Structure forming a breakwater and capable of ice free, year round operation

Abstract

A structure for use in a body of water has at least one level that includes a boat lift, a narrow dock, or a larger entertainment area, or combinations of these items on multi-level structures (e.g. a boat lift on a first level and an entertainment area on a second level). The structure can be towed to or from a body of water independently of other structures. The structure includes a buoyancy system, e.g. at least one ballast tank or inflatable bladder, for allowing the structure to float in a buoyant state or to sink in a non-buoyant state into engagement with a bottom of the body of water. One or more structures such as these can be assembled to form an artificial breakwater by placing a wall or skirt on the windward side(s) thereof with each wall or skirt extending from below to significantly above the waterline. This forms a calmer area of water on the leeward side(s) thereof. In addition, an opposing wall or skirt can be placed on opposite sides of the structures to form a bounded chamber beneath the structure. A water recirculating device is used to pull up warmer water from near the bottom of the body of water and to discharge this warmer water into the bounded chamber and/or a water heating device is provided in the bounded chamber. This helps keep the structure sufficiently ice free to permit year round use if so desired even in northern climates.

1 . An artificial breakwater that may be placed in a body of water for creating a calmer water surface on a leeward side of the breakwater, which comprises:
 (a) at least one structure that may be transported to the body of water and installed in the body of water for use in the body of water and that may be removed from the body of water when use of the structure in the body of water is no longer desired, wherein the at least one structure comprises:
 (i) a structure having at least one level that includes at least one component from the group of components comprising a boat lift, a deck having a relatively narrow width in relation to its length to form a dock on which a person can walk or stand, and a deck having a width that is substantially wider in relation to its length than in the case where the deck forms the dock such that the wider deck forms an entertainment area that is able to support a plurality of people and furniture; 
 (ii) at least a pair of wheels that can be at least temporarily attached to the structure to allow the structure to be transported by ground to and from the body of water and to be rolled into and out of the body of water; and 
 (iii) a buoyancy system carried on the structure to selectively provide the structure with a buoyant state in which the structure floats on the body of water and with a non-buoyant state in which the structure sinks into the body of water until the structure engages against a bottom of the body of water; and 
   (b) a wall or skirt extending substantially along at least one windward side of the structure when the structure is installed in the body of water, the wall or skirt being located with a portion thereof extending from at least slightly below to above a waterline formed by the body of water against the windward side of the structure when the body of water is calm, wherein the wall or skirt extends sufficiently above the waterline to have a height above the waterline that is substantially equal to at least an average or median size of waves that occur on the body of water and that push against the windward side of the structure, whereby the wall or skirt is effective to create a calmer water surface on the leeward side of the structure due to the wall or skirt being able to block the waves on the windward side.   
     
     
         2 . The breakwater of  claim 1 , wherein the wall or skirt is vertically adjustable on the structure to allow proper placement of the wall or skirt relative to the waterline. 
     
     
         3 . The breakwater of  claim 1 , wherein more than 50% of the wall or skirt is located above the waterline. 
     
     
         4 . The breakwater of  claim 1 , further including a plurality of the at least one level structures that are installed in the body of water and that are abutted with each other with the walls or skirts thereon extending substantially continuously along the windward sides of the abutted structures to form a longer breakwater than a breakwater formed by a single structure. 
     
     
         5 . The breakwater of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of structures that are abutted with each other include a plurality of structures in which the structures have only a single level and that single level includes a deck having a relatively narrow width in relation to its length to form a dock on which a person can walk or stand, and wherein the plurality of dock structures are assembled end-to-end in forming the breakwater. 
     
     
         6 . The breakwater of  claim 5 , wherein the dock structures have tow hitches that are installable or removable from one end of the dock structures, the tow hitches being removed from any ends of the dock structures that would interfere with an adjacent dock structure when the dock structures are placed in their end-to-end relationship before such dock structures are so assembled relative to one another. 
     
     
         7 . The breakwater of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of structures that are abutted with each other include at least one structure in which the at least one level of the structure includes a component chosen from the group of components comprising the boatlift and the entertainment area. 
     
     
         8 . The breakwater of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of structures that are abutted with each other include at least one structure having two levels comprising upper and lower levels, and wherein the lower level of the structure includes the boatlift and the upper level includes the entertainment area. 
     
     
         9 . The breakwater of  claim 8 , wherein the two level structure is inserted into the end-to-end relationship of the dock structures such that an entrance to the boatlift is not obstructed by the dock structures but is open with at least one dock structure abutting against at least one side of the dock structure that is perpendicular to the entrance to the boatlift, and wherein the wall or skirt on the two level structure is placed on a side of the two level structure that is opposite to the entrance to the boatlift with the entrance to the boatlift being located in the area of calmer water formed by the breakwater. 
     
     
         10 . The breakwater of  claim 1 , wherein an opposing wall or skirt is placed on a leeward side of the structure such that the windward wall or skirt and the leeward wall or skirt form a bounded chamber between the windward and leeward sides of the structure, and further including a water recirculating device installed in a position in the body of water to pull warmer water from near the bottom of the body of water into the bounded chamber to create an ice free zone around the structure to permit the structure to remain in the body of water during the winter. 
     
     
         11 . The breakwater of  claim 1 , wherein the structure supports the at least one component on an open framework formed by a plurality of longitudinal and transverse beams that are rigidly connected together but with the framework formed thereby being sufficiently open to the passage of water and without having a hull or solid bottom such that the structure without more would sink when placed in the body of water. 
     
     
         12 . A structure for use in a body of water, which comprises:
 (a) a structure having at least one level that includes at least one component from the group of components comprising a boat lift, a deck having a relatively narrow width in relation to its length to form a dock on which a person can walk or stand, and a deck having a width that is substantially wider in relation to its length than in the case where the deck forms the dock such that the wider deck forms an entertainment area that is able to support a plurality of people and furniture;   (b) at least a pair of wheels that can be at least temporarily attached to the structure to allow the structure to be transported by ground to and from the body of water and to be rolled into and out of the body of water;   (c) a buoyancy system carried on the structure to selectively provide the structure with a buoyant state in which the structure floats on the body of water and with a non-buoyant state in which the structure sinks into the body of water until the structure engages against a bottom of the body of water;   (d) a wall or skirt extending substantially along at least one side of the structure when the structure is installed in the body of water, the wall or skirt being located with a portion thereof extending from at least slightly below to above a waterline formed by the body of water;   (e) an opposing wall or skirt substantially along an opposed side of the structure, wherein the opposing wall or skirt is also located with a portion thereof extending from at least slightly below to above a waterline formed by the body of water, wherein the walls or skirts form a bounded chamber extending under the structure between the opposed sides of the structure; and   (f) a device installed in a position in the body of water to provide a gap between the walls or skirts of the structure and an adjacent ice sheet in the body of water, wherein the gap providing device comprises at least one device chosen from a group of devices comprising a water recirculating device that pulls warmer water from near the bottom of the body of water into the bounded chamber and a water heating device that heats the water in the bounded chamber, thereby to create an ice free zone substantially around the structure to permit the structure to remain in the body of water during the winter.   
     
     
         13 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one level of the structure includes a boatlift. 
     
     
         14 . The structure of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one level of the structure includes a pair of walkways along opposite sides of the boatlift, and wherein the walls or skirts are located on exterior sides of the walkways. 
     
     
         15 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the gap providing device is electrically operated by a source of electrical power carried on the structure or on an adjacent shoreline of the body of water. 
     
     
         16 . The structure of  claim 15 , wherein the source of electrical power carried on the structure comprises at least one component from the group of components comprising a battery, an electrical power generating windmill, and an electrical power generating solar panel. 
     
     
         17 . The structure of  claim 16 , wherein the structure is a multi-level structure having a lower level and an upper level, and wherein at least one component from the group of components comprising the windmill and the solar panel is located on the upper level of the structure. 
     
     
         18 . The structure of  claim 17 , wherein the lower level of the structure has the boat lift and the upper level of the structure forms the entertainment area. 
     
     
         19 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the bounded chamber extends substantially perpendicularly from an inner end adjacent a shoreline of the body of water to an outer end that is located further away from the shoreline than the inner end, and wherein the gap providing device comprises a water recirculating device that is oriented relative to the structure to direct the water being discharged from the water recirculating device back through the bounded chamber towards the shoreline. 
     
     
         20 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the gap providing device comprises a water recirculating device that in use is adjacent to some portion the structure, and further including an elongated conduit or hose connecting an inlet of the water recirculating device to a deeper portion of the body of water. 
     
     
         21 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the gap providing device is flexibly tethered to the structure. 
     
     
         22 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the buoyancy system includes at least one ballast tank carried on the structure which ballast tank is substantially filled with water when the ballast tank is in the non-buoyant state thereof, and wherein the gap providing device comprises a water recirculating device and the water being discharged by the water recirculating device is routed into and out of the at least one ballast tank. 
     
     
         23 . The structure of  claim 22 , wherein the structure has a plurality of extensible legs for supporting the structure in a level orientation on the bottom of the body of water, and wherein the water being discharged by the water recirculating device is routed out of the at least one ballast tank and then into and out of at least one of the extensible legs. 
     
     
         24 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the structure has a plurality of extensible legs for supporting the structure in a level orientation on the bottom of the body of water, and wherein the gap providing device comprises a water recirculating device and the water being discharged by the water recirculating device is routed into and out of at least one of the extensible legs. 
     
     
         25 . The structure of  claim 12 , wherein the walls or skirts have a plurality of vents leading from the bounded chamber through the walls or skirts to a position at or below the waterline of the body of water. 
     
     
         26 . The structure of  claim 26 , further including a control device for turning the gap providing device on and off in accordance with an air or water temperature in the bounded chamber or in accordance with a time schedule.