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The present invention relates to a fender for boats with an adapter.

Protecting the hull of boats, above all of high value, is a strongly felt need in boating.

During mooring maneuvers, even experienced pilots touch the mooring structure, which does not always have fenders capable of absorbing the impact.

US-7430978 of the applicant describes a fender for boats consisting of an inner portion with an H-profile to be fixed to the hull, and an outer portion couplable to said inner portion and adapted for shock absorption. The inner part is made of rigid PVC, while the outer part is made of soft PVC. Said inner and outer portions are loosely coupled, namely the outer portion can move even after coupling.

The applicant is also the holder of patent US-8839731 which describes a fender for boats comprising an open-section rolled steel profile consisting of an outer shell connected at the ends with two straight parallel supporting and containing stretches converging toward the center of the shell without meeting, able to rest on the edge of the boat. Said laminated profile is filled internally with a PVC core. Said profile comprises holes for fixing to the hull by screws.

US-10618611, also by the applicant, describes a fender for boats consisting of a plastic base able to be fixed to the hull of a boat, and an insert, able to be coupled to said base. Said insert consists of a metal material profile and a plastic material core, and it is coupled to said base in a removable and interlocking manner. Said base comprises two attachment protrusions able to couple by interlocking with two attachment protrusions of the insert, which are part of the core made of plastic material.

Disadvantageously said known solutions can be applied to flat or slightly curved boat edges, namely to continuous surfaces. Boats having an edge with a non-continuous surface are common, namely an edge having a sandwich projection, namely resulting from the coupling of two substantially horizontal overlapping end portions. The first portion (underneath) is an end of a first body, namely of the hull, the second portion is an end of a second body, which provides the function of an upper closure that substantially raises the edge of the boat, which is thus discontinuous.

A sandwich projection is shown, for example, in CN-102530199, on which a single-piece fender is mounted to embrace the projection. A transverse (vertical) screw runs through both the fender and the projection.

WO-2018/078995 shows a single-piece fender, which embraces a sandwich projection in an interlocking manner.

Disadvantageous^, the suggested solutions are only applicable to said type of sandwich projection having a very special conformation, that thus requires special design.

It is object of the present invention to make a boat fender suitable to be mounted on edges with sandwich projections, comprising an inner portion and an outer portion reversibly couplable to the inner portion, wherein different shapes of the outer portion are couplable to the same inner portion.

It is a further object of the present invention that said fender is strong, stable, and sufficiently flexible, above all during assembly.

It is a yet further object of the present invention that said fender is simple to make and inexpensive.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved by a fender for boats suitable to couple with boat edges with a sandwich projection, characterized in that it comprises a base able to be fixed to the boat edge by fixing means, and an insert able to be reversibly coupled by interlocking with said base, wherein the base comprises an attachment portion able to rest on the edge of the boat, and an adapter portion comprises a cavity able to house the sandwich projection of the edge of the boat.

Advantageously, a stable coupling is achieved, wherein the cavity of the adapter portion allows the use of inserts of various shapes, for example elongated, which enables it to fulfill the function of a fender while concealing the unsightly sandwich projection.

The shape of the base allows to conceal the sandwich projection while still achieving a firm, secure and easy attachment of the fender to the edge.

The interlocking coupling of the insert allows easy replacement of the part that is most subject to wear.

The base thus fulfills the function of an adapter for inserts of different shapes, more or less convex, of varying length.

These and other features of the present invention will be further apparent from the following detailed description of a practical embodiment example shown by way of non-limiting example in the following attached drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a perspective view of an insert of a fender according to the present invention; figure 2 is a perspective view of the base of the fender; figure 3 is a front view of the insert; figure 4 is a front view of the base; figure 5 is a front view of the fender with the insert coupled to the base.

A fender 1 for boats is composed by a base 2 able to be fixed to a boat hull by known fixing means, for example screws, and an insert 3 able to be reversibly coupled by interlocking to said base 2.

As can be clearly seen by observing figure 4, in particular, said base 2 comprises an attachment portion 21 able to rest on the hull, and an adapter portion 22 able to couple with a sandwich projection of an edge of the boat.

A sandwich projection means an edge projection resulting from the coupling of two substantially horizontal end portions, which overlap. The first portion (underneath) is an end of a first body, namely of the hull, the second portion is an end of a second body which provides the function of an upper closure that substantially raises the edge of the boat which is thus discontinuous.

The adapter portion 22 provides a cavity 221 which interrupts a resting surface 25 of the base 2.

Said cavity 221, preferably channel-shaped with two straight transverse surfaces 231, namely oriented orthogonally to the resting surface 25, mutually parallel and facing each other, and a straight front surface 232, orthogonal to said straight transverse portions 231, is able to embrace the sandwich projection of the edge of the boat. The shape of the cavity 221 can be different but it must be suitable to embrace the sandwich projection, which is hardly of standard shape, and at the same time ensure that the resting surface 25 touches the edge of the boat for appropriate fixing, for example, by screws or nailing.

The base 2 has two straight side portions 28 and a curved central portion 23 able to be crossed by fixing means in the direction orthogonal to the resting surface 25.

Inclined portions 24 and attachment protrusions 25, together with said curved central portion 23, define an open central cavity 29.

The attachment protrusions 25 extend toward a symmetry axis V of the central cavity 29, toward each other.

The base 2 also comprises two side fins 27 extending from the straight side portions 28 preferably toward the axis V to form a step 271.

A straight flat surface of different lengths is identified between each attachment protrusion 25 and the respective side fin 27, in particular a first straight flat surface 261 and a second straight flat surface 262, wherein the second straight flat surface 262 is longer than the first straight flat surface 261. The first straight flat surface 261 is included in the attachment portion 21, while the second straight flat surface 262 is partially included in the adapter portion 22.

The base 2 also has longitudinal cavities 266 able to lighten base 2 and make it flexible to fit slightly curved boat edges.

The base 2 is made of plastic material, for example PVC, which is flexible and elastic, making it easily adaptable to any curve of the edge of the boat.

With special reference to figure 3, the insert 3 is also made of plastic material, for example PVC.

The insert 3 comprises a core 32 with an outer surface 33 able to interact with external bodies impacting against the fender 1, and two substantially V- shaped attachment protrusions 36.

The attachment protrusions 36 form a central groove 39 with an archshaped profile 391, and provide straight outer stretches 362 able to couple with the inclined portions 24 of the base 2. The axis V is also symmetrical to the central groove 39 and, more generally, to the coupling zone by interlocking with the base 2 of the insert 3 also comprising the attachment protrusions 36.

A first recess 381 and a second recess 382, which define narrowings 40 able to make the attachment protrusions 36 flexible relative to the core 32, are provided between the ends 35 of the outer surface 33 and the attachment protrusions 36, respectively.

The first recess 381 comprises a first straight flat surface 383, while the second recess 382 comprises a second straight flat surface 384, wherein the first straight flat surface 383 is shorter than the second straight flat surface 384.

Observing figure 3, it is worth noting that the axis V is symmetrical to the central groove 39, while the outer surface 33 is not symmetrical to said axis V, but rather extends toward one of the ends 35 well beyond the relative attachment protrusion 36, hence the different lengths of said straight flat surfaces 383, 384 (on the right, observing Figure 3).

Figure 5 shows the insert 3 coupled by interlockingly to the base 2.

Operationally, the coupling is achieved by forcing with plastic deformation the insertion of the protrusions 36 of the insert 3 into the cavity 29 of the base 2, so that the attachment protrusions 25 of the base 2 engage the recesses 381, 382 of the insert 3.

Consequently, the first straight flat surface 383 of the insert 3 rests on the first straight flat surface 261 of the base 2, while the second straight flat surface 384 of the insert 3 rests on the second straight flat surface 262 of the base 2.

Advantageously, a stable coupling is achieved, wherein the ends 35 of the insert 3 substantially rest on the side fins 27, achieving a substantial side extension of the outer surface 33.

After coupling, a central cavity 320 remains between the arch-shaped profile 391 of the insert 3 and the curved central portion 23 to maintain an adequate coupling flexibility in the event of external impact.

Figure 5 allows to appreciate the main feature of the invention represented by the presence of the cavity 221 in the adapter portion 22 next to the attachment portion 21 in which both the fixing to the edge of the boat and the coupling by interlocking between the insert 3 and the base 2 take place.

The shape of the base 2 allows the use of inserts 3 of various shapes, in particular elongated such as the one shown in the figure which allows to fulfill the function of a fender while concealing the unsightly sandwich projection.

The outer surface 33 can have a different, more convex curvature, as well as the side fins 27, for fitting suitably to the curvature of the outer surface 33.

It is worth noting that the fender 1 is symmetrical relative to the axis V only in the attachment and coupling zone. In general, the fender 1 is not symmetrical because, by technical choice, said attachment and coupling zone is off-center with respect to the area in which the cavity 221 couples with the sandwich projection.

Advantageously, the shape of the base 2 allows to conceal the sandwich projection 1 while still achieving a firm, secure and easy attachment of the fender to the edge.

The coupling by interlocking of the insert 3 allows easy replacement of the part that is most subject to wear.

The base 2 and the insert 3, both made of plastic material (for example PVC), are obtained by an extrusion process.

The base 2 thus serves the function of an adapter for inserts 3 of different shapes, more or less convex, of varying lengths.

The interlocking coupling means between the base 2 and the insert 3 may also vary but there must be an adapter portion 22 for the sandwich projection.

The attachment portion 21 should preferably be next to the adapter portion 22 so as to limit the dimensions in extension towards the outside of the fender 1.