Cooler lift for a boat

Abstract

A cooler lift assembly for a boat and a boat, such as a pontoon boat, including the cooler lift assembly. The cooler lift assembly includes a mounting bracket capable of being attached to the boat and a cooler support capable of supporting a cooler. The cooler support is coupled to the mounting bracket and is movable between a raised position, such as a stowed position, and a lowered position, such as a deployed position. The cooler support can be positioned such that a bottom portion of a cooler is below a surface of the water and a lid seating surface of the cooler is above the surface of the water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooler lift assembly for a boat, the cooler lift assembly comprising:
 a mounting bracket capable of being attached to the boat; and   a cooler support capable of supporting a cooler, the cooler support being oriented in a cooler support orientation when the cooler support is supporting the cooler, the cooler support being coupled to the mounting bracket and movable between a raised position and a lowered position, the cooler support being oriented in the cooler support orientation in each of the raised position and the lowered position.   
     
     
         2 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cooler support is a platform having an upper surface to support a base of the cooler thereon. 
     
     
         3 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cooler support includes at least one retainer engageable with the cooler to hold the cooler on the cooler support. 
     
     
         4 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of linkages coupling the cooler support to the mounting bracket, the plurality of linkages being arranged in a parallel bar arrangement and pivotably connected to each of the mounting bracket and the cooler support. 
     
     
         5 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one linkage coupling the cooler support to the mounting bracket. 
     
     
         6 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising an actuator connected to the at least one linkage to move the cooler support between the raised position and the lowered position. 
     
     
         7 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising a biasing member connected to the at least one linkage to exert a biasing force on the linkage, wherein the cooler support is manually movable between the raised position and the lowered position with the assistance of the biasing member. 
     
     
         8 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the biasing member includes a first end and a second end, and one end of the biasing member is movable relative to the mounting bracket to adjust the biasing force of the biasing member. 
     
     
         9 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lowered position is one lowered position of a plurality of lowered positions and the cooler support is positionable in the plurality of lowered positions. 
     
     
         10 . The cooler lift assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising a latch positionable in a latched position and an unlatched position,
 wherein, when the latch is in the unlatched position, the cooler support is movable between the raised position and the plurality of lowered positions, and   wherein, in the latched position, the cooler support is secured in the raised position or one of the plurality of lowered positions.   
     
     
         11 . A boat comprising the cooler lift assembly of  claim 1  and a propulsion unit,
 wherein the cooler lift assembly includes a linkage coupling the cooler support to the mounting bracket and an actuator connected to the linkage to move the cooler support between the raised position and the lowered position, wherein the actuator is disabled when the propulsion unit is in gear or running. 
 
     
     
         12 . A boat comprising the cooler lift assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cooler support is below a waterline of the boat when the cooler support is in the lowered position. 
     
     
         13 . A pontoon boat comprising:
 a plurality of pontoons including a port pontoon and a starboard pontoon;   a deck supported by the plurality of pontoons; and   a cooler lift assembly including:
 a mounting bracket connected to the deck; and 
 a cooler support capable of supporting a cooler, the cooler support being oriented in a cooler support orientation when the cooler support is supporting the cooler, the cooler support being coupled to the mounting bracket and movable between a stowed position and a deployed position, the cooler support being lower in the deployed position than the stowed position and oriented in the cooler support orientation in each of the stowed position and the deployed position. 
   
     
     
         14 . The pontoon boat of  claim 13 , wherein the cooler support is located aft of the deck in the stowed position. 
     
     
         15 . The pontoon boat of  claim 14 , further including a propulsion unit having an articulation zone, the cooler support being located outside the articulation zone of the propulsion unit. 
     
     
         16 . The pontoon boat of  claim 13 , wherein the deck includes a port-side edge and a starboard-side edge, and the cooler lift assembly is located such that the cooler support is coplanar with or inboard of each of the port-side edge and the starboard-side edge. 
     
     
         17 . The pontoon boat of  claim 13 , wherein the cooler support is movable to a fully lowered position, the fully lowered position being a height corresponding to a bottom half of one of the port pontoon or the starboard pontoon. 
     
     
         18 . The pontoon boat of  claim 13 , wherein, in the stowed position, the cooler support is higher than a top surface of each of the port pontoon and the starboard pontoon. 
     
     
         19 . The pontoon boat of  claim 13 , wherein the cooler support is a platform having an upper surface to support a base of the cooler thereon and the cooler support is positionable in a raised position that is substantially flush with a top surface of the deck. 
     
     
         20 . A method of operating a cooler lift assembly for a boat with the boat in a body of water, the cooler lift assembly including a mounting bracket attached to the boat and a cooler support capable of supporting a cooler, the method comprising:
 positioning the cooler support with the cooler positioned thereon in a deployed position, the cooler including a lid movable between an open position and a closed position, the lid resting on a lid seating surface of the cooler in the closed position, the deployed position being a position with a bottom portion of the cooler below a surface of the body of water and the lid seating surface above the surface of the body of water.