PERSONAL WATERCRAFT AND SYSTEMS AND APPARATUSES FOR USE THEREWITH
There is disclosed herein systems and apparatuses for use with personal watercraft having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, the systems and apparatuses including at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the watercraft and each having disposed at its second end a wheel; an inflatable bladder attachable to the watercraft; a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and a control unit for activating the compressor to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
Kayaks and other personal watercraft are typically large, heavy and difficult for individuals to manoeuvre on land. Launching and landing are particularly challenging and potentially dangerous exercises, especially when the watercraft is loaded with supplies, e.g., for coastal camping or other expeditions requiring relatively large volumes of supplies. Launching and landing are the parts of a paddling or watercraft use session most likely to lead either to injury to the paddler or damage to the craft from, for example, the act of dragging it across rocks, barnacles or slippery kelp. Existing solutions such as strap-on dollies or rollers still require the operator to drag the craft onto shore before deploying the dolly or roller device.
Among personal watercraft, kayaks are particularly susceptible to capsizing in unpredictable ocean currents, or through operator error or inexperience. This characteristic poses an extreme danger to inexperienced operators—as are the majority of recreational kayakers—and sometimes more experienced paddlers, from either difficulty in exiting the kayak (drowning is the rare but not unknown result) to potentially fatal hypothermia in cold water as a result of time taken in unsuccessful efforts to right and re-enter the kayak. An effective solution to a capsize situation is completion of a move commonly known by the term “Eskimo roll”; however, the occasional paddler will typically not possess such skill. There is also a need for improved systems and apparatuses for dealing with capsizing of watercraft, most particularly kayaks. There are known systems incorporating inflatable bags to assist in self-righting of watercraft; however, such systems commonly require prompt, assertive and technically adept actions by operators and a commensurate level of operator skill. This is problematic beyond the obvious need for all operators to have such skill, but also because less skilled kayak operators are even less able to deal with a capsize situation. More specifically, capsize situations can be terrifying for even seasoned kayakers, with known righting systems requiring presence of mind and holding of one's breath while possibly disoriented (and effectively blind) in water that may be cold and dark. Known systems typically require operators to, for example, remove a bag assembly from a deck stowage point, inflate the bag, and hold it to their upper body to provide leverage to assist in manually righting the kayak, or assemble and deploy a relatively complex mast and bag system. The latter system often requires storage taking up the entire foredeck of the kayak, and manual inflation of the bag, and then using the mast system to attempt to right the kayak.
In addition, weight is a common concern for kayak users, so an unduly cumbersome or heavy capsize recovery system could, in addition to providing questionable effectiveness, be a negative factor in day to day operation of the kayak.
Personal watercraft, especially kayaks, are designed to be low to the water and therefore are often difficult for other watercraft to see and avoid. Coastal areas popular for kayaking are usually popular for use by other watercraft, including, for example, recreational fishers, powerboaters or high-speed commercial whale watching vessels. This may pose a collision danger to paddlers and, like land transport challenges or the possibility of capsizing, can serve as a disincentive for persons to participate in the sport. Kayaks are by their design not well-suited for the attachment of masts with pennants or strobe lights to enhance visibility.
Kayak design typically does not facilitate safe access for operators to necessary and/or desired supplies such as water, food, communications or safety gear while paddling. If supplies are stored in the cockpit, the paddler must typically remove the spray skirt—which can be difficult and dangerous if conditions are rough—or, with much greater difficulty while on the water, remove a hatch cover if the kayak is equipped with a “day hatch” for supply storage. Items may in some cases be placed in waterproof bags and strapped to the hull of the kayak within reach of the paddler, but this is seldom an optimal solution to the issue as the bags may fall off, be punctured or torn, and the straps may fail.
Various watercraft, particularly personal watercraft, exhibit limited space for storage and easy access to articles that the typical paddler would want to keep close at hand, such as a mobile phone, GPS receiver, marine band radio, energy bars, drinking water, and similar items. Most known means of storing articles for transport aboard human-powered watercraft are dedicated to that purpose and do not lend themselves to efficient access to small articles that are frequently needed while on the water.
There is a need for improved design(s) to alleviate and/or mitigate the issues discussed above and a need for devices that can provide versatile, multi-functional utility in transport, safety, storage and other applications.
SUMMARYThere is disclosed herein apparatuses for use with personal watercraft having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, with the apparatus including at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the watercraft and each having disposed at its second end a wheel; wherein the legs are adapted for movement between and retention at each of a retracted position, wherein the wheels are operationally positioned above the bottom side, and a lowered position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned below the bottom side to support rolled movement of the watercraft.
In another disclosed aspect, each of the legs comprises a plurality of segments.
In another disclosed aspect, the legs comprise a unitary structure.
In another disclosed aspect, the structure comprises at least three segments.
In another disclosed aspect, the apparatuses further comprise a base unit attachable to the watercraft at a base position aft of the opening and interposed between the first end of each of the legs and the watercraft.
In another disclosed aspect, the legs attach to and are adapted to complete the movement about the base unit.
In another disclosed aspect, each of the legs is substantially linear.
In another disclosed aspect, each of the segments is angled from the others.
In another disclosed aspect, the legs are adapted for simultaneous rotation about an axis to complete the movement.
In another disclosed aspect, the base station further comprises retention members for engagement and retention of the legs in the lowered position and the retracted position.
In another disclosed aspect, in operation, the axis is substantially normal to the long axis of the watercraft.
In another disclosed aspect, the retention members further comprise grooves defined therein for receiving the legs in each of the lower and retracted positions.
In another disclosed aspect, in the retracted position a long axis of at least one of the legs is substantially parallel to the long axis of the watercraft.
In another disclosed aspect, in the lowered position the wheels are disposed to extend beneath a bottom of the watercraft when attached thereto.
In another disclosed aspect, the retention members are operationally affixed to one or more of the base unit, the watercraft and the legs.
In another disclosed aspect, the legs as positioned in the retracted and lowered positions define a notional angle theta therebetween, and wherein theta has a magnitude in the range of about 45 to 110 degrees.
In another disclosed aspect, theta has a magnitude in the range of about sixty degrees.
In another disclosed aspect, the legs are formed integrally with the top side of the watercraft.
In another disclosed aspect, one or more retention members are formed integrally with the top side for retaining the legs in the lowered and retracted positions.
There is also disclosed herein a personal watercraft having a hull with fore and aft sections and having at least one passenger opening defined in a top side thereof between the fore and aft sections, the watercraft further including: at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attached at its first end to the hull and each having disposed at its second end a wheel; wherein the legs are joined by a cross-member housed in a bushing and wherein the legs are adapted for rotational movement about an axis colinear with the bushing, and between a retention at each of a retracted position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned above the bottom side, and a lowered position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned below the bottom side to support rolled movement of the watercraft.
There is also disclosed herein a capsize recovery system for attachment to a personal watercraft, the system including an inflatable bladder; a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and, a control unit for activating the compressor adapted to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the system also includes a capsize recovery module, wherein the bladder, compressor and control unit are attached to the base unit.
In another disclosed aspect, the control unit comprises a manual activation trigger.
In another disclosed aspect, the system also includes one or more sensors for determining the attitude of the module and, if determining substantial inversion of the module, triggering the compressor to inflate the bladder.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder is substantially cylindrical in shaping when in the deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder is substantially rectangular in shaping when in the deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder is shaped to have a vertical segment with one or more protrusions extending laterally therefrom wherein the deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder includes two protrusions extending in opposed directions from each other.
In another disclosed aspect, the protrusions are positioned at an end of the bladder distal from the base unit when in the deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder is shaped substantially in the form of an arrowhead at an end distal from the base unit when in the deployed configuration.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder further comprises an interior wall with a valve defined therein and substantially enclosing one of the protrusions and having a valve defined therein.
In another disclosed aspect, the bladder comprises a plurality of chambers and the control unit is adapted to activate the compressor for selective inflation of one or more of the chambers.
In another disclosed aspect, the system also includes a second compressor in fluid communication with the bladder and responsive to the control unit.
In another disclosed aspect, the system also includes comprising a second control unit for deflating the bladder.
In another disclosed aspect, the control unit further comprises the second control unit.
There is also disclosed herein a system for use with a personal watercraft having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, the system including at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the watercraft and each having disposed at its second end a wheel; an inflatable bladder attachable to the watercraft; a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and a control unit for activating the compressor to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
There is also disclosed herein a personal watercraft including a hull having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections, and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the hull and each having disposed at its second end a wheel; an inflatable bladder attached to the hull; a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and a control unit for activating the compressor to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration; wherein in the deployed configuration the bag exerts force on the hull to promote rotation of the watercraft from a capsized position.
The appended Figures show various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
There is disclosed herein personal watercraft 100 and systems 200 and apparatuses 201 for use with personal watercraft. Looking to
The apparatus 200 includes at least two legs 122. Each of the legs has a first end 122a and second end 122b, and is attachable at its first end 122a to the watercraft 100. Each of the legs has at its second end 122b a wheel 126, preferably designed with a thin, broad lateral tread for stability and support in moving to and from the water on a variety of surfaces, and narrow, non-metallic spokes to minimize the cross-sectional area presented to a crosswind, to prevent the wheels from possibly acting in the fashion of an aircraft rudder, thus interfering with the paddler's desire to maintain a particular course heading. The legs 122 may be formed as a unitary structure having at least three segments 126. For example, substantially parallel segments 124 which may include a cross-member 127 as best shown in
The legs 122 are adapted for movement between and retention at each of a retracted position (shown in
In the retracted position, the wheels 126 are positioned above the bottom side 112 above the level of water 101 (in
The legs 122 may be attached to the watercraft 100 via a base unit 136 attachable to the watercraft 100 by way of, for example, forward attachment bracket 154 and wing 131 (see
The apparatus further comprises retention members for engagement and retention of the legs 122 in the lowered position and the retracted position. These members may be provided as part of the base unit 136, attached to the watercraft 100 (for example, see 131 and 142,
Further, in the retracted position, a long axis of at least one of the legs may in some embodiments be positioned substantially parallel to the long axis A-A of the watercraft (to facilitate retention thereof in that position even if not restrained). An angle theta between retracted and lowered positions is about 45 to about 110 degrees, as shown in
In some embodiments, such as in
To provide for maximum versatility and compatibility with a variety of kayak configurations, the base unit 136, joined with wing 131 to form a single structural unit, may be hinged 155 at attachment bracket 154 with removable hinge pin 160 to swing up and forward when structural pins 133 are removed that connect main hull attachment load plate 142 to wing 131 (see
There is also disclosed herein watercraft including a capsize recovery system 201 and capsize recovery systems for attachment to personal watercraft. Looking to
In some embodiments, the control unit comprises a manual activation trigger 135. In other embodiments, sensors 128 are provided for determining attitude and orientation of the base unit 136 (and, when installed, the watercraft 100). The sensors 128 may include, for example, gyroscopic sensors. The control unit will trigger inflation of the bladder 140 if the sensors 128 indicate substantial inversion of the base unit 136 has occurred. The manual trigger 135 may also be provided in embodiments with sensors 128 for safety and redundancy. In some embodiments, the control unit may be adapted for electronic communication with an electronic device (for example, positional or orientation sensors of the cellular or smart phone of the user 102). Referring again to
The aim of the deployed bladder 140 is to aid recovery from a capsize condition by exerting force on the watercraft 100 via buoyancy to promote rotation away from the capsize position. The bladder 140 may be provided in a variety of shapes. These include, without limitation, substantially cylindrical, arrowhead, spherical, rectangular, barbell shaped, light bulb shaped or of a triangular inflated shape (noting that it is preferable for the higher volume end of the shape to be distal from the watercraft 100 when in the deployed configuration). An end 170 of the bladder 140 distal from the base unit 136 when in the deployed configuration may be flat, rounded or pointed. Looking more particularly to
The lateral protrusions 166, 168, which may be two in number and extend in opposite direction from each other (though other numbers may be employed), further promote rotation from a capsized position. The protrusions 166, 168 may be positioned substantially at the end of the bladder 140 operationally distal from the base unit 136, which serves to maximize the torque on the craft 100 by the bladder 140 attached at bladder flange 278 (see also
The bladder 140 may include an interior wall 162 having a valve 164 defined therein, as shown in
Some embodiments may feature a second compressor 240 (as shown in
Systems for use with personal watercraft and personal watercraft themselves may be provided in embodiments including the rotating legs and the selectively inflatable bladder discussed hereinabove, such as shown in at least
The disclosed systems 200 and apparatuses 201 are generally aimed at reducing the skill and strength required to maneuver a kayak, canoe or other personal watercraft to or from the water.
The legs 122 are provided such that the operator 102 may manually lower or raise the wheels 126. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the raising and lowering may be completed by the operator 102 while the watercraft 100 is in the water (for reasons such as increased safety and control in unpredictable wave conditions in a marine environment, the operator may typically opt to be outside the watercraft when raising or lowering the wheels in shallow water).
In use, the wheels 126 may preferably be retracted after launching of the craft 100 and extended prior to landing. Such use limits any need for the operator 102 to haul the watercraft across shore terrain, a practice that can cause injury to the operator and/or damage to the watercraft, especially when it is loaded with supplies.
In some embodiments, the base unit 136 may be affixed (e.g., bolted by way of attachment bracket 154, see
The members 130, 132 may be provided integral with the bushing 125, e.g., one such embodiment using operable locking tabs within the bushing to fix the legs 122 at the lowered or raised position(s), and requiring no other mechanism to intercept the legs 122 and transfer the load borne by the same. In other embodiments, members 130, 132 may be affixed to the base unit 136 (e.g., bolted) aft of the bushing 125, and extending beyond the sides of the hull, to intercept the legs 122 when in the lowered position, effectively transferring the load of the craft to the wheels (when those are touching an opposing surface). Retention members 130, 132 may, again, be retractable, such as in embodiments where tubular stops are provided that are adapted to slide laterally within a closely fitted larger tube of similar cross-section (e.g., square, triangular or circular), and can retract inward to allow the legs 122 to swing within a limited arc, and then extend to intercept the leg 122 and transfer the load. Another embodiment may feature separate left and right legs 122 swinging downward through an arc members that are, for example, spring-loaded and retractable to allow the leg 122 to pass as it moves through the arc; but, in their natural extended position limit the upward movement of the leg 122 in order to contact the leg 122 in the manner of a fixed stop and transfer the load to facilitate rolled movement of the watercraft 100. Some embodiments of the stop mechanism may utilize a substantially rectangular open-frame structure approximately the width of the watercraft hull (see
In use, the weight of the watercraft 100 would serve to maintain the wheels 126 in the lowered position by forcing the legs 122 against the members 132 thereby holding the legs 122 in the lowered position. In some embodiments, the bushing 125 is adapted to lock in one or more of the retracted and lowered positions. In some such embodiments, members may be molded in with a hull made of, for example, plastic or thermoplastic. Further, the hull may feature attachment points for bolting on componentry such as capsize recovery systems 201 disclosed herein.
In use, the legs 122 facilitate operator 102 movement of the craft 100 (e.g., kayak) into the water when in the lowered position. The legs are then moved to the raised position for paddling. The process is substantially reversed in the landing sequence, enabling the operator to easily pull the supported craft ashore and move it on sturdy, supportive wheels to the desired location (e.g., vehicle, campsite, storage facility).
When in the lowered position, the apparatus 200 facilitates wheel-assisted ease of movement from point of origin (for example, and without limitation, vehicle, campsite, cottage, storage facility, residence, etc.) to the water. Similarly, it also facilitates movement from the landing point to the landed destination. This is accomplished without need of assembly or attachment of a separate wheeled device to the watercraft 100 while in operation (e.g., as has been available in the past), and which wheeled device is typically not attached to or removed from the watercraft while it is in the water; that is, the watercraft used with such devices needed to be dragged a final distance to or from the water without benefit of wheel-supported movement.
The wheels 122 may be operator 102 selected from options including but not limited to hard or balloon treads, large or small diameters, as may be desirable in a given application. Leg shaping may preferably be U-shaped (when viewed along the long axis A-A of the watercraft when in use); however, other shapings may also be employed. For example, and without limitation, legs 122 shaped to the curvature or profile of the hull of the watercraft 100 to minimize protrusion therefrom when in the retracted configuration.
The legs 122 may be hinged about the axis D-D, as discussed herein, including by way of the bushing 125 (which may comprise, for example and without limitation, nylon or elastomer bushings). The location of the interface between the legs and the watercraft is preferably, in a kayak example embodiment, at the upper deck surface, aft of the cockpit (see for example,
As noted previously, the upper horizontal member of the wing 131 (shown in
The disclosed apparatus 200 may also in some embodiments include the capsize recovery system 201. The system 201 is comprised of the bladder 140, as discussed above, which may but need not necessarily attach to a substantially rigid plate attached to an aft, upper horizontal surface of the platform 136. In operation, the bladder 140 may be rapidly inflated by the compressor 240 (which may comprise cylinders as shown in
In other embodiments, activation of inflation may be triggered automatically in response to one or more sensors 128 or external devices monitoring for example and without limitation, watercraft orientation, water levels, positioning and/or orientation given by a user wearable device, etc.
With the bladder 140 in a deployed configuration (see, for example,
Secure attachment of the bladder 140 to the watercraft 100 (including via intermediary articles) allows for efficient and effective rotational acceleration of the hull as a result of buoyant forces exerting a lateral rotational acceleration force to the hull of the craft 100. The lateral projections of the inflated bag, extending beyond the vertical trunk of the bag serve to create the “arrowhead” shape, and continue to produce a lateral force after the vertical trunk has reached the surface of the water, thus rotating the centerline of the kayak above a horizontal plane, where the natural tendency of the kayak will be to assume the upright position with minimal operator assistance. It also provides a measure of insurance against the kayak sinking, in circumstances where the kayak's storage compartments are heavily loaded and the cockpit has flooded following a capsize.
Given the preference and need to accomplish multiple goals via use of common space on watercraft, particularly personal watercraft, the watercraft, systems and apparatus disclosed herein may also be provided with additional features and functionality as discussed below, each of which may be provided in a standalone manner in some disclosed embodiments.
The flat base of the platform (for example, 200 in
There is also disclosed herein a Self-Rescue System (“SRS”) utilizing a gripping mechanism 204 that may, in some embodiments, be comprised of rubber configured in a sandwiching arrangement as shown in
Using the SRS system in difficult wave conditions is made easier due to the opposing beveled edges of the (preferably brightly coloured) rubber sandwich, creating a tapered and easy to identify mouth into which the blade may be inserted with minimal operator skill or dexterity. With the paddle blade gripped by the rubber SRS system, rigidity of the resulting outrigger system is considerably improved over existing SRS systems utilizing deck-mounted cords, by virtue of the rubber gripping mechanism attached to the rigid lower surface of the platform above the inserted blade. This improved SRS can also act as a backup to the Capsize Recovery System in the event of malfunction, environmental damage, or compressor depletion.
There is also disclosed herein a system for enhancing visibility for watercraft during operation thereof. This system may be utilized in, for example, harbours and areas of marine traffic. In some disclosed embodiments, the support pillar for the wheels 122 may incorporate an insert threaded or otherwise adapted for attachment of a substantially vertical plastic or composite mast 114 (see,
There is also disclosed herein a substantially watertight deck storage system 205. This storage system 205 may be used, for example and without limitation, to store electronics and sustenance. In some embodiments, a modular, removable watertight storage container (preferably comprised of one or more molded plastic pieces), with space adequate for such items as cellphone, camera, miniature binoculars, GPS receiver, energy bars, etc., may be attached to the forward face of the support pillar. In other embodiments, the watertight storage compartment 205 may be formed integrally with or into the forward face of the support pillar of the platform. An exemplary storage system 205 with transparent watertight cover is depicted in
There is also disclosed herein one or more attachment points for accessories. The forward face of the support pillar, and the horizontal surface of the platform may be provided with one or more openings or otherwise adapted for attachment of accessories (the openings or other means of attachment/placement may be spaced strategically to accomplish a given purpose. Further, in some embodiments, attachment means may be movable). For example, holes on the left and right sides of the support pillar or the lateral stop mechanism, particularly the rectangular embodiment described herein, may serve as attachment points for, for example, lines connected to the upper or lower corners of a compact spinnaker, for running with the wind. These same points may be used as handholds for moving the watercraft on land when the leg assembly is retracted, or as attachment points for a rope suspension system by which the watercraft may be hung from a ceiling or wall during storage.
While various embodiments in accordance with the principles disclosed herein have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and are not limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention(s) should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the claims and their equivalents issuing from this disclosure. Furthermore, the above advantages and features are provided in described embodiments, but shall not limit the application of such issued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all of the above advantages.
It will be understood that the principal features of this disclosure can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure and are covered by the claims.
Additionally, the section headings herein are provided as organizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize the invention(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure. Specifically, and by way of example, although the headings refer to a “Field of Invention,” such claims should not be limited by the language under this heading to describe the so-called technical field. Further, a description of technology in the “Background of the Invention” section is not to be construed as an admission that technology is prior art to any invention(s) in this disclosure. Neither is the “Summary” to be considered a characterization of the invention(s) set forth in issued claims. Furthermore, any reference in this disclosure to “invention” in the singular should not be used to argue that there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure. Multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of the multiple claims issuing from this disclosure, and such claims accordingly define the invention(s), and their equivalents, that are protected thereby. In all instances, the scope of such claims shall be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure, but should not be constrained by the headings set forth herein.
The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects.
As used in this disclosure and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements or method steps.
As used herein, words of approximation such as, without limitation, “about”, “substantial” or “substantially” refers to a condition that when so modified is understood to not necessarily be absolute or perfect but would be considered close enough to those of ordinary skill in the art to warrant designating the condition as being present. The extent to which the description may vary will depend on how great a change can be instituted and still have one of ordinary skilled in the art recognize the modified feature as still having the required characteristics and capabilities of the unmodified feature. In general, but subject to the preceding discussion, a numerical value herein that is modified by a word of approximation such as “about” may vary from the stated value by at least ±1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 or 15%.
The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, AB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.
All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this disclosure have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for use with personal watercraft having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, the apparatus comprising:
- at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the watercraft and each having disposed at its second end a wheel;
- wherein the legs are adapted for movement between and retention at each of a retracted position, wherein the wheels are operationally positioned above the bottom side, and a lowered position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned below the bottom side to support rolled movement of the watercraft.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the legs comprises a plurality of segments.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the legs comprise a unitary structure.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure comprises at least three segments.
5. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a base unit attachable to the watercraft at a base position aft of the opening and interposed between the first end of each of the legs and the watercraft.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the legs attach to and are adapted to complete the movement about the base unit.
7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the legs is substantially linear.
8. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the segments is angled from the others.
9. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the legs are adapted for simultaneous rotation about an axis to complete the movement.
10. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the base station further comprises retention members for engagement and retention of the legs in the lowered position and the retracted position.
11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, in operation, the axis is substantially normal to the long axis of the watercraft.
12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the retention members further comprise one or more of grooves or reversed channels defined therein for receiving the legs in each of the lower and retracted positions.
13. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the retracted position a long axis of at least one of the legs is substantially parallel to the long axis of the watercraft.
14. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the lowered position the wheels are disposed to extend beneath a bottom of the watercraft when attached thereto.
15. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the retention members are operationally affixed to one or more of the base unit, the watercraft and the legs.
16. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the legs as positioned in the retracted and lowered positions define a notional angle theta therebetween, and wherein theta has a magnitude in the range of about 45 to 110 degrees.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein theta has a magnitude in the range of about sixty degrees.
18. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the legs are formed integrally with the top side of the watercraft.
19. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bushing for retaining a segment of the legs during rotation thereof is formed integrally with the top side of the watercraft.
20. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein one or more retention members are formed integrally with the top side for retaining the legs in the lowered and retracted positions.
21. A personal watercraft comprising having a hull comprising fore and aft sections and having at least one passenger opening defined in a top side thereof between the fore and aft sections, the watercraft further comprising:
- at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attached at its first end to the hull and each having disposed at its second end a wheel;
- wherein the legs are joined by a cross-member housed in a bushing and wherein the legs are adapted for rotational movement about an axis colinear with the bushing, and between and retention at each of
- i) a retracted position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned above the bottom side, and
- ii) a lowered position wherein the wheels are operationally positioned below the bottom side to support rolled movement of the watercraft.
22. A capsize recovery system for attachment to a personal watercraft, the system comprising:
- an inflatable bladder;
- a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and,
- a control unit for activating the compressor adapted to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
23. A system according to claim 22, further comprising a base unit, wherein the bladder, compressor and control unit are attached to the base unit.
24. A system according to claim 22, wherein the control unit comprises a manual activation trigger.
25. A system according to claim 22, further comprising one or more sensors for determining the attitude of the base unit and, if determining substantial inversion of the base unit, and triggering the compressor to inflate the bladder.
26. A system according to claim 22, wherein the bladder is substantially cylindrical in shaping when in the deployed configuration.
27. A system according to claim 22, wherein the bladder is substantially rectangular in shaping when in the deployed configuration.
28. A system according to claim 22, wherein the bladder is shaped to have a vertical segment with one or more protrusions extending laterally therefrom wherein the deployed configuration.
29. A system according to claim 28, wherein the protrusions comprises two protrusions extending in opposed directions from each other.
30. A system according to claim 29, wherein the protrusions are positioned at an end of the bladder distal from the base unit when in the deployed configuration.
31. A system according to claim 25, wherein the bladder is shaped substantially in the form of an arrowhead at an end distal from the base unit when in the deployed configuration.
32. A system according to claim 28, wherein the bladder further comprises an interior wall with a valve defined therein and substantially enclosing one of the protrusions and having a valve defined therein.
33. A system according to claim 28, wherein the bladder comprises a plurality of chambers and the control unit is adapted to activate the compressor for selective inflation of one or more of the chambers.
34. A system according to claim 22, further comprising a second compressor in fluid communication with the bladder and responsive to the control unit.
35. A system according to claim 22, further comprising a second control unit for deflating the bladder.
36. A system according to claim 35, wherein the control unit further comprises the second control unit.
37. A system for use with a personal watercraft having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections, the system comprising:
- at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the watercraft and each having disposed at its second end a wheel;
- an inflatable bladder attachable to the watercraft;
- a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder;
- a control unit for activating the compressor to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration;
- a gripping mechanism comprising at least two rubber members configured in a sandwiching arrangement and positioned between a lower edge of a base unit and the top side;
- wherein the members are adapted to receive and retain a paddle blade to stabilize the watercraft;
- a system for enhancing visibility comprising a mast having a base adapted to mate in treaded engagement with a port defined in a support pillar;
- one or more visible indicia for attachment to the mast;
- wherein the visible indicia comprise one or more of a pennant and a light.
38. A system according to claim 37, wherein the lighting comprises a strobe light.
39. A system according to claim 37, wherein the indicia is positioned at an end of the mast distal from the base.
40. A system according to claim 37, further comprising a radar reflector affixed to the mast.
41. personal watercraft comprising:
- a hull having a top side, a bottom side, a long axis, fore and aft sections, and at least one passenger opening defined in the top side between the fore and aft sections,
- at least two legs each having a first end and second end, and each attachable at its first end to the hull and each having disposed at its second end a wheel;
- an inflatable bladder attached to the hull;
- a compressor in fluid communication with the bladder; and
- a control unit for activating the compressor to inflate the bladder from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration; wherein in the deployed configuration the bag exerts force on the hull to promote rotation of the watercraft from a capsized position;
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 13, 2020
Publication Date: Aug 25, 2022
Inventor: Michael Skinner (Victoria)
Application Number: 17/429,503