Boat fending, mooring and docking apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DOCKING AND MOORING BOATS IN WATER RELATIVE TO THE SIDE OF A DOCK STRUCTURE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATE BOOM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF ON THE SIDE EDGE OF SAID DOCK STRUCTURE AND NORMALLY EXTENDING OUT AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO THE DOCK STRUCTURE OVER THE WATER, STOP MEANS ON SAID DOCK STRUCTURE ON ONE SIDE OF SAID BOOM LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END THEREOF TOWARD SAID DOCK IN ONE DIRECTION PAST A BOOM POSITION AT A SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL ORIENTATION TO SAID DOCK, CABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE FREE END OF THE BOOM EXTENDING ALONG THE DOCK SIDE EDGE AND CONNECTING TO THE SIDE EDGE OF THE DOCK STRUCTURE ON THE SIDE OF THE BOOM HAVING SAID STOP MEANS AND AT A RELATIVELY SHALLOW ANGLE TO SAID AT A POINT SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG SAID DOCK FROM SAID BOOM CONNECTION, AND RESILIENT MEANS IN SAID CABLE INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH THEREOF BETWEEN THE BOOM AND DOCK CONNECTIONS, SAID RESILIENT MEANS OF SUCH EXTENDABILITY AS TO PERMIT PIVOTING OF SAID BOOM IN A SUBSTANTIAL ARC AROUND ITS PIVOT AWAY FROM SAID STOP SHOULD SAID BOAT EXERT FORCE THEREAGAINST.