Claims
- 1. A recreational device that supports a seated human rider while the rider and the device are towed behind a powered watercraft, comprising:
an elongated board having a front end and a back end; a seat extending from the board including a first position configured to support the buttocks of the seated rider at a position spaced above the board and a second portion configured to support the back of the seated rider; a strut depending from one of the board and the seat, said strut defining a plane of symmetry; a blade assembly secured to the strut, the blade assembly having a front blade and a rear blade connected by a fuselage.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said second portion of said seat comprises a removable support.
- 3. The device of claim 2, wherein said support includes a section which extends beneath said first portion of said seat.
- 4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a seat belt mounted on said support configured to secure the back of said rider against said support.
- 5. The device of claim 4, wherein said support further comprises an L-shaped strengthening rib extending generally perpendicular to said back of said rider.
- 6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a seat belt mounted on said second portion configured to secure the back of said rider against said support.
- 7. A back support for use with a water sports device that supports a seated human rider while the rider and the device are towed behind a powered watercraft, comprising:
a first substantially L-shaped member having:
a vertical section comprising a front surface, a back surface, an upper end, and a plurality of holes near the upper end; a horizontal section containing a plurality of holes; at least one second substantially L-shaped member secured to the back surface of the vertical section and the bottom surface of the horizontal section of the first L-shaped member; a pad secured to the front surface, near the upper end, of the vertical section of the first L-shaped member; at least one bracket secured to the back surface, near the upper end, of the vertical section of the first L-shaped member; a safety belt secured to the bracket(s), such that the belt is wrappable around the chest of the rider, thus securing the rider to the vertical section of the first L-shaped member; wherein the back support device is attached to a seat of the water sports device by removable fasteners that cooperate with the holes in the horizontal section, such that the horizontal section is substantially parallel with the seat and the vertical section extends upward from a rear edge of the seat.
- 8. The seat back according to claim 7, wherein the pad is made of a buoyant material, such as foam rubber.
- 9. The seat back according to claim 7, wherein the first and second L-shaped members are made of a metal having a high strength-to-weight ratio.
- 10. The seat back according to claim 9, wherein the metal is corrosion resistant.
- 11. The seat back according to claim 10, wherein the first and second L-shaped members are secured to one another by welding.
- 12. The seat back according to claim 7, wherein the brackets are secured to the vertical section of the first L-shaped member by removable and replaceable threaded bolts and nuts that cooperate with the holes in the vertical section
- 13. A safety belt for use with a water sports device that supports a seated human rider while the rider and the device are towed behind a powered watercraft, comprising:
a first strap having a stationary end and a mating end, a top side and an underside, wherein when the stationary end is secured the mating end may move relative to the stationary end; a second strap having a stationary end and a free end, a top side and an underside, wherein when the stationary end is secured the free end may move relative to the stationary end; a clamp secured to the mating end of the first strap, the clamp comprising teeth, and having an open position and a closed position; and a length of material, having a surface comprising a multitude of tightly packed loop fibers, attached to the top side of the second strap; wherein with the clamp in the open position, said clamp at least partially defines an opening sized and shaped such that the free end of the second strap is movable in a first direction through the clamp, to tighten the safety belt, and in a second direction through the clamp to loosen the safety belt; wherein when the free end of the second strap extends through said opening, the top side of the first strap faces the underside of the second strap along a length of the second strap that has passed through the clamp, and the clamp is movable into the closed position so that the teeth engage the tightly packed loop fiber surface on the top side of the second strap.
- 14. The safety belt according to claim 13, wherein the tightly packed loop fiber surface comprises a loop portion of a hook and loop fastener.
- 15. The safety belt according to claim 14, further comprising:
a length of a hook portion of a hook-and-loop fastener secured to the top side of the first strap; and wherein the length of tightly packed loop fiber material is attached at a first end to the top side of the stationary end of the second strap and attached at a second end to the underside of the stationary end of the second strap, such that the tightly packed loop fiber surface stretches along the top side of the second strap from stationary end to free end, passes around the free end of the second strap and stretches along the underside of the second strap to the stationary end, such that when the free end of the second strap extends through the opening, the hook portion of the hook-and-loop fastener along the top side of the first strap is engageable with the loop portion of the hook-and-loop fastener on the underside of the second strap, securing the free end of the second strap.
- 16. The safety belt of claim 13, wherein said stationary end of said first strap forms a first loop and said stationary end of said second strap forms a second loop.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/404,236, filed Sep. 23, 1999.
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09404236 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
09808307 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
09808307 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
09882932 |
Jun 2001 |
US |