Automatic docking and launching.

[LC Marine]

Hey fellow boater's here's a vid of my latest prototype loading ramp for my disabled accessable water taxi in Toronto Harbour. The ramp itself should be longer, but I did not have the material on hand, and a 3/16 sheet of aluminum is $400 delivered. I'll be building 5 of these shortly, with some minor mods, and be doing some rough-water testing. So far I've run about 100 dock/launch cycles without issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aavbRTVRN2A

Patent pending as of yesterday.

Feedback and questions please.....

Cheers, Luc

[HandymanHerb]

How does it work?, what price do you see it going for?

I can see a person in a wheel chair living a lake, this would be a great

[LC Marine]

Hi Herb,

There is a specially designed latch under the deck, with a cable release system at the helm. Here's a pic of the boat components.

[HandymanHerb]

Cool, looks well made and I was wondering how you released it, seems like it would be a good add on to the trailer too.

[jimrs]

Do you have to hit the dock that hard to get it to hook-up? Seams to me like you would get whiplash hitting the dock that hard each time.

[badmoonrising]

Nice idea, but does it prevent the stern of the boat from swinging around in the wind ? Finally something I believe would be worth buying, unlike Tap Fins and that cover that made pontoon boats look like ass.

Can you e-mail me a brochure in .pdf ? What is the cost ?

[LC Marine]

Do you have to hit the dock that hard to get it to hook-up? Seams to me like you would get whiplash hitting the dock that hard each time.

Hey Jim,

In the video, I'm running the boat at idle. I wanted to show the full travel of the unit and illustrate the "suspension" action. It will function at lower speed without a problem. I will post pics or the dock unit in a bit.

Please keep in mind that this is a production prototype, and there will me some small changes coming up. I have to refine the method of attaching to the dock, and I have a new float to go under the ramp. As well, the ramp is shorter than I wanted, and should be mounted on top of the dock's planking.

Luc

[LC Marine]

Nice idea, but does it prevent the stern of the boat from swinging around in the wind ? Finally something I believe would be worth buying, unlike Tap Fins and that cover that made pontoon boats look like ass.

Can you e-mail me a brochure in .pdf ? What is the cost ?

Hey Badmoon,

There are bumper mounted outboard of the ramp that rest flush to the bow of the boat at about 45" centers. The boat moves a small amount.. basicly as far as the bumpers allow.

I will put a disclaimer in now....I have absolutely no affiliation with "Tap Fins". I have enjoyed reading about them however. I really dislike companies that make false claims.


As of this point in time, I do not have a brochure. I am still tweaking and testing. I am also looking to have a larger manufacturer / dock builder distribute the systems. As far as cost goes, that will depend on what configuration you need for your dock. I was shooting for around $1500.00 for the base system without ramp, $2200.00 with ramp, $3500.00 for a hard-mounted system to land (not shown, prototype being made now). Keep in mind that if you are building a new dock, this system will effectively reduce the length required, by the length of your boat. You will in fact save on the overall cost of your dock.

I would expect to have a short production run going within 2 months, once I'm satisfied with overall performance of the system.

[LC Marine]

[HandymanHerb]

You got some good work into that, and it does work off a short dock, that would be great for people who have to remove them every year, less to move.

[oldmn19]

Looks well made and tough! Good job, I couldn't use because I dock along side my dock! Keep us posted on progress and good pictures by the way!

[WaltF]

Hey, that looks like it would work great for a wheel chair!