Abstract: A water activity toy has a channel for a stream of water which floats a vessel on the stream, and a paddle wheel that moves through the channel to generate the stream. The paddle wheel includes a plurality of blades on axle stubs which are removably mounted on mountings at opposite sides of the channel. A crank used to rotate the paddle wheel is connected with one axle stub which is liftable out of its mounting. Lifting the crank tilts the paddle wheel to provide clearance for a tall vessel floating by the paddle wheel mountings. The mountings have similar constructions and are oppositely facing. Each mounting includes a horizontal open ended bearing slot having a side slot with a constriction at the outboard end of the slot. Each axle stub includes parallel flattened surfaces which form a reduced dimension region that enables the axle stub to pass radially through the constriction, provided that radial protrusions on the flattened surfaces are out of alignment with the constriction.

Abstract: A water activity toy with a channel for a stream of water which floats a vessel on the stream. A paddle wheel moves through the water to move the stream. The paddle wheel includes a plurality of blades all on axle stub portions at supports at opposite sides of the channel. Each blade could be above the channel when a vessel floats by. The blade is curved downward around an axis extending from the base edge to the free edge of the blade so that with two oppositely directed blades both oriented to extend along the channel, the middle of the blade would be higher off the water in the channel than the regions of the blades at the axle portions. Each blade also has a cutout at its base edge so that if the blade were oriented upright, the base edge of the blade would be higher off the water in the channel toward the middle of the blade than at the axle portions.

Abstract: A water activity toy including a main channel portion for a stream of water, and the channel having a siding which distends one side of the channel. A gate or wall is pivotally supported on a pivot post in the main channel and is operable between an upstream-downstream orientation, which directs the main water flow through the main channel portion for floating a vessel through the main channel portion and an orientation transverse to the main channel portion which diverts the main water flow into the siding and floats the vessel into the siding. The gate is also operable to the upstream-downstream orientation with the vessel in the siding for retaining the vessel in the siding. The siding may be a harbor for the vessel. An impeller moves the water in a stream through the main channel.