Patent Application
20160318588
The present disclosure relates generally to towable recreational craft accommodating one or more riders and more particularly to towable recreational craft having improved stability.
Towable recreational watercraft are known generally and are typically towed across the water by a towline fastened to a moving object like a power boat. Such watercraft have been embodied as an inner tube or inflatable body member having a towline fastened to a front portion thereof. It's also known to cover the body member with a durable nylon material, to which a towline hitch and handles are fastened. It is also known to tow such watercraft and other devices over snow with a snow machine.
In use, recreational watercraft accommodate one or more human riders in a seated or prone position. When known watercraft are towed behind a power boat the watercraft may become unstable and tip from one side or the other when crossing a wake drawn behind the boat. Windswept waves or waves caused by other boats may also cause the watercraft to tip. There is also a tendency for such watercraft to tip or overturn when towed along a curved path, for example when towed by a power boat negotiating a tight turn. The tendency to tip while negotiating a turn exists irrespective of the calmness of the water and is aggravated when turning in the presence of waves.
The objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be evident from the following description of one or more embodiments herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
While the drawings illustrate various aspects of the disclosure, the elements of the various figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. The size, shape and dimensions of some portions, features, components and/or regions of the drawings may be disproportionate to provide clarity or to better convey or illustrate what is described herein.
The illustrated body member has a generally circular shape when viewed from the top or bottom. In other embodiments, the body member could have most any other shape. Such other shapes include but are not limited to an oblong or oval, rectangular, triangular, square or some other polygon or quasi-polygonal shape. Generally, the surfaces of the top and bottom sides of the body member may be flat or non-flat. For example, the bottom side surface could be convex or concave. The body member may also have a central keel or one or more fins or skegs extending from the bottom side thereof for directional stability. The fins or skegs may be disposed laterally or along the centerline. In some embodiments, the fins or skegs are adjustably retractable. Whether the bottom side surface is concave or convex may have some bearing on the placement of any fins or skegs. The top side surface of the body member is generally configured to accommodate one or more riders in the prone position with legs and feet extending from the aft and lateral portions of the body member. Thus the top surface may have a flat, convex, or concave configuration. In one particular embodiment, the top surface has a somewhat concave recess extending between the front and rearward portions of the body member. In another embodiment, the top surface has two or more generally side-by-side concave recessed portions for accommodating two side-by-side riders. A centerline of the concave recesses may be parallel or divergent toward the rearward portion of the body member.
In one embodiment the inflatable or non-inflatable body member is covered with another material like nylon or PVC or some other material. For example, the body member may be encapsulated by a nylon or neoprene sheath, or a plastic shell or some other material. The body member may also be covered by a combination of these and other materials. A sheath-type covering may include an opening through which to accommodate the body member. Such an opening may be securely closeable with a zipper, or buttons, or by mating hook and loop straps like Velcro, or by some other secure fastening mechanism. The opening in sheath may be relatively small to accommodate an inflatable body member, but the opening could be relatively large to accommodate a non-inflatable body member. Alternatively, a shell-type covering may be fastened to, or integrally formed about, the body member. For example, a non-inflatable body member may include a shell made of plastic or some other durable material fastened thereto by an adhesive or by separate molding operations or by other means. Alternatively, the body member has no such covering. The materials selected will depend on consideration of the intended use or application of the craft. For applications where the craft is towed over snow, for example, materials having a less frictional drag may be advantageous. In some applications however some drag may be desirable for directional stability.
In some embodiments, the body member includes a handle disposed at or near the front portion thereof for grasping by a rider. The handle could take many forms. For example, there could be single elongated handle for grasping by one or more riders. Alternatively, the handle could be embodied as a pair of handles, one for grasping by each hand of the rider.
In one embodiment, the body member includes one or more stabilizing members movably coupled thereto. The stabilizing member extends generally away from the body member and is movable between a position extending away from the rearward portion of the body member and a position extending away from one or both the lateral portions of the body member. Each stabilizing member includes a foot-accommodating portion spaced apart from the body member.
In operation, a rider assumes a prone position on the top side of the body member with the rider's legs extending from the rearward portion thereof. The rider is positioned to grasp the recreational craft with his or her hands or arms as discussed above. One or both of the rider's feet are disposed in a foot-accommodating portion of the one or more stabilizing members. For the case where there are two stabilizing members, each foot is disposed in a foot accommodating member of a corresponding stabilizing member. The articulating nature of the stabilizing members allows the user's legs to move independently between the aft position and the lateral sides of the body member thereby providing improved stability as the recreational craft is towed across the water or snow. The positioning of the rider's leg or legs toward the lateral portion of the body member will reduce the likelihood that the body member will tip, for example while negotiating a turn or rough water. For the case where there is a single stabilizing member, the foot accommodating member may be sized to accommodate both feet of the rider. The articulating nature of the single stabilizing member allows the rider's legs to move in unison from side to side, thereby providing stability as the craft is towed across the water or snow. Alternatively, the rider could alternate which foot is disposed in the foot-accommodating portion of the single stabilizing member depending on which side of the body member the rider wants to position the stabilizing member for stability, while allowing the other leg to extend from the aft portion of the body member.
In one embodiment, the one or more stabilizing members include a directional guiding member extending from a bottom side thereof. The stabilizing member is disposed a sufficient distance from the body member to allow the directional guiding member to extend into the water or snow and to provide rudder-like functionality as the craft is towed. The directional guiding member could be part of the foot-accommodating member or a discrete member separate therefrom. In either case, the directional guiding member is maintained in the water or snow by downward pressure from the rider's foot disposed in the foot-accommodating portion of the stabilizing member. Thus the directional guiding member provides the rider a measure of control over the direction of the craft.
In
The one or more stabilizing members are movably fastened to corresponding retaining members formed in or fastened to the body member. In
In one embodiment, the one or more stabilizing member are embodied as straps formed of a nylon material. In some applications the stabilizing strap is strengthened with a carbon fiber cloth or other reinforcing material captured between layers of the strap. The stabilizing strap may be fastened to the retaining member (e.g., the D-shaped member) by forming a loop that captures the retaining member upon sewing or riveting or otherwise fastening together mating portions of the strap. In
In other embodiments, the stabilizing member may have other forms. For example, the stabilizing member could be embodied as a cord with one end fastened to the body member wherein the other end fastened is fastened to, or is integrally formed with, a foot accommodating portion. The cord could be made of nylon or some other material with suitable tensile strength. The cord could be rigid or flexible. A rigid cord would require a movable coupling to the body member, for example with a retaining ring. A flexible cord could be anchored directly to the body member without the need for an intermediate retaining member. Various other mechanisms and materials may be employed to form the one or more stabilizing members and to fasten them to the body member or to a sheath or covering disposed about the body member.
In one embodiment, the foot-accommodating, member comprises a stirrup into which the user's foot is disposed.
In
In one embodiment, the foot-accommodating portion is adjustably spaced apart from the body member. An adjustable foot-accommodating portion accommodates different sized riders and it accommodates different positioning of the rider on the body member. In one embodiment, adjustment is provided for a strap-like stabilizing member using an adjustable tension buckle disposed between the foot-accommodating portion and the body member. In this embodiment, the strap is looped through a retaining member and threaded through to the adjustable tension buckle, wherein the strap length is adjustable by feeding more or less strap through the buckle. Such a buckle could be implemented in the embodiments of
In one embodiment, an outer portion of the boot constitutes the directional guiding member extending from the stabilizing member.
While the disclosure and what are presently considered to be the best modes of the inventions have been described in a manner that establishes possession thereof by the inventor and that enables those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the same, it will be understood and appreciated that there are many equivalents to the embodiments disclosed herein and that myriad modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventions, which are to be limited not by the exemplary embodiments but by the appended claims.
