Title: Water sport implement leverage system
Abstract: A watercraft for towing a performer equipped with a water sport implement having a support surface on a deck thereof adapted to support a water sport implement and a performer of the water sport for the performer to put on the water sport implement.A first abutment is secured to the watercraft and protrudes with respect to the support surface of the watercraft, such that a water sport implement laid on the support surface is abutted against the first abutment when a performer is putting on the water sport implement.
Patent Number: 6,966,274 Issued on 11/22/2005 to Eck
| Inventors:
|
Eck; Richard E. (Minneapolis, MN)
|
| Assignee:
|
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (Verdun, CA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
813041 |
| Filed:
|
March 31, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
114/364; 114/253 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B63B 017/00 |
| Field of Search: |
114/218,253,258,362,364
441/68,74
248/235
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Olson; Lars A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: BRP Legal Services
Parent Case Text
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application of Eck
et al., Ser. No. 60/458,368, filed Mar. 31, 2003, the entirety of which is hereby
incorporated into the present application by reference.
Claims
1. A watercraft capable of towing a water sport implement comprising:
a hull;
a deck disposed on the hull;
a support surface on the deck adapted to support a water sport implement and
a performer of the water sport to allow the performer to put on the water sport implement;
a slanted surface adjacent to the support surface;
the slanted surface providing clearance for a fin of the water sport implement
laid on the support surface; and
a first abutment secured to the deck and protruding with respect to the support
surface, such that the water sport implement laid on the support surface may abut
against the first abutment to aid the performer in putting on the water sport implement.
2. The watercraft according to claim 1, further comprising:
a second abutment secured to the deck;
the second abutment protruding from the support surface and spaced apart from
the first abutment,
wherein the water sport implement laid on the support surface may be held captive
between the first and second abutments to aid the performer in putting on the water
sport implement.
3. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is positioned
at the stern of the watercraft, and the first abutment is aft of the support surface
with respect to the watercraft.
4. The watercraft according to claim 2, further comprising:
a third abutment secured to the deck;
the third abutment protruding from the support surface and spaced apart from
the first abutment,
wherein the second and third abutments are positioned port and starboard of the
first abutment respectively.
5. The watercraft according to claim 2, wherein the first and second abutments
consist of a resilient material.
6. The watercraft according to claim 4, wherein the water sport implement laid
on the support surface may be held captive between the first and third abutments
to aid the performer in putting on the water sport implement.
7. A watercraft comprising:
a bow;
a stern;
a hull;
a deck disposed on the hull;
a support surface on the deck;
a first abutment secured to the deck and protruding with respect to the support
surface; and
a second abutment secured to the deck, such that a straight line extending through
the first and second abutments parallel to the support surface is skewed relative
to a longitudinal axis of the watercraft and such that a water sport implement
laid on the support surface may be held captive between the first and second abutments
to aid a performer in putting on the water sport implement.
8. The watercraft of claim 7, wherein the support surface is positioned at the
stern of the watercraft.
9. The watercraft of claim 7, wherein the deck has a generally vertically extending
surface and the second abutment is secured to the generally vertically extending surface.
10. The watercraft of claim 7, further comprising a third abutment secured to
the deck.
11. The watercraft of claim 7, wherein the second abutment is disposed port of
the first abutment and the third abutment is disposed starboard of the first abutment.
12. A watercraft comprising:
a bow;
a stern;
a hull;
a deck disposed on the hull;
a support surface on the deck and positioned at the stern of the watercraft;
a first abutment secured to the deck on a longitudinal centerline of the watercraft
and protruding from the support surface; and
a second abutment secured to the deck to one side of the longitudinal centerline,
one of the first and second abutments being disposed closer to the stern of the
watercraft than the other one of the first and second abutments, such that a water
sport implement laid on the support surface may be held captive between the first
and second abutments to aid a performer in putting on the water sport implement.
13. The watercraft of claim 12, further comprising a third abutment secured to
the deck to another side of the longitudinal centerline.
14. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein a distance between the stern and the
third abutment is equal to a distance between the stern and the second abutment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to water sports and, more particularly,
to watercraft used for towing a performer of the water sport.
2. Background Art
One popular form of water sport has a performer towed by a watercraft skimming
the surface of the water. The performer so towed performs a slalom motion with
respect to the path of the watercraft, performs aerial manoeuvres, for example,
by using the wake of the watercraft, or simply follows the path of the watercraft.
Water sport implements used for such water sports come in various types. Two
well known implements amongst these types are water skis and wakeboards. Water
skis come in pairs, or as monoskis, wherein both feet are secured to one ski. As
a general rule, when a pair of skis is used, both feet are generally parallel to
a longitudinal axis of the ski, and when a monoski is used, the forefoot is generally
parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ski. Wakeboards have less of an elongated
shape than skis, and are used with both feet planted generally transversely to
the longitudinal axis of the board. While greater speeds can be attained with skis,
wakeboards are more frequently used to perform the aerial manoeuvres.
Both these water sport implements have bindings in order to secure the feet
of the performer to the board/ski. Taking into consideration the forces resulting
from the skimming of the water sport implement on the water and the speeds attained
by the watercraft, the bindings must ensure that the performer is safely anchored
onto the water sport implement. Therefore, some bindings completely cover/wrap
the feet of the performer. Putting on the bindings includes fitting the feet. into
the bindings and adjusting the bindings to obtain a suitable anchoring so as to
prevent dislodging of the feet of the performer while being towed by the watercraft.
The performer usually prefers leaning on a solid surface to put on the bindings.
The performer may, for instance, be docked before his performance, or may use the
deck of the watercraft to put on the bindings of the water sport implement. In
this latter case, the watercraft is not always very stable, making it difficult
to put on the bindings. The performer may also slip into the bindings while being
kept afloat by a buoyant jacket, but this involves some skill, and could result
in the feet not being suitably anchored to the water sport implement. Therefore,
there is a need in the art for an apparatus to aid a performer in putting on a
water sport implement.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a system to aid a
water
sport performer in putting on water sport implements.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method for installing
the system to a watercraft.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a system for providing support to a water sport performer in putting on a binding
of a water sport implement on a watercraft, comprising an abutment, and a fastener
for securing the abutment in a given position with respect to a support surface
of a deck of a watercraft with the abutment protruding from the support surface
of the watercraft, such that a water sport implement laid on the support surface
is abutted against the abutment for providing stability to a performer in putting
on a binding of the water sport implement.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a watercraft
for towing a performer equipped with a water sport implement to skim the surface
of a body of water, comprising a watercraft actuatable to tow a performer, the
watercraft having a support surface on a deck thereof adapted to support a water
sport implement and a performer of the water sport for the performer to put on
the water sport implement, and a first abutment secured to the watercraft and protruding
with respect to the support surface of the watercraft, such that the water sport
implement laid on the support surface is abutted against the first abutment for
providing stability to a performer in putting on a binding of the water sport implement.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method
for installing a system for providing support to a water sport performer in putting
on a binding of a water sport implement on a support surface of a watercraft, comprising
the steps of: i) providing a first abutment and a fastener; and ii) fastening the
first abutment with the fastener in a given position with respect to the support
surface of the watercraft with the first abutment protruding with respect to the
support surface of the watercraft, such that a water sport implement laid on the
support surface is abutted against the first abutment for providing stability to
the performer putting on a binding of the water sport implement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will
now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred
embodiment thereof and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a watercraft having a water sport implement leverage
system in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged top rear perspective view of a stern of the watercraft,
illustrating the leverage system of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a top rear perspective view of a protruding abutment of the leverage
system of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a top side rear perspective view of a water-sport implement retained
for leverage in the leverage system of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a top side rear perspective view of another water sport implement
retained for leverage in the leverage system of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial rear elevational view of the stern of the watercraft
with the water sport implement of FIG. 6 thereon;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a personal watercraft having the leverage system
of the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the personal watercraft of the FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a watercraft,
having a water sport implement leverage system in accordance with the present invention,
is generally shown at
10. The watercraft
10 has a bow B, a stern
S, a port P and a starboard D. The watercraft
10 has two main parts, namely
a hull
12 and a deck
14. The hull
12 buoyantly supports the
watercraft
10 in the water. The deck
14 has a recessed passenger
area
16 designed to accommodate passengers. The hull
12 and the deck
14 are drawn together at bond line
18. An engine (not shown) is disposed
between the hull
12 and the deck
14. The engine is operatively coupled
to a propulsion unit (not shown) to propel the watercraft
10.
An aft portion of the watercraft
10, between the recessed passenger area
16 and the stern S, defines a generally planar surface
20. Edge portions
21, affixed with a "D" or a "P" in FIG. 2 to indicate respectively the starboard
side or the port side, protrude upwardly from the planar surface
20. It
is pointed out that like elements positioned on opposed sides of the watercraft
10 will be affixed with letters "D" and "P" in the figures to indicate the
starboard side or the port side. An engine cover
22 sits on the edge portions
21, and is hinged to the deck
14 for engine access. The engine cover
22 has a padded portion
23 (FIG. 2) to accommodate a person in a
sitting or lying position when the watercraft
10 is not in operation.
Referring to FIG. 3, the surface
20 is shown from a stern view,
and has a pair of handles
24 bridging depressions
26. The handles
24 are coplanar with the surface
20, and are provided to help bathers
climb into the watercraft
10. The water sport implement leverage system
in accordance with the present invention has a protruding abutment
32 aft
of the surface
20. The abutment
32 is atop a tail
33 protruding
aft in the deck
14. Abutments
34 are provided at aftmost edges of
the edge portions
21. As shown in FIG. 3, the deck
14 is shown having
slanted edge portions
36 between the surface
20 and the bond line
18.
Referring to FIG. 4, the protruding abutment
32 is shown having
an elongated shape of oblong horizontal cross-section, and also shows slight flaring
from top to bottom (e.g., also referred to as a grommet). The protruding abutment
32 consists of a resilient material, such as a rubber or other such polymer,
and is preferably fixed to the surface
20 of the watercraft
10, for
instance, by way of fasteners, such as bolts and nuts, rivets or the like, or of
a suitable adhesive. The tail
33 is shown defining a depression
42
that accommodates a bottom of the protruding abutment
32. The protruding
abutment
32 could also be secured directly onto the surface
20. The
abutments
34 have a similar configuration and are also fixed to the watercraft
10. The abutments
34 are at the intersection of the surface
20
and the edge portions
21.
Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a method of using the leverage
system of the present invention to slip into bindings of water sport implements.
In FIG. 5, a wakeboard
50 is illustrated having bindings
52. The
wakeboard
50 also defines a fin on its underside, yet not visible in FIG.
5. In order to use the leverage system of the present invention, the wakeboard
50 is laid onto the surface
20 of the deck
14. Opposed longitudinal
edges of the wakeboard
50 are held between the protruding abutment
32
and one of the abutments
34, i.e., the abutment
34P in FIG. 5. In
this captive position of the wakeboard
50 with respect to the abutments
32 and
34, a performer (not shown) has the wakeboard
50 immobilized
so as to slip his left foot into the corresponding binding
52, the corresponding
binding
52 being on the starboard side D in FIG. 5. As shown by arrows A,
the wakeboard
50 is pivoted thereafter to hold the wakeboard
50 captive
between the abutment
32 and the abutment
34D so as to enable the
insertion of the right foot of the performer into the free binding
52. Obviously,
the performer may perform the above-described steps in a reverse order, with the
right foot being slipped into the corresponding binding
52 first, then followed
by the left foot.
Referring to FIG. 6, another water sport implement, a monoski
60,
is shown held captive between the protruding abutment
32 and one of the
abutments
34, namely the abutment
34D. The monoski
60 has
a front binding
62 and a rear binding
64. A fin
66 (FIG. 7)
is provided on the bottom rear end surface of the monoski
60. With the monoski
60 held captive by the leverage system, the performer may slip into the
bindings
62 and
64 from a sitting position on the padded portion
23 of the engine cover
22, or simply by standing on the surface
20.
The slanted edge portions
36 provide clearance for the fin
66 of
the water sport implement
60 to allow the latter to be more centrally positioned
on the surface
20, and thus, e.g., enable the performer to be seated on
the padded portion
23 while getting geared up with the water sport implement
60.
The above description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the leverage system
of the present invention, but the latter may adopt other suitable forms. Firstly,
abutments such as the abutment
32 may be provided on any generally planar
surface adjacent to edges of the watercraft that could be used for slipping into
water sport implements of the types described herein. It is, however, preferable
to provide such a leverage system at the stern S.
Although it is preferred to have more than one abutment, such as the abutments
32 and
34, a watercraft could be suitably provided with a single
abutment
32. For example, the water sport implement could be held between
the abutment
32 and a portion of the deck
14.
The abutments
34 protect the deck
14 (typically made of a fiberglass
molding with paint coatings) from the edges of the water sport implement. On the
other hand, it is preferred that the abutments
32 and
34 be resilient
so as not to damage edges of the watercraft implements. Considering that the watercraft
will be subjected to the sun and to water, the material of the abutments
32
and
34 must be chosen not to age or change characteristics prematurely under
these conditions.
The leverage system of the present invention, although shown and described above
for a midsize watercraft (e.g., jet boat), may also be used with a personal watercraft.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a personal watercraft having the leverage system in
accordance with the present invention is generally shown at
110. The personal
watercraft
110 includes a bow B′, a stern S′, a port P′
and a starboard D′. Similarly to the watercraft
10, the personal
watercraft
110 has a hull
112 and a deck
114, with the hull
12 buoyantly supporting the personal watercraft
110 on the water.
A driver/passenger seat is generally shown at
116. An engine (not shown)
is disposed between the hull
112 and the deck
114. The engine is
operatively coupled to a propulsion unit (not shown) to propel the personal watercraft
110.
An aft portion of the personal watercraft
110, between the passenger seat
116 and the stern S′, defines a generally planar surface
120,
where an abutment, such as the abutment
32 of the above described leverage
system, may be positioned. As an example, an abutment
132 is shown protruding
from the generally planar surface
120, to provide leverage to a performer
slipping into a water sport implement. A water sport implement laid on the generally
planar surface
120 overhangs edges of the deck
112, whereby the fin
of the water sport implement will not interfere with the deck
112.
Although the above description contains specific examples of the present
invention, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention
but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments
of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.
*
