Ratcheting boat anchor

Abstract

A ratcheting boat anchor allows various watercraft and other objects to be anchored to an anchoring material, such as a section of ground, with increased safety and convenience. The ratcheting boat anchor may include a rod or shaft having one or more blades which may be driven into the anchoring material to secure the anchor. A ratcheting mechanism may be provided to allow a user to rotate the rod in one or more directions without performing an undesirable and potentially hazardous 360 degree rotation or motion with the user's body. The user may rotate the rod through one or more arms of the ratcheting boat anchor. Watercraft and other objects may be attached to an anchor point on the ratcheting boat anchor.

1 . A ratcheting boat anchor comprising:
 a body having a first end and a second end;   one or more arms attached to the body and extending outward from the body;   a shaft extending outward from the second end of the body;   one or more blades attached to the shaft outside the body; and   a ratcheting mechanism having a first portion attached to the body and a second portion attached to the shaft, the second portion freely rotatable relative to the to first portion in a first direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction.   
     
     
         2 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1  further comprising a bearing having a ring shape and located within the body, the shaft extending through an opening of the bearing. 
     
     
         3 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1  further comprising a seal having a ring shape and located at the second end of the body, the shaft extending through an opening of the seal, the seal comprising an elastic material that extends between the shaft and an interior surface of the body. 
     
     
         4 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1  further comprising one or more grooves on the shaft and one or more snap rings, the one or more snap rings configured engage the one or more grooves to hold an internal component of the ratcheting boat anchor in position along the shaft, the internal component selected from the group consisting of a bearing and a seal. 
     
     
         5 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1  further comprising one or more anchor points at an exterior location of the body. 
     
     
         6 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1  further comprising one or more mounts attached to the body, the one or more mounts configured to engage an end of the one or more arms to secure the arms to the body. 
     
     
         7 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 1 , wherein the ratcheting mechanism comprises a switch configured to cause the second portion to be freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a first direction. 
     
     
         8 . A ratcheting boat anchor comprising:
 a tubular body having a first end and a second end;   one or more arms mounted to the body and extending outward from the tubular body;   a ratcheting mechanism located within the tubular body and having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion coupled to the one or more arms via the tubular body, the second portion freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a first direction and not freely rotatable relative to the first portion in a second direction;   a rod extending from the second portion of the ratcheting mechanism and outward from the body at the second end, the rod extending along a distinct axis from the one or more arms;   one or more bearings between the ratcheting mechanism and the second end of the body, the one or more bearings configured to rotatably hold a portion of the rod within the body; and   one or more angled blades attached to the rod at a location outside the tubular body;   
     
     
         9 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 8  further comprising a ring shaped gasket extending outward from the rod to an interior surface of the tubular body to form a seal around the rod. 
     
     
         10 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 8  further comprising a seal assembly comprising an elastic gasket and a rigid support ring, the rigid support ring extending between an interior surface of the tubular body and the rod, the elastic gasket extending outward from the rod to engage a portion of the rigid support ring. 
     
     
         11 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more arms are substantially perpendicular to the rod. 
     
     
         12 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 8  further comprising an anchor point attached to an exterior portion of the body, the anchor point comprising a loop. 
     
     
         13 . The ratcheting boat anchor of  claim 8 , wherein the ratchet mechanism is at the first end of the body. 
     
     
         14 . A method for anchoring one or more objects with a ratcheting anchor comprising:
 inserting at least a portion of a rod of the ratcheting anchor into an anchoring material;   contacting the surface with one or more blades attached to the rod;   rotating a body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360 degrees in a first direction without rotating the rod;   rotating the body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360 degrees in a second direction to rotate the rod;   repeating the rotation of the body less than 360 degrees in the first direction and less than 360 degrees in the second direction one or more times to drive the one or more blades through the anchoring material; and   attaching the one or more objects to the ratcheting anchor to anchor the one or more objects to the anchoring material.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 actuating a switch to reverse a direction of rotation for the ratcheting anchor; 
 rotating the body of the ratcheting boat anchor less than 360 degrees in the second direction to rotate the rod; and 
 rotating the body of the ratcheting boat anchor less than 360 degrees in the first direction without rotating the rod. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising grasping one or more arms of the ratcheting anchor, wherein rotating the body of the ratcheting boat anchor is accomplished by moving the one or more arms. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising grasping a first arm of the ratcheting anchor with a user's left hand and grasping a second arm of the ratcheting boat anchor with the user's right hand, wherein once established the user's grasp on the first arm and second arm is not released prior to completing at least one 360 degree rotation of the rod. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein attaching the one or more objects to the ratcheting anchor comprises attaching one or more watercraft to the ratcheting anchor. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein rotating the body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360 degrees in the first direction consists of rotating the body less than 180 degrees in the first direction. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein rotating the body of the ratcheting anchor less than 360 degrees in the second direction consists of rotating the body less than 180 degrees in the second direction.