Shielding fairing for a personal watercraft

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6712018
  • Patent Number
    6,712,018
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, August 13, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 30, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A watercraft, equipped with a shielding fairing, is disclosed. The configuration and arrangement of the shielding fairing provides a shielded area rearward of the shielding fairing to shield an operator and passengers of the watercraft from water spray during operation of the watercraft. The shielding fairing is disposed on the deck of the watercraft, preferably between the gunwale and a portion of the deck adjacent to a hood at the front of the watercraft.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates to watercraft and, in particular, to a shielding fairing for a personal watercraft.




Description of the Related Art




Personal watercraft are designed for high speeds and responsive handling. During operation, the operator and passenger(s) are exposed to various environmental elements, including wind and water.




In the typical arrangement for a conventional personal watercraft, when seated, the operator and passengers straddle the seat on the vessel. In the typical straddle position, the legs of the operator and the passenger(s) extend downwardly on either side of the seat. As a result, during operation, the legs of the operator and the passenger(s) may be sprayed with water.




While the operator and passenger(s) expect to be sprayed with water, a desire has developed for a design for a personal watercraft where water spray is directed away from the operator and the passenger(s), at least to a limited extent. In other words, a desire has arisen for a personal watercraft that provides an increased level of comfort by lessening the amount of air and water spray on the operator and passenger(s).




Such a feature has not been proffered by the prior art.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is, therefore, an aspect of the present invention to provide a watercraft with a design that improves upon the comfort afforded to an operator and passenger(s) riding on the personal watercraft.




More particularly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a design for a personal watercraft where water spray is directed away from the operator and passenger(s).




One embodiment of the present invention provides a watercraft including a hull, an engine mounted within the hull, a deck mounted on the hull, a seat mounted on the deck, and a shielding fairing on the deck, extending outwardly from the deck at a position forward of the seat. The fairing defines a shielded area rearward thereof.




Other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the description that follows.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. In the figures:





FIG. 1

is a left side view of the watercraft of the present invention, displaying the location of the shielding fairing according to one embodiment;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of the watercraft depicted in

FIG. 1

, the view being taken from the right, front side of the watercraft;





FIG. 3

is a front view of the watercraft shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a rear view of the watercraft illustrated in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a top view of the watercraft shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 6

is an interior view of the shielding fairing for the watercraft depicted in

FIGS. 1-5

;





FIG. 7

is a front view of the cushion portion of the shielding fairing illustrated in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is an interior side view of the cushion portion of the shielding fairing shown in

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 9

is an enlarged side view of a fastener receiving element permitting removable attachment of the cushion to the body of the shielding fairing; and





FIG. 10

is a side view of a fastener contemplated for connecting the shielding fairing to the deck of the watercraft illustrated in FIGS.


1


-


5


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of one embodiment of the watercraft


10


of the present invention. Before delving into the details of the construction of the watercraft


10


, it is noted that the terms “forward,” “rearward,” “port,” “starboard,” “bow,” “stern,” “left,” and “right” are defined according to the normal travel direction of the watercraft


10


.




In the preferred embodiment, the watercraft


10


includes a hull


12


, which refers to the bottom portion of the body of the watercraft


10


. A deck


14


is disposed on the hull


12


to complete the body of the watercraft


10


. In the embodiment illustrated, the deck


14


is affixed to the hull


12


via an adhesive to prevent water from seeping into the interior of the watercraft


10


during operation. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, the deck


14


need not be glued to the hull


12


. To the contrary, the two portions of the body of the watercraft


10


may be removably connected to one another by suitable fasteners.




According to nautical custom, the front end of the watercraft is referred to as the bow


16


. The rear end is referred to as the stern


18


. The left side of the watercraft


10


is referred to as the port side


20


. Finally, the right side of the watercraft


10


is referred to as the starboard side


22


.




The deck


14


of the watercraft


10


includes a seat


24


. The seat


24


shown throughout the figures is commonly referred to as a “straddle seat” or as a “straddle-type seat,” because the operator and passenger(s) of the watercraft


10


straddle the seat when seated thereon. In other words, the operator and passenger(s) position themselves on the seat


24


so that their legs are disposed on the port


20


and starboard


22


sides of the seat


24


.




While the embodiment shown specifically depicts a straddle seat


24


, the present invention contemplates that the watercraft


10


alternatively could include a bucket seat or a pair of bucket seats disposed on the deck


14


. In still further alternative constructions, the watercraft


10


could be constructed with a bucket seat for the operator and a straddle seat for the passengers, or vice versa. In other words, a particular seating configuration is not required to practice the present invention.




In the embodiment illustrated, the watercraft


10


is powered by an engine


26


, which is disposed within the body of the watercraft


10


between the hull


12


and the deck


14


.

FIG. 1

provides a simplified schematic illustration of the engine


26


and the remainder of the propulsion system


28


, of which the engine


26


is a part. In the embodiment shown, the propulsion system


28


is a jet propulsion system and the engine


26


is an internal combustion engine. The propulsion system


28


includes an impeller


30


disposed within a water tunnel


32


that extends from a position at the bottom of the hull


12


to the stern


18


of the watercraft


10


. The impeller


30


is connected to the engine


26


via an impeller shaft


34


.




During operation of the watercraft


10


, the engine drives the impeller shaft


34


and, accordingly, the impeller


30


. As the impeller


30


rotates, water is drawn into the water tunnel


32


from the bottom of the watercraft


10


. The impeller


30


discharges the water through a nozzle


36


at the rear of the watercraft


10


. Since the water is discharged at high speed, the discharged water propels the watercraft


10


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 1

, the watercraft


10


includes a steering handlebar


38


, which is disposed forward of the seat


24


. The handlebar


38


is operatively connected to the nozzle


36


to control the direction of the nozzle


36


. By controlling the direction of the nozzle


36


, the operator controls the direction of the water discharged from the stern


18


of the watercraft


10


. Accordingly, controlling the direction of the nozzle


36


controls the direction of the watercraft


10


.




It should be noted that the present invention is not limited solely to a watercraft


10


with an internal combustion engine


26


connected to a jet propulsion system


28


. To the contrary, it is contemplated that the engine


26


could be replaced with an electric motor powered by batteries or a fuel cell, for example. In addition, the propulsion system


28


could comprise a propeller driven by an inboard or an outboard engine.




The watercraft


10


includes a hood


40


disposed on an upper portion of the deck


14


. The hood


40


is pivotally connected to the deck


14


at a forward portion of the deck


14


so that the hood


40


opens in the direction of the arrow


42


. A storage compartment (not shown) is disposed beneath the hood


40


for stowage of items therein.




Shielding fairings


44


are positioned, one on each of the port and the starboard sides


20


,


22


of the watercraft


10


. As illustrated, the shielding fairings


44


extend upwardly from the port and starboard gunwales


54


to positions adjacent to the hood


40


. The shielding fairings


44


are essentially V-shaped, with the vertices of the V's pointing toward the bow


16


of the watercraft


10


. The rear ends


46


of the shielding fairings


44


include indented portions


48


. The port and starboard shielding fairings


44


are mirror images of one another. Together, the shielding fairings


44


and the hood


40


form a contiguous exterior appearance for the watercraft


10


when the hood


40


is in the closed position.




As discussed above, in the embodiment illustrated, the shielding fairings


44


do not connect to the hood


40


. This permits the hood


40


to be opened easily. It is contemplated, however, that the shielding fairings


44


alternatively may be connected to the hood


40


. If so connected, the shielding fairings


44


would be lifted together with the hood


40


when the hood


40


is opened.




As best illustrated in

FIG. 4

, the shielding fairings


44


define a shielded region rearwardly thereof. The shielded region is the region in which the operator's and passenger's legs are disposed during operation of the watercraft


10


. In particular, when seated on the watercraft


10


, it is contemplated that the operator will place his or her feet in the foot rest areas


56


generally designated in

FIGS. 4 and 5

. Similarly, the passenger's feet typically will be placed just behind the foot rest areas


56


. As a result, the passenger's feet and legs fall within the shielded region defined by the shielding fairings


44


.




With the shielding fairings


44


positioned in the manner illustrated in

FIGS. 1-5

, and with the operator's feet positioned in the foot rest areas


56


, the bottom half of the shielding fairings


44


partially cover the feet of the operator. As a result, the lower portions of the shielding fairings


44


may hinder the operator from embarking onto and disembarking from the watercraft


10


. In particular, the lower portions of the shielding fairings


44


present an obstacle to placement of the operator's feet in the foot rest areas


56


. The indented portions


48


are provided in the shielding fairings


44


to minimize this problem and facilitate embarkation and disembarkation.




In the typical case, when the operator wishes to board the watercraft


10


, the operator will try to position his or her feet in the foot rest areas


56


. Since the foot rest areas


56


are at least partially occluded by the bottom portions of the shielding fairings, the shielding fairings


44


may hinder the operator's ability to place his or her feet in the foot rest areas


56


. The indented portions


48


provide a solution to this difficulty. In particular, the indented portions


48


provide a location through which the operator may pass a portion of his or her feet so that the foot rest areas


56


are more easily accessible.





FIG. 5

is particularly illustrative of the way in which the indented portions


48


facilitate placement of the operator's feet in the foot rest areas


56


. In particular, as the operator embarks on the watercraft


10


, to avoid impact with the shielding fairings


44


, the operator must lift his or her feet above the bottom portions of the shielding fairings


44


and move his or her feet laterally inward, before planting them in the foot rest areas


56


. To disembark from the watercraft


1


, the operator simply lifts his or her feet from the foot rest areas


56


to a height sufficient for his or her toes to pass through the indented portions


48


, thereby clearing the shielding fairings


44


.




While the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in

FIGS. 1-5

shows a watercraft


10


with shielding fairings


44


having a lower portion that slopes downwardly and rearwardly, it is contemplated that the shielding fairings may take any shape and size without deviating from the scope of the present invention. For example, it is contemplated that the shielding fairings


44


may be configured so that they do not slope at all (i.e., the lower portion of shielding fairings


44


may extend perpendicularly from the deck


14


). As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the lower portion of shielding fairings


44


alternatively may be sloped forwardly and/or rearwardly. In addition, it is contemplated that the shielding fairings


44


may be constructed so that they do not include the indented portions


48


.




As illustrated in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the shielding fairings


44


have a rounded profile when viewed from the front or rear of the watercraft


10


. This maximizes the shielded region rearwardly of the shielding fairings


44


. Such a shape, however, is not required to practice the present invention. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the shielding fairings


44


could have a straight, curved, square, polygonal, or other profile when viewed from the front or rear.




As discussed in greater detail below in connection with

FIGS. 6-10

, the embodiment of the shielding fairings


44


illustrated in the drawings comprise two parts. The first is the body


50


. The second is the cushion


52


. The body


50


preferably is made of a thermoplastic material. The cushion


52


preferably is made of a polyurethane foam. While these two materials are contemplated for construction of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereby. To the contrary, those skilled in the art would recognize that there are a plethora of alternative materials that may be used. In particular, the body


50


preferably should be made of a rigid plastic material that can be easily molded into the appropriate shape. While rigid, it is preferred that the body


50


offer some degree of flexibility so that the body


50


may easily withstand impacts from the operator's foot, for example, without becoming permanently deformed. As for the cushion


52


, any other type of cushion material (such as another type of foam) may be used. It is preferred that the cushion provide a sufficiently resilient material to lessen the magnitude of any impact therewith, for example, with the operator's foot, shin, knee, or leg.





FIG. 6

illustrates the interior side of one of the shielding fairings


44


. The body


50


and the cushion


52


are clearly delineated. The bottom edge


58


of the shielding fairing


44


is provided with a plurality of holes


60


through which a fasteners (for example fasteners


84


, illustrated in

FIG. 10

, and discussed in greater detail below) are disposed to connect the shielding fairing


44


to the gunwale


54


. While only two holes


60


are visible in

FIG. 6

, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the shielding fairing


44


of the present invention may include any number of holes


60


greater than one to permit attachment of the shielding fairing


44


to the associated gunwale


54


.




As shown in

FIG. 6

, the top edge


62


of the shielding fairing


44


is provided with an attachment flange


64


. The attachment flange


64


includes two holes


66


that facilitate attachment of the shielding fairing


44


to the deck


14


adjacent to the cover


40


. While only two holes


66


are illustrated, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the attachment flange


64


may include any number of holes


66


greater than one so that the shielding fairing


44


may be secured to the deck


14


at its top edge


62


. Moreover, those skilled in the art also would readily appreciate that the shielding fairing


44


need not include an attachment flange


64


along its top edge


62


. The holes


66


could just as easily be provided through a portion of the shielding fairing


44


without departing from the scope of the present invention.




The cushion


52


is depicted in greater detail in

FIGS. 7 and 8

. The forward edge


68


of the cushion


52


is designed to matingly engage the rearward edge


70


of the body


50


of the shielding fairing


44


. Both the forward edge


68


of the cushion


52


and the rearward edge


70


of the body are provided with eight holes


72


that are positioned to align with one another when the cushion


52


and the body


50


are aligned with one another. As illustrated in

FIG. 6

, fasteners, such as screws


74


, pass through the holes


72


to connect the cushion


52


and the body


50


together. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, eight holes are not required to practice the present invention. Any number of holes


72


greater than one is all that is needed to connect the body


50


and the cushion


52


together.




While the screws


74


may threadedly engage the forward edge


68


of the cushion


52


directly, it is contemplated, as illustrated in

FIG. 8

, that the screws


74


will engage bolts


78


positioned behind the forward edge


68


of the cushion


52


. As indicated, the bolts


78


may be embedded within the cushion


52


. It is believed that a fastener attachment between the body


50


and the cushion


52


greatly enhances the strength of the connection therebetween.




One of the bolts


78


is illustrated in

FIG. 9

in greater detail. The bolt


78


includes a body


80


with a central bore


82


. The threaded end of the screw


74


engages the bore


82


so that the cushion


52


may be secured to the body


50


. So that the bolts


78


do not rotate when the screws


74


are fastened therein, wings


84


are provided on either side thereof to engage the material of the cushion


52


. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the particular construction for the bolts


78


is not required to practice the present invention. To the contrary, any other suitable bolt may be substituted therefor without departing from the scope of the present invention.




As

FIGS. 7-9

suggest, it is contemplated as part of the invention that the cushion


52


may be removable from the body


50


so that the cushion


52


may be easily replaced. In an alternate embodiment, the cushion


52


may be affixed directly to the body via a suitable adhesive. In such a case, no holes


72


(or screws


74


) would be needed to hold the cushion


52


onto the body


50


.




It should be noted that, while the illustrated embodiment has a two piece construction, it is contemplated that the shielding fairing


44


could be comprised of any number of individual components connected together without deviating from the scope of the present invention. For example, the body


50


of the shielding fairing may be made of upper and lower sections that connect together along a horizontal seam. Similarly, the body


50


and the cushion


52


may each be made up of several individual components without deviating from the scope of the present invention.





FIG. 10

illustrates one example of the type of fastener


84


contemplated to connect the body


50


to the gunwale


54


and the portion of the deck


14


adjacent to the hood


40


. To connect the body


50


to the gunwale


54


, the shielding fairing


44


is positioned on the gunwale


54


so that the holes


60


align with holes in the gunwale


54


. Fasteners


84


are then press-fitted into the holes. Similarly, to connect the body


50


to the deck along its top edge


62


, the fasteners


84


are press-fitted through the holes


66


into corresponding holes in the deck


14


adjacent to the hood


40


.




As shown in

FIG. 10

, the fastener


84


includes a head


86


, a body


88


, and at least one flexible extension


90


extending from the body


88


. Since the extensions


90


are flexible, they are designed to compress against the body


88


as the body


88


is pressed into one of the holes


60


,


66


. After the extension


90


passes completely through the deck


14


, the extension


90


flexes outwardly, away from the body


88


. Thereby, the extensions


90


engage the interior surface of the deck


14


and hold the body


50


of the shielding fairing


44


on the deck


14


. While the fastener


84


is preferred for use with the shielding fairing


44


, those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that any other type of fastener (such as a nut and bolt) could be used instead, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, a reinforcing strip may be included at the connection point between the deck


14


and the shielding fairings


44


to increase the strength of the connection between the two components of the watercraft


10


.




It is also contemplated that the shielding fairings


44


may be affixed to the deck


14


via a fastener such as a glue, adhesive, or an epoxy. In one further alternative embodiment, the shielding fairings


44


may be integrally molded as a part of the deck


14


, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art.




Returning to

FIG. 5

, it is noted that the preferred embodiment places the outermost portion of the bottom of the shielding fairings


44


adjacent to the outer edge of the gunwales


54


. This construction is preferred because it maximizes the foot rest areas


56


beneath the shielding fairings


44


. It also maximizes the size of shielded regions behind the shielding fairings


44


. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, the shielding fairings


44


need not be attached to the gunwales


54


or to a portion of the deck


14


adjacent to the hood


40


. Instead, they may be attached at any location on the deck


14


without departing from the scope of the present invention.




In addition, while the present invention is contemplated for use on a personal watercraft


10


, it is contemplated that the present invention could be adapted readily for use on other types of watercraft or vehicles (e.g., snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, or the like) where it is desired to minimize the effect of environmental conditions on the operator and any passengers.




From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended for inclusion within the scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A watercraft, comprising:a hull; a deck mounted on the hull; a hood movably connected to a forward portion of the deck; an engine positioned within the hull; a seat mounted atop the deck for accommodating at least one rider, when seated; and at least one shielding fairing on the deck, wherein the shielding fairing extends laterally outwardly from the deck, wherein at least a portion of the shielding fairing is disposed forwardly of the seat, wherein the shielding fairing attaches to the deck at a position adjacent to the hood and extends to a position adjacent to a peripheral edge of the watercraft, and wherein the shielding fairing attaches to a gunwale laterally positioned on one side of the deck.
  • 2. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein:the seat is straddled by the at least one rider.
  • 3. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein:the at least one shielding fairing comprises two shielding fairings, disposed on opposite sides of the watercraft.
  • 4. The watercraft of claim 3, wherein:the shielding fairings each comprise more than one component assembled together.
  • 5. The watercraft of claim 3, wherein:the shielding fairings are manufactured as separate components that are attached to the deck.
  • 6. The watercraft of claim 3, wherein:the shielding fairings each comprise single, integral components.
  • 7. The watercraft of claim 4, wherein the components comprise:a body portion with a rear edge; and a cushion portion disposed on the rear edge thereof.
  • 8. The watercraft of claim 7, wherein:the body portion defines at least one hole through the rear edge thereof, the cushion portion includes at least one hole therein being in register with the hole in the body portion when the cushion portion and the body portion are aligned adjacent to one another, and a fastener is disposed in the holes in the body portion and the cushion portion to hold the cushion portion onto the body portion.
  • 9. The watercraft of claim 7, wherein:the body portion comprises a thermoplastic material; and the cushion portion comprises polyurethane foam.
  • 10. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein:the shielding fairing attaches to the gunwale and the deck via at least one fastener.
  • 11. The watercraft of claim 10, wherein the fastener comprises:a head; a body extending from the head; and a plurality of flexible extensions on the body, the extensions capable of collapsing against the body when exposed to a compressive force.
  • 12. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein:the shielding fairing has a curved outer surface that bulges laterally outwardly from the deck.
  • 13. The watercraft of claim 12, wherein:the deck includes a foot rest area thereon; and the shielding fairing at least partially covers the foot rest area.
  • 14. The watercraft of claim 12, wherein:the shielding fairing defines a shielded region therebehind.
  • 15. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein:the hull defines a bow, and the shielding fairing is substantially V-shaped with its vertex pointing toward the bow of the watercraft.
  • 16. The watercraft of claim 15, wherein:the shielding fairing's end opposite to the vertex includes an indented portion facilitating embarkation onto and disembarkation from the watercraft.
  • 17. A shielding fairing for a watercraft, comprising:a body portion with a rear end; and a cushion portion disposed on the body portion at the rear end, wherein the shielding fairing is constructed and arranged to be disposable on the watercraft at a position forward of a seat thereon. wherein the body portion defines at least one hole through the rear end thereof, wherein the cushion portion includes at least one hole therein being in register with the hole in the body portion when the cushion portion and the body portion are aligned, and wherein a fastener is disposed in the holes in the body portion and the cushion portion to hold the cushion portion onto the body portion.
  • 18. The shielding fairing of claim 17, wherein:the body portion comprises a thermoplastic material; and the cushion portion comprises polyurethane foam.
  • 19. A shielding fairing for a watercraft, comprising:a body portion with a rear end; and a cushion portion disposed on the body portion at the rear end, wherein the shielding fairing is constructed and arranged to be disposable on a watercraft at a position forward of a seat thereon. wherein the body portion and the cushion portion are integrally molded together.
  • 20. The shielding fairing of claim 19, wherein:the body portion comprises a thermoplastic material; and the cushion portion comprises polyurethane foam.
  • 21. A shielding fairing for a watercraft having a deck and at least one gunwale, comprising:a body; a first side constructed and arranged to attach to the deck; a second side constructed and arranged to attach to the at least one gunwale; and a rear end, wherein the body is constructed and arranged to be removable from the deck and gunwale.
  • 22. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the body is substantially V-shaped.
  • 23. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the first and second sides form a vertex on the body constructed and arranged to face a bow of the watercraft.
  • 24. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the first and second sides define a plurality of apertures therethrough permitting placement of a plurality of fasteners therethrough to attach the body to the deck and the at least one gunwale.
  • 25. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the body comprises:a rear edge; and a cushion disposed on the rear edge thereof.
  • 26. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the rear end includes an indented portion facilitating embarkation onto and disembarkation from the watercraft.
  • 27. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the body has a curved outer surface that bulges laterally outwardly.
  • 28. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the body is constructed and arranged to at least partially cover a foot rest area on the watercraft.
  • 29. The shielding fairing of claim 21, wherein the body is constructed and arranged to define a shielded region therebehind when installed on the watercraft.
Parent Case Info

This application relies for priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/318,627, filed on Sep. 13, 2001, entitled “SHIELDING FAIRING FOR A PERSONAL WATERCRAFT.” The contents of the provisional application are incorporated herein by reference.

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5372082 Hattori Dec 1994 A
5447116 Kobayashi Sep 1995 A
5490474 Ikeda Feb 1996 A
5537948 Kobayashi Jul 1996 A
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5850803 Jones et al. Dec 1998 A
5943979 Hattori Aug 1999 A
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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/318627 Sep 2001 US