottoms and of other floating objects

Info

Publication number: WO2013039433A1
Application number: PCT/SE2011/000160
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bo Nilsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-15
Filing date: 2011-09-15
Publication date: 2013-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-15
Also published as: SE534375C2; SE1000936A1; EP2616319A4; EP2616319A1; WO2013039433A8

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for prevention of fouling of boat bottoms and other floating objects, said device consists of a flexible, mat like member intended to be positionally fixated to the bottom of the boat or another floating object in question with the aid of suitable fastening means, wherein the flexible, mat like structure consists of a mat (2), which after having been driven up onto by a boat hull over the same, is pressed upwards in a direction towards the boat hull bottom into close contact therewith. The mat (2) consists of a resilient, floating material such as plastic tubes with closed ends or, alternatively, rope or homogeneous cord (3) having a lower density than water and which mutually form a grid pattern (4) with a mesh size adapted to the desired lifting power over the entire surface of the mat (2), which is intended for contact with the boat bottom of the floating object in question so as to conform to the shape of the bottom of the boat by means of the water pressure and which grid pattern (4) between the tubes (3) allows the abrased waste of vegetation to easily penetrate through the mat (2) to sink down to the bottom without adhering to the minimal surface of the mat (2), whereby ongoing contact and movement created by the mat through its resilient and floating construction against the surface of the object prevent organisms from starting to grow when the object is driven up onto the mat.

Description

Resilient and floating device for prevention of fouling of boat bottoms and of other floating objects

The present invention relates to a device for preventing undesired organisms, such as, for instance, fouling of algae, barnacles and mussles, to adhere and increase friction upon driving objects, for example boats, in water. Vegetation on the bottom of boats and other floating objects is a big problem, inter alia depending on that the vegetation protective paints that are used nowadays not are efficient enough, since the vegetation after all is growing and brings many

inconveniencies both regarding the influence of the velocity of the boat with increased fuel consumption as a result and also negative influence of both the bottom as well as other parts of the boat. Previously known devices for preventing organisms from growing on the bottoms of a boat or other floating objects are described in the American patents US 6,443,085 B1 and US 4,395,966. The first mentioned American document describes a device in which the bottom of a boat is covered by a non-woven material, which implies that possible organisms adhere to this material and cannot pass through it, and are thereby prevented from growing on the bottom of the boat. The second American document shows and describes a device consisting of a belt intended to be pulled forth and back under the boat to remove algae etc. form the bottom of the boat. This belt is provided with a device in order to make it have a good contact and thereby increase the friction against the bottom. These previously known devices have proven difficult to function in a satisfactory way and they have not proven efficient enough either. The problems associated with these solutions have now been eliminated thanks to the invention disclosed herein.

The object of this invention is to achieve a device through which the vegetation on the bottom of a floating object is prevented in an efficient manner. The characterizing features of the invention are given in the appended claims.

Thanks to the invention a device preventing vegetation has now been created, which serves its purposes in an efficient way and at the same time is simple and cheap to produce. The device according to the invention consists of, in contrast to inter alia the above mentioned prior art, a mat that is positionally fixable under the bottom of the boat, having a size and shape adapted to boat in question. Preferably, the mat is manufactured of plastic tubes with closed ends, alternatively rope or homogeneous cord, which has a lifting power in itself due to that the mat has a density lower than water, whereby the mat is pressed upwards to abut closely against the bottom in question so that all vegetation is deprived of its ability to grow onto it since movement and contact between the mat and the bottom in question arise. The invention is described in more detail hereinbelow with the aid of a preferred embodiment and referring to the enclosed drawing, which shows an example in a top view of a vegetation preventing mat in accordance with the invention intended to be fastened with rope under a boat or another floating object.

The drawing shows a preferred embodiment of a vegetation preventing device 1 in the form of a mat (2) according to the present invention. First, the mat 2 is intended for different types of floating objects and above all it is intended to be used in harbours or in places where boats or other floating objects are moored and in a way that so the mat 2 completely covers the bottom of the boat, so that the movement of the mat in relation to the bottom of the boat and in combination with contact with the same vegetation is prevented from arising and increasing.

The mat 2 consists of a resilient, floating material, for example plastic tubes with closed ends or, alternatively, rope or homogenous cord 3. The increase of the abutment pressure against the object, which may be a boat, may be achieved through a larger diameter of the cleaning tube 3 or through adjustment of the density of the material. The mat 2 in the shown example consists of a grid system 4 of suitable mesh size and which also is adapted to the desired lifting power and contact over mainly the entire surface of the mat 2, which is intended for abutment against the bottom of the boat in question and a ratio A:B in respect of width and length for the cavities 6 exhibited by the mat 2 may be adjusted depending on the size and shape of the object, so as to achieve an efficient pressure upwards and contact of the mat 2 through the resulting water pressure. In the shown example this ratio is 1 :5, but of course it may also be for instance 5:1 or other ratios giving the same result in respect of efficiency. A rectangular frame 5 having a diameter around the entire mat 2 that is larger than the working cleaners 3 with inclined grids and forming the same is fastened to these to hold the mat 2 fixed in its position. Through its small touching surface through the cleaning tubes 3 against the bottom of the boat and the large cavity 6, which exists in the structure, it is allowed for the abrased fouling material to sink to the bottom of the sea instead of, as may be the case with other conventional devices which thereby become very heavy and difficult to handle and therefore these entire devices after some time even sink. The device according to the invention never sinks thanks to its small fouling surface in relation to the lifting power of the mat 2.

For the fixation of the position of the mat 2 under a boat there is at its edge regions or the frame 5 openings 7 in which ropes or cords may be fixed, which in turn are fixable in, preferably, fastening means existing on the boat or, for example, Y bars fastened in a pier.

Floating objects that use this type of mat need not be painted with base paint, since the mat prevents all vegetation from starting to grow and increase in an efficient manner and the possible vegetation which has managed to attach when the object has been in a different place disappears in a short time when the mat 2 acts against the bottom.

Through the unique design of the mat 2 a resilient function has been achieved allowing the mat to be resilient outwards from its centre and will have a complete abutment against the entire surface of the object with the aid of the lower density of the structure than the water and that the mat follows the shape of the object.

Claims

Device for prevention of fouling of bottoms of boats and other floating objects, said device consisting of a flexible, mat like member intended to be fixed in a position under the bottom of the boat or floating object in question with the aid of suitable fastening means, wherein said flexible, mat like member consists of a mat (2), which after driving a boat hull up onto the same, is pressed upwards towards the boat hull bottom into close contact therewith, characterized in that the mat (2) consists of a resilient floating material such as plastic tubes with closed ends or, alternatively, rope or homogeneous cord (3) having a density lower than water and which mutually form a grid pattern (4) with a mesh size adapted to the desired lifting power over the entire surface of the mat

(2), which is intended to abut against the bottom of the boat of the object in question to conform to the shape of the bottom of the boat by means of the water pressure and said grid pattern (4) between the plastic tubes

(3) allowing the abrased waste of vegetation to easily penetrate the mat (2) in order to sink to the bottom without adhering to the minimal surface of the mat (2) whereby ongoing contact and movement created by the mat through its resilient and floating construction against the surface of the object prevent organisms from starting to grow when the object is driven up onto the mat.

Device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the grid pattern

(4) of the mat (2) has a ratio (A:B) in respect of width and length for the cavities (6) exhibited by the mat (2) and said ratio (A:B) is adjustable depending on the size and shape of the bottom of the boat in order to achieve an efficient upward pressing and contact of the mat against the bottom of the boat.

Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the ratio (A:B) has a value of about 1 :5.

Device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the mat (2) is self-cleaning due to that the plastic tubes (3) exhibit a small contact surface against the bottom of the boat.

5. Device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the mat is fastenable in a

stationary equipment where the object is driven up onto the mat and the mat, when needed, is fastenable to the object through, for instance, ropes or cords