SMALL WATERCRAFT

Abstract

A small watercraft can include an outer surface member forming an outer surface of a watercraft body, and a luminous body attached to the outer surface member and configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body. At least a portion of the luminous body can be embedded at a portion of the outer surface member.

Description

PRIORITY INFORMATION

This application claims priority to Japanese patent application Serial No. 2006-139606, filed on May 18, 2006, the entire contents of each of these priority applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

1. Field of the Inventions

The present inventions relate to small watercraft having luminous bodies attached thereto.

2. Description of the Related Art

One known design for a small watercraft includes luminous bodies attached to and protruding from an outer surface member forming an outer surface of a body of the watercraft. The luminous bodies are configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body. For example, Japanese Patent Document No. JP-A-Hei 10-7080 describes such a design.

When these luminous bodies radiate light while the watercraft is propelled, visibility of the watercraft is enhanced by the light, for example, the watercraft is more easily seen from a distance. This can be an advantage, for example, if a member of one party is keeping track of other members of the party riding other boats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

Although lights for small watercraft, such as those described above, are positioned generally above the waterline when the boat is floating in the water, they can be loosened or broken off by impact with water during operation. This can happen with the known design mentioned above because it relies on an attachment technique in which the luminous body is attached to a generally flat outer surface of the watercraft body such that the luminous body protrudes outwardly from the outer surface of the watercraft body.

As such, when the watercraft moves at an elevated speed, even a small amount of water can impart a large impact force against the luminous bodies. Reinforcing the attachment of the luminous bodies to the watercraft body, however, is not preferable because it can require a complex and costly structure. For example, the body of a watercraft is usually made from a thin material, such as a fiber reinforced resin. Thus, reinforcing the mount for a luminous body would require an additional bracket or reinforcing device.

An aspect of at least one of the embodiments disclosed herein includes reducing the magnitude of such forces on the luminous bodies by embedding at least part of the luminous body into the watercraft body. Additionally, such embedded configurations can also provide aesthetically pleasing appearances.

Thus, in accordance with at least one embodiment, a small watercraft can comprise an outer surface member forming an outer surface of a body of the watercraft, and a luminous body attached to the outer surface member and configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body. At least a portion of the luminous body can be embedded at a portion of the outer surface member.

In accordance with another embodiment, a small watercraft can comprise a steering handle unit having bars, arranged at an upper portion of a midway section of a body of the watercraft in a longitudinal direction thereof and supported by the watercraft body, and a luminous body configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body. The luminous body can be attached to an end of at least one of the bars of the steering handle unit in a longitudinal direction of the steering handle unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features of the inventions disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of the preferred embodiments. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the inventions. The drawings contain the following Figures:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional and partial side elevational schematic view of a watercraft in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational of the watercraft of FIG. 1 and include an enlarged plan view of a housing including luminous elements.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view illustrating a movement of a handlebar of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, partial sectional and cutaway view of a starboard end of the handlebar having a luminous body and a throttle lever, and a schematic illustration of certain components connected to the throttle lever.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the watercraft thereof taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the watercraft taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the watercraft taken along the line X-X of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a modification of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS. 1-5, reference numeral 1 indicates a straddle fashion, planing type small watercraft, also known as a “personal watercraft” having a lighting arrangement. The arrow Fr indicates a forwarding direction of the watercraft while being propelled. The embodiments disclosed herein are described in the context of a personal watercraft because the embodiments disclosed herein have particular utility in this context. However, the embodiments and inventions herein can also be applied to other boats having other types of propulsion units as well as other types of vehicles.

A body 2 of the watercraft 1 can float on a surface of water 3. A lower section of the watercraft body 2 can include a hull 4 and an upper section forming a deck 5. With reference to FIG. 3, in a plan view of the watercraft 1, respective outer peripheral portions of the hull 4 and the deck 5 are coupled with each other. This coupled section can form can form a bond flange 6. One or more partition walls 9 can extend within the interior of the watercraft body 2 to partition the interior space into front and rear chambers 7, 8. Additional walls, which can also be referred to as bulkheads, can be provided for partition the interior space into additional discrete chambers.

A propulsion unit 12 can be mounted on the watercraft body 2 to propel the watercraft 1. The propulsion unit 12 can include an internal combustion engine 13 disposed in the front chamber 7 and supported by the hull 4, a fuel tank 14 disposed in the front chamber 7 and containing fuel supplied to the engine 13, and a jet device 15 propelling the watercraft body 2.

The engine 13 can provide the propulsive power source of the watercraft body 2. The jet device 15 can be supported by a rear portion of the hull 4. The jet device 15, which can be a device known as a “jet pump” can include a water flow conduit 18, an impeller 19 and a propulsion shaft 20. A front end of the water flow conduit 18 can opens forwardly and downwardly in the rear portion of the watercraft body 2.

A rear end of the water flow conduit 18 can open rearwardly of the watercraft body 2. The impeller 19 can be positioned at a rear end portion of the water flow conduit 18 and on an axis thereof The propulsion shaft 20 can couple the impeller 19 with the engine 13 so that the propulsion shaft 20 is driven by the engine 13. The propulsion shaft can be formed of a single shaft, or a plurality of shafts connected together with, for example, splined shaft connections.

A steering nozzle 22 can be disposed at a rear end portion of the water flow conduit 18 and can be pivotally mounted at a rear end portion of the watercraft body 2. For example, the steering nozzle 22 can be supported by the rear end portion of the watercraft body 2 for pivotal movement in such a manner that a rear end of the nozzle 22 pivots upwardly, downwardly, rightwardly and leftwardly.

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 7, a steering handle unit 24 can be arranged at an upper portion of a midway section of the watercraft body 2 in a longitudinal direction thereof For example, the steering handle unit 24 can be formed with bars. The steering handle unit 24 can be supported by the watercraft body 2 via a steering shaft 23.

Handle grips 25 can be formed at right and left ends of the steering handle unit 24. In those handle grips 25, the handle grip 25 on the right side can pivotally support a throttle lever 26 so that the throttle lever 26 can pivot toward the handle grip 25 from an outside location (pivotal approaching movement B) and also pivot toward the outside location from the handle grip 25 (pivotal returning movement C).

The throttle lever 26 can be connected to a throttle valve of the engine 13 through a cable so as to move the throttle valve. The throttle lever 26 can be urged by a spring in the direction of the pivotal returning movement C. The steering nozzle 22 and the steering handle unit 24 can be connected to each other through a link mechanism (not shown) so that the steering handle unit 24 can move the steering nozzle 22. In some embodiments, the throttle lever 26 can be connected to a throttle lever position sensor, the output of which can be used to operate an electronically operated throttle valve of the engine 13, described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, 5 and 8, a seat 27 and a tandem seat 28 can be positioned rearwardly from the steering handle unit 24 and can be supported by a top surface of the midway section of the watercraft body 2 in the longitudinal direction thereof. The seat 27 and the tandem seat 28 can both be of the straddle-fashion type and can be arranged in-line in a fore to aft direction of the watercraft 1. A rider straddling the seat 27 can grasp the respective grips 25 of the steering handle unit 24 and can steer the watercraft with the steering handle unit 24. As such, the steering handle unit 24 and the seat 27 can be considered as defining the “operator's area” of the watercraft 1.

The midway section of the deck 5 of the watercraft body 2 in the longitudinal direction has a central portion positioned at a center in a transverse direction of the watercraft body 2 and swelling upward. The central portion forms a seat pedestal 30 that supports the seat 27 and the tandem seat 28. Both outer peripheral end portions of the midway section of the deck 5 swell upward to form bulwarks 31.

Foot steps 32 can be defined between the seat pedestal 30 and each bulwark 31 so that the rider straddling the seat 27 and a co-rider straddling the tandem seat 28 can put their feet on the foot steps 32. A rear grip 33 can be firmly fixed to a rear top portion of the seat pedestal 30. The rider and/or co-rider can grasp the rear grip 33. The rear grip 33 can be a type of grip known as a “remount grip.” That is, the rear grip 33 can be grasped by the rider and/or co-rider who may be floating on the surface of the water 3 at an outside location around the watercraft 1 when he or she tries to get out from the water 3 and to remount on the watercraft body 2.

Also, the rear grip 33 can be grasped by the co-rider straddling the tandem seat 28 during operation. In this connection, the rear grip 33 can be positioned adjacent to a top surface of the tandem seat in a vertical direction and can extend rearwardly from the rear top portion of the seat pedestal 30 so that the co-rider can easily grasp the rear grip 33 while straddling the tandem seat 28.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 9, a container 36 can be disposed in a front end portion of the front chamber 7. An opening 37 can be defined at a portion of the deck 5 in front of the steering handle unit 24. The interior of the container 36 and an external location can communicate with each other through the opening 37. That is, the opening 37 can be used when items are placed into or removed from the container 36. A hatch cover 38 can be configured to selectively open and close the opening 37. The hatch cover 38 can extend forwardly and downwardly from a location closer to the steering handle unit 24 under a condition that the hatch cover 38 closes the opening 37.

A front end portion of the hatch cover 38 can be pivotally coupled with the deck 5 by a pivot unit 39 so that a rear end portion of the hatch cover 38 can pivot forwardly and upwardly (pivotal opening movement A) and also can close through a movement in the opposite direction. An engaging unit 40 can be provided to detachably engage the rear end portion of the hatch cover 38 with the deck 5. A seal member 41 can be interposed between an opening peripheral portion around the opening 37 and the hatch cover 38.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 8, the watercraft can include an engine speed sensor 44, a residual fuel sensor 45, a propulsive speed sensor 46, a steering angle sensor 47, a right/left inclination angle sensor 48 and an accelerator position sensor 49. However, these are merely some of the sensors that the watercraft 1 can include.

The engine speed sensor 44 can be configured to detect an engine speed of the engine 13. The residual fuel sensor 45 can be configured to detect a position of a fuel surface in the fuel tank 14. The propulsive speed sensor 46 can be configured to detect a propulsive speed of the watercraft body 2. The steering sensor 47 can be formed with a Hall element or the like and can be configured to detect a steering angle given when the steering handle 24 is operated. The inclination angle sensor 48 can be configured to detect a right/left inclination angle of the watercraft body 2. The accelerator position sensor 49 can be configured to detect an accelerator displacement given under a propulsive condition of the watercraft body 2.

For example, the accelerator position sensor 49 can be configured to detect a pivotal amount of the pivotal approaching movement B and outputs a detection signal. A control device 54, described in greater detail below, can be configured to electronically control a throttle valve opening of the throttle valve of the engine 13 based upon a detection value of the detection signal.

With reference to FIGS. 1-5, 7, 9 and 10, the hull 4, the deck 5, the grips 33 and the hatch cover 38 can form outer surface members which can form an outer surface of the watercraft body 2. A plurality of luminous bodies 52 can be provided for radiating light outside of the watercraft body 2.

The control device 54 can be electrically connected to the engine 13, to the respective sensors 44 through 49 and the luminous bodies 52 through wire-harness 53 and electronically and can control the engine 13 and the luminous bodies 52 using the detection signals from the sensors 44-49.

A battery unit 55 can be provided for supplying electric power to the control device 54 and optionally all of the other electrical devices. The battery unit 55 can be disposed in the front chamber 7, however, other locations can also be used.

Wires of the wire-harness 53 for the luminous bodies 52 arranged outside of the watercraft body 2 can pass through through-holes 56 defined at portions of the watercraft body 2. In this connection, a seal member 57 can be fitted to a peripheral portion around each through-hole 56 so as to seal a space between the wiring of the wire-harness 53 and the through-hole 56.

Each luminous body 52 can include a plurality of luminous elements 59 and a housing 60 surrounding the luminous elements 59. A portion of the housing 60 to which the luminous elements 59 are attached can define “a portion” 61 of the luminous body 52. This “portion” 61 can be a base section of the luminous body 52. However, other parts of the luminous body 52 can be considered to be a “portion”. In some embodiments, at least the portion 61 can be embedded in the outer surface member 51 so that the luminous body 52 can be attached to the outer surface member 51. Each luminous element 59 can be a light emitting diode (LED). However, other types of luminous bodies or devices can also be used.

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 10, fuel in the fuel tank 14 can be supplied to the engine 13 so that the engine 13 operates. When the engine 13 operates, the power of the engine 13 drives the impeller 19 through the propulsion shaft 20. The impeller 19 jets out the water 3 in the water flow conduit 18 rearward and also introduces the water 3 existing around the rear bottom portion of the watercraft body 2 into the water flow conduit 18. The reaction force of the jet of the water 3 propels the watercraft body 2 forward.

When the rider straddling the seat 27 manipulates the steering handle unit 24 during operation of the watercraft 1, the steering nozzle 22 moves with the movement of the steering handle unit 24 and the watercraft 1 can thus be steered to in desired directions.

When the rider moves the throttle lever 26 in the direction B (accelerating operation), the throttle valve of the engine 13 can be opened in response and an air/fuel mixture can be introduced into the engine 13. The propulsion of the watercraft body 2 thus can be accelerated. On the other hand, when the rider loosens his or her grip on the throttle lever 26 to allow the lever 26 to pivot in the direction C, under the bias of a spring, the throttle valve moves toward its closing position and the propulsion of the watercraft body 2 is reduced, thereby causing the watercraft 1 to decelerate.

As noted above, at least the portion 61 of at least one of the luminous bodies 52 can be embedded at the portion of the outer surface member 51. Thus, in some embodiments, the amount that each luminous body 52 projects outwardly from the outer surface member 51 can be reduced. Therefore, even though the watercraft body 2 may encounter water splashes at various speeds which may impact upon the luminous body 52, the amount of water impacting the luminous body 52 can be reduced and thus the impact can also be reduced. As a result, the luminous bodies 52 are less affected by the impact of the water 3.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4 and 9, the luminous body 52a can be positioned more forward and lower than a top end of the hatch cover 38 and the luminous body 52a can be attached to the hatch cover 38. In some embodiments, the luminous body 52a can be shaped as the letter “V” in the front elevational view (FIG. 4) of the watercraft 1 and can be placed inside more than right and left outer peripheral end portions of the hatch cover 38.

Thus, in some embodiments, the top end of the hatch cover 38 blocks the light of the luminous body 52a from going rearwardly and upwardly. Therefore, the light of the luminous body 52a can be averted away from eyes of the rider who manipulates the steering handle unit 24 and the rider can better enjoy riding of the watercraft 1.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 4 and 9, other luminous bodies 52b can also be attached to outer side surfaces positioned in front portions of the deck 5 which neighbor to respective lateral outer sides of the hatch cover 38.

Because the light of the luminous bodies 52b are mainly directed outwardly from the watercraft 1 in such an arrangement, the light of the luminous bodies 52b can be prevented from going to the eyes of the rider and/or co-rider straddling the seats 27, 28, which can make the operation of the watercraft 1 more enjoyable.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, 5 and 10, a further luminous body 52c can be positioned more rearward than the seats 27, 28. The light of the luminous body 52c thus can also be prevented from going to the eyes of the rider and/or co-rider straddling the seats 27, 28, which can make the operation of the watercraft 1 more enjoyable.

A still further luminous body 52c can be attached to the rear grip 33. The luminous body 52c can optionally be divided into right, central and left portions in the transverse direction of the watercraft 1. In such embodiments, the rider can grasp the rear grip 33 to support his or her body. The rear grip 33 itself thus has sufficient strength and can be firmly fixed to the watercraft body 2. As such, the luminous body 52c can be firmly attached to the watercraft body 2 through the rear grip 33. The luminous body 52c, thus, is less affected by the impact of water 3.

The rear grip 33 can be placed adjacent to a top surface of the tandem seat 28, in a vertical direction, so as to be positioned in an upper area of the watercraft body 2. Additionally, the grip 33 can protrude outwardly from the watercraft body 2. The light radiated from the luminous body 52c attached to the grip 33 thus stands out from the external appearance of the watercraft 1. Therefore, the visibility of the watercraft 1 can be further enhanced.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 7, additional luminous bodies 52d can be attached to the ends of the respective bars of the steering handle unit 24 in the longitudinal direction thereof by fastening members 63.

Thus, first, because the light 52d of each luminous body 52d can be mainly directed outwardly away from the watercraft 1, the light of the luminous body 52d can be averted away from eyes of the rider who grasps the respective ends of the steering handle unit 24 and/or of the co-rider. This can make the operation of the watercraft 1 more enjoyable.

Second, the steering handle unit 24 can be disposed at about the highest point of the watercraft 1 (in the vertical direction when the watercraft 1 is floating in water). Thus, the light radiated from the luminous bodies 52d attached to the respective ends of the steering handle unit 24 is more highly visible at a longer distance from the watercraft 1. Therefore, the visibility of the watercraft 1 can be further enhanced.

A grip end, which can be the end of each bar of the steering handle unit 24, can be formed with the luminous body 52d. Because the grip end of each bar of the steering handle unit 24 can be formed with the luminous body 52d, the number of parts of the watercraft 1 decreases and the structure of the watercraft 1 can be simpler. Also, because the luminous body 52d can formed in a shaped that is common for the enlarged end of a conventional handlebar without lights, the luminous body 52d does not uselessly protrude from the end of the bar of the steering unit 24.

The luminous bodies 52 can be turned on or off when the engine starts or stops its operation, respectively. Therefore, no switch operation is necessary to turn on or off the luminous bodies 52. The luminous bodies 52 thus can be readily turned on or off However, other control devices and methods can also be used.

A luminous condition of each luminous body 52 can be changeable in response to at least one of detection amounts of the respective sensors 44-49 or calculation amounts calculated using the detection amounts, i.e., an engine speed of the engine 13 operating as a propulsive power source of the watercraft body 2, a propulsive speed, a propulsive acceleration speed, a steering angle, a right/left inclination angle of the watercraft body 2 and an accelerator displacement under a propulsive condition of the watercraft body 2.

Therefore, the luminous conditions of the respective luminous bodies 52 can be changed in accordance with handling manners of the watercraft 1 given by the rider. As such, the appearance of the watercraft 1 can be different for different riders. In this connection, the term “luminous condition” includes brightness of the luminous body 52, intermittent turn-on of the luminous body 52 and so forth. For example, the luminous bodies 52 can be brighter and/or intervals of the intermittent turn-on can be shorter, with the increase of the engine speed of the engine 13 and/or the rise of the propulsive speed.

Each luminous body 52 can have a plurality of luminous elements 59. A lighting area or brightness of each luminous body 52 thus can be increased, by, for example, reducing or increasing the number of elements 59 are activated together. Therefore, the external appearance of the watercraft 1 can be designed to satisfy preference of the rider and/or co-rider, and the visibility can be further enhanced.

In some embodiments, each luminous body 52 can be formed with light emitting diodes. Thus, in such embodiments, because of the characteristic of the light-emitting diode, the light of the luminous body 52 can be brighter and the life of the luminous body 52 can be longer. In addition, an amount of power consumption by the luminous body 52 can be reduced. The luminous body 52 using the light emitting diodes thus is advantageous when a battery unit 55 is used as a power source.

Although the above descriptions are made in accordance with the embodiments shown in the figures, the present inventions are not limited thereto. For example, a single luminous body 52c can be attached to the grip 33. Each luminous body 52 can have a single luminous element 59. If a seal member is interposed between the outer surface member 51 and the luminous body 52, and a wiring of the wire-harness 53 is connected to the luminous elements 59 through the portion 61 of the luminous body 52 embedded at the outer surface member 51 from an inside location of the watercraft body 2, the through-hole 56 and the seal member 57 do not need to be provided.

The FIG. 11 shows a modification of the lighting arrangement of FIGS. 1-10. The structure, action and effect of the lighting arrangement of FIG. 11 are similar to those of that of FIGS. 1-10. All of the components, features, and methods of the lighting arrangement of FIGS. 1-10 can be used with the lighting arrangement of FIG. 11, and thus are identified with the same reference numerals and symbols used in FIGS. 1-10. Structures of respective portions in the embodiments can be combined in various ways and still incorporate the embodiments disclosed herein.

With reference to FIG. 11, the rear grip 33 can be fixed to the seat pedestal 30 of the deck 5 by fastening members 64.

Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof In addition, while several variations of the inventions have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combination or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.

Claims

1. A small watercraft comprising: an outer surface member forming an outer surface of a body of the watercraft, and a luminous body attached to the outer surface member and configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body;

wherein at least a portion of the luminous body is embedded at a portion of the outer surface member.

2. The small watercraft according to claim 1 further comprising a steering handle unit arranged at an upper portion of a midway section of the watercraft body in a longitudinal direction thereof and supported by the watercraft body, and a hatch cover arranged to selectively open and close an opening defined at an upper surface portion of the watercraft body positioned in front of the steering handle unit, the hatch cover extending forwardly downwardly under a condition that the hatch cover closes the opening to form the portion of the outer surface member, wherein the luminous body is positioned more forward and lower than a top end of the hatch cover to be attached to the hatch cover.

3. The small watercraft according to claim 1 further comprising a seat supported by a top surface of the midway section of the watercraft body in the longitudinal direction thereof, wherein the luminous body is positioned more rearward than the seat.

4. The small watercraft according to claim 1 further comprising a seat supported by a top surface of the midway section of the watercraft body in the longitudinal direction thereof, and a grip positioned more rearward than the seat and supported by the watercraft body to protrude from the watercraft body, the grip forming the portion of the outer surface member and adapted to be grasped by a rider, wherein the luminous body is attached to the grip.

5. The small watercraft according to claim 1 further comprising an engine configured to provide a propulsive power source for the watercraft and a control device configured to activate and deactivate the luminous body, wherein the control device is configured to activate the luminous body when the engine starts to operate.

6. The small watercraft according to claim 1 additionally comprising a control device configured to control a luminous condition of the luminous body, wherein the control device is configured to change the luminous condition in response to at least one of an engine speed of an engine operating as a propulsive power source of the small watercraft, a speed of the watercraft, an acceleration of the watercraft, a steering angle, a right/left inclination angle of the watercraft body and an accelerator displacement under a propulsive condition of the watercraft body.

7. The small watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the luminous body comprises a plurality of luminous elements.

8. The small watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the luminous body comprises a light emitting diode.

9. The small watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface member comprises a recessed portion, the luminous body being disposed in the recessed portion.

10. The small watercraft according to claim 1 additionally comprising a steering handle unit having bars and a second luminous body configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body, wherein the second luminous body is attached to an end of at least one of the bars of the steering handle unit.

11. A small watercraft comprising a steering handle unit having bars, arranged at an upper portion of a midway section of a body of the watercraft in a longitudinal direction thereof and supported by the watercraft body, and a luminous body configured to radiate light outside of the watercraft body, wherein the luminous body is attached to an end of at least one of the bars of the steering handle unit in a longitudinal direction of the steering handle unit.

12. The small watercraft according to claim 11 further comprising an engine configured to provide a propulsive power source for the watercraft and a control device configured to activate and deactivate the luminous body, wherein the control device is configured to activate the luminous body when the engine starts to operate.

13. The small watercraft according to claim 11 additionally comprising a control device configured to control a luminous condition of the luminous body, wherein the control device is configured to change the luminous condition in response to at least one of an engine speed of an engine operating as a propulsive power source of the small watercraft, a speed of the watercraft, an acceleration of the watercraft, a steering angle, a right/left inclination angle of the watercraft body and an accelerator displacement under a propulsive condition of the watercraft body.

14. The small watercraft according to claim 11, wherein the luminous body comprises a plurality of luminous elements.

15. The small watercraft according to claim 11, wherein the luminous body comprises a light emitting diode.