INFLATABLE WATERCRAFT

Abstract

An inflatable watercraft includes an upper wall, a lower wall connected to the upper wall so as to form a bottom main body, an inner wall extended longitudinally, and an outer wall also extended longitudinally. The inner wall, the outer wall and the upper wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body. Alternatively, the inner wall, the outer wall and the lower wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body. When deflated, the tubular body collapses due to gravity so that the outer wall is superposed on the inner wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an inflatable watercraft that can be packed easily and simply.

Description of the Related Art

People can have fun in rivers, lakes or the like with inflatable kayaks. After the activity in water is finished, the user deflates, rolls up, and places the inflatable kayak in a bag for transport and storage. Before the kayak is rolled up, however, the user needs to make the kayak flattened and neat. That is time and labor consuming.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an inflatable watercraft that can be packed easily and simply.

The inflatable watercraft in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes an upper wall, a lower wall connected to the upper wall so as to form a bottom main body, an inner wall extended longitudinally, and an outer wall also extended longitudinally. The inner wall, the outer wall and the upper wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body. Alternatively, the inner wall, the outer wall and the lower wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body. When deflated, the tubular body collapses due to gravity so that the outer wall is superposed on the inner wall.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a conduit projected from the lower wall, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a seat detachably connected to the tubular body.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the seat includes a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular body includes a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft includes a bottom main body and two tubular bodies. The bottom main body is extended longitudinally. The two tubular bodies are extended longitudinally and connected to the bottom main body. Each of the tubular bodies includes an inner wall and an outer wall connected to the inner wall. The inner wall is shorter than the outer wall in cross section.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a conduit projected from the bottom main body, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a seat detachably connected to the tubular bodies.

In another exemplary embodiment, the seat includes a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular bodies include a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft includes a bottom main body and two tubular bodies. The bottom main body is extended longitudinally. The two tubular bodies are extended longitudinally. The bottom main body includes extension portions extending through undersides of the tubular bodies and turning up to connect to the tubular bodies.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a conduit projected from the bottom main body, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

In another exemplary embodiment, the inflatable watercraft further includes a seat detachably connected to the tubular bodies.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, the seat includes a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular bodies include a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an inflatable watercraft in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of portion A of the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the inflatable watercraft of the first embodiment, when the inflatable watercraft is deflated.

FIG. 4 depicts the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 3 that is flattened after deflation.

FIG. 5 depicts the flattened inflatable watercraft of FIG. 4 that is rolled up.

FIG. 6 depicts the rolled-up inflatable watercraft of FIG. 5 that is put into a bag.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of portion B of the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 depicts a seat for the inflatable watercraft of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a rudder of the inflatable watercraft of the first embodiment, with a conduit disposed therein to exhaust water in the cockpit by way of a pressure difference.

FIG. 10 depicts an inflatable watercraft in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the inflatable watercraft of the second embodiment, when the inflatable watercraft is deflated.

FIG. 14 depicts the inflatable watercraft of FIG. 13 that is flattened after deflation.

FIG. 15 depicts the flattened inflatable watercraft of FIG. 14 that is rolled up.

FIG. 16 depicts the rolled-up inflatable watercraft of FIG. 15 that is put into a bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts an inflatable watercraft in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention. In the first embodiment, the inflatable watercraft is an inflatable kayak 10 that includes a bottom main body 110 and two tubular bodies 120. The bottom main body 110 is extended in a longitudinal direction and narrow at the bow and stern. The tubular bodies 120 are also extended in a longitudinal direction and narrow at the bow and stern.

The bottom main body 110 and the tubular bodies 120 are inflatable. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of portion A of the inflatable kayak 10 of FIG. 1 after the bottom main body 110 and the tubular bodies 120 are inflated. As shown, the bottom main body 110 has an extension portion 111 extending through the underside of the tubular body 120 and turning up to connect to the tubular body 120. The tubular body 120 has an inner wall 126 disposed inward, an outer wall 125 disposed outward, and a flange 122 projecting outward. The extension portion 111 is connected to the tubular body 120 in such way that an edge 112 of the extension portion 111 and the flange 122 of the tubular body 120 are wrapped with a trim sheet 150 and are fixed together by sewing. However, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the edge 112 of the extension portion 111 and the flange 122 of the tubular body 120 can be directly connected by fusion or gluing.

As described, the extension portion 111 extends through the underside of the tubular body 120 and turns up to connect to the tubular body 120. By such arrangement, when the kayak 10 is deflated, the tubular bodies 120 collapse inward due to gravity so that the outer wall 125 is superposed on the inner wall 126 as shown in FIG. 3. After air in the kayak 10 is totally exhausted, the kayak 10 is flattened and neat as shown in FIG. 4 without requiring manual adjustment. Then, the user can roll the deflated kayak (FIG. 5) and put it into a bag 20 (FIG. 6) for storage or transport. The operation is simple and easy.

Referring to FIG. 1, the bottom main body 110 is surrounded by the tubular bodies 120 to form a cockpit 140. A seat 130 is provided in the cockpit 140. The location of the seat 130 can be adjusted in accordance with user's leg length. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the tubular body 120 has a plurality of fastening loops 124 arranged in the longitudinal direction. The seat 130 has straps 131 and hooks 132 fastened to ends of the straps 131 for catching the fastening loops 124, thereby fixing the seat 130 at different locations.

Referring to FIG. 9, the kayak 10 further includes a rudder 160 projecting from the bottom. A conduit 170 is disposed in the rudder 160 to exhaust water in the cockpit 140. Specifically, the conduit 170 connects the interior of the cockpit 140 to the exterior of the cockpit 140 for exhausting water in the cockpit 140. When the kayak 10 is moved forward, water in the cockpit 140 can be exhausted by the conduit 170 because of a pressure difference between the atmosphere (in the cockpit 140) and the flowing water (under the kayak 10).

In the first embodiment, the conduit 170 is disposed in the rudder 160. However, the invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that the conduit 170 can be disposed outside the rudder 160.

FIG. 10 depicts an inflatable watercraft in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention. In the second embodiment, the inflatable watercraft is an inflatable kayak 30 that includes a bottom main body 310, two tubular bodies 320, a bow cover 341 and a stern cover 342. The bottom main body 310 is extended in a longitudinal direction and narrow at the bow and stern. The tubular bodies 320 are also extended in a longitudinal direction and narrow at the bow and stern. The bow cover 341 and the stern cover 342 are detachably connected to the tubular bodies 320 at the bow and stern.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the bottom main body 310 includes an upper wall 311 and a lower wall 312 connected to each other. A partition element 313 is provided to divide the interior of the bottom main body 310 into a plurality of inner spaces. A plurality of tensioning elements 314 are connected to the upper wall 311 and the lower wall 312 for control expansion of the bottom main body 310 during inflation. In the second embodiment, the tensioning elements 314 are sleeves. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The tensioning elements can be straps, strips, cords and so on. The tubular body 320 is formed by connecting an inner wall 321, an outer wall 322 and the upper wall 311.

The inner wall 321 and the outer wall 322 are extended longitudinally. It is worth noting that the inner wall 321 is shorter than the outer wall 322 in cross section. By such arrangement, when the kayak 30 is deflated, the tubular bodies 320 collapse inward due to gravity so that the outer wall 322 is superposed on the inner wall 321 as shown in FIG. 13. After air in the kayak 30 is totally exhausted, the kayak 30 is flattened and neat as shown in FIG. 14 without requiring manual adjustment. Then, the user can roll the deflated kayak (FIG. 15) and put it into a bag 40 (FIG. 16) for storage or transport. The operation is simple and easy.

The kayak of the second embodiment can be also provided with the seat and the conduit of the first embodiment.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. What is claimed is:

Claims

1. An inflatable watercraft comprising: an upper wall;a lower wall connected to the upper wall so as to form a bottom main body;an inner wall extended longitudinally;an outer wall also extended longitudinally;wherein the inner wall, the outer wall and the upper wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body, or the inner wall, the outer wall and the lower wall are connected to form a tubular body around the bottom main body;wherein, when deflated, the tubular body collapses due to gravity so that the outer wall is superposed on the inner wall.

2. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a conduit projected from the lower wall, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

3. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

4. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a seat detachably connected to the tubular body.

5. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 4, wherein the seat comprises a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular body comprises a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.

6. An inflatable watercraft comprising: a bottom main body extended longitudinally;two tubular bodies extended longitudinally and connected to the bottom main body;wherein each of the tubular bodies comprises an inner wall and an outer wall connected to the inner wall;wherein the inner wall is shorter than the outer wall in cross section.

7. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a conduit projected from the bottom main body, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

8. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

9. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a seat detachably connected to the tubular bodies.

10. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 9, wherein the seat comprises a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular bodies comprise a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.

11. An inflatable watercraft comprising: a bottom main body extended longitudinally;two tubular bodies extended longitudinally;wherein the bottom main body comprises extension portions extending through undersides of the tubular bodies and turning up to connect to the tubular bodies.

12. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a conduit projected from the bottom main body, wherein the bottom main body and the tubular bodies are configured to form a cockpit, and the conduit connects an interior of the cockpit to an exterior of the cockpit.

13. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a rudder wherein the conduit is disposed in the rudder.

14. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a seat detachably connected to the tubular bodies.

15. The inflatable watercraft as claimed in claim 14, wherein the seat comprises a strap and a hook connected to the strap, the tubular bodies comprise a plurality of fastening loops arranged longitudinally, and the hook is configured to selectively catch one of the fastening loops.