Lewmar Limited

Geraint Pugh

A sliding roof panel assembly for covering a roof opening of a marine craft is disclosed. The sliding roof panel assembly comprises a slide guide for attachment along one side of the roof opening, a roof panel which is slidably moveable between an open and lifted position and a closed and lowered position, the roof opening being covered by the roof panel in the closed and lowered position, and a slide assembly guided for travel along the slide guide and supporting the roof panel. The slide guide has a slide track and a guide rail, the slide track and the guide rail each extending along the slide guide, the guide rail having a forward depressed portion and a rearward raised portion. The slide assembly comprises a drive slide driveably moveable along the slide track of the slide guide, a guide rail follower supported by and moveable along the guide rail, the guide rail follower supporting the roof panel, and a first lever, linking the drive slide and the roof panel via respective rotatable links. In use, the roof panel is slidably moveable from the open and lifted position to the closed and lowered position by driving the drive slide forward in the slide track to move the guide rail follower forward along the rearward raised portion of the guide rail until the guide rail follower reaches the forward depressed portion of the guide rail. The guide rail follower travels downwardly along the forward depressed portion of the guide rail relative to the drive slide by the weight of the roof panel and rotation of the first lever, the roof panel following the movement of the guide rail follower downwardly towards the closed and lowered position.

Growing community of inventors

Southampton, United Kingdom

Geraint Pugh