Magnetically attached floor covering for a boat

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/045,843, filed Apr. 17, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to floor and deck covering, such as carpet, for watercraft and boats.

Boats have been developed with a variety of floor and deck coverings to serve a variety of purposes. Boat floors may be fully or partially covered with such coverings. For example, carpeting has been used to provide a soft tread surface comfortable for bare feet. Carpeting also provides thermal protection, reducing or eliminating discomfort to bare feet caused by sun heated floors. In addition, carpeting can provide a slip resistant tread surface on the floor of the boat.

It is often desired to employ easily removable floor and deck covering in boats. When soiled, a removable floor covering allows cleaning the floor covering away from the boat. If soil has reached underneath the floor covering, this soil can be more easily and thoroughly cleaned after the floor covering has been removed.

Snap fasteners are commonly used for attaching removable floor coverings to boat floors. Snap fasteners are typically made of metal that is prone to corrode and/or rust. The rust and/or corrosion can stain and discolor the boat and detract from its appearance.

FIG. 2 illustrates a boat floor 104s covered by a removable covering 200. The removable covering 200 is bounded by a perimeter 202 generally matching the perimeter of the boat floor 104s and includes other features such as a seat post hole 220. The removable covering 200 is attached to the boat floor 104s by snap fasteners. Snap fasteners typically have a metal cap protruding above a tread surface 204 of the floor covering 200. This metal snap cap can cause discomfort if stepped on with bare feet, especially if heated by the sun. The snap cap is typically joined through the floor covering 200 to a female snap socket 214 on the underside of the floor covering 200. A plurality of male snap studs 212 are typically fastened to the floor 104s in a predetermined pattern matching a pattern of snap caps and sockets 214 joined through the floor covering 200. Typically, the snap studs 212 are connected to threaded posts that are threaded into the boat floor 104s. The floor covering 200 may be removably connected to the floor 104s by locating the conjoined snap cap and socket 214 over the fastened snap stud 212 and pressing together until engaged. The components of the snap fastener (the snap cap, snap socket 214, and snap stud 212) each add a layer of thickness resulting in a significant lump above the boat floor 104s.

Threaded fasteners, either used to directly fasten a floor covering to the floor or to fasten the snap stud 212 to the floor 104s can result in stress concentrations in the floor that cause cracking in a gel-coat or other surface layer of the boat floor. In cored floors, such surface cracking can allow water into the core and damage the floor. Furthermore, when the floor covering 200 is removed from the floor 104s of the boat, the snap studs 212 can cause discomfort if stepped on with bare feet.

There is a need for an easily removable boat flooring system that does not use threaded fasteners or snap fasteners. The present disclosure fulfills this and other needs.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a magnetically attached floor covering system for covering a floor of a boat. The magnetically attached floor covering system includes a set of magnetic floor elements connected to and laid out on the floor. The magnetically attached floor covering system also includes a removable floor covering, including a tread surface and a set of magnetic floor covering elements, which is installed over the floor. The set of magnetic floor covering elements are connected to and positioned below the tread surface of the removable floor covering such that they generally match the layout of the set of magnetic floor elements. The set of magnetic floor elements and the set of magnetic floor covering elements magnetically attract each other thereby attaching the removable floor covering to the floor of the boat.

In one embodiment, the floor is a molded floor (e.g., a fiberglass floor, a rotomolded floor, an injection molded floor, or other type of molded floor), and the set of magnetic floor elements is embedded and molded into the floor. In another embodiment, the set of magnetic floor elements is attached on top of a floor surface (e.g., by adhesive). In the case of a fiberglass boat, in certain embodiments, the magnetic floor elements may be attached (e.g., bonded) to a gel-coat layer of the floor. Also in certain embodiments, the set of magnetic floor covering elements is attached to the removable floor covering by a technique such as bonding, sewing, or other technique.

In a preferred embodiment, the sets of magnetic elements include rubberized, rust resistant magnets. To increase the holding force of the rubberized magnets and to reduce their thickness, the rubberized magnets can employ a Halbach array.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a boat illustrating a floor of a passenger area covered by a carpet, the carpet shown as a broken-out portion;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a broken-out portion of a prior art boat floor carpet connected to a boat floor by a set of snap fasteners;

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