Modular floating dock

Claim 1

A floating dock comprising a plurality of similar floating units detachably interconnected, each floating unit comprising a floatable substantially polygonal body provided with bevelled corners, eye lugs horizontally projecting from each corner at different levels for overlapping with eye lugs of adjoining floating units linked therewith, the lowermost lug of each floating unit having lateral and parallel longitudinally-extending grooves at the top longitudinal corners thereof, a bolt having an externally-threaded spindle portion insertable through the registering eyes of at least two superposed lugs of adjacent floating units, a nut screwable on said bolt spindle from underneath the lowermost lug of superposed lugs, said nut having upstanding parallel flanges, of L-shape cross-section, slidably engageable within said grooves of said lowermost lug, said flanges holding said nut onto said lowermost lug and preventing said nut from rotating with respect to said lowermost lug, each corner of said floating unit forming a top concave and downwardly-converging surface portion, and said bolt having an enlarged head, of generally frusto-conical shape, matching and frictionally engaging said top concave corner surface portions, each lug having at least one notch extending across the periphery of the eye thereof, some of said lugs being exposed along the sides of said dock, and further including bumpers attached to at least some of said exposed lugs, said bumpers including a threaded spindle and an enlarged head, said spindle adapted to extend through the eye of said exposed lugs and attached thereto by a nut screwed on the threaded spindle of the bumper; a portion of said bumper spindle having at least one longitudinal ridge slidably fitting within the notch of the eye lug to prevent its rotation during screwing of said last-named nut, the bumpers forming an enlarged head for said spindle, said enlarged bumper head defining a half-portion with a frusto-conical part adapted to fit against the matching top concave corner surface portions of two adjacent floating units, the other half-part of the humper head being of generally half-cylindrical shape and protruding from the side of the dock.