Personal watercraft
AssigneePolaris Industries Inc.
InventorsErik Rogers, Michael T. Yobe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid personal watercraft combines features of pontoon boats and deck boats, in a cost-effective and versatile package. The watercraft includes port and starboard sponsons which combine a pair of outboard flotation cavities. A space below the deck and above the hull bottom creates at least one, and potentially up to three additional flotation cavities, which may also be used as storage areas accessible by an access door in the bow of the watercraft and/or a set of hatches in the deck. The watercraft may be efficiently produced assembled from polymer materials, such as thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).
Claims21
1-24. (canceled)
A personal watercraft comprising:
- a hull bottom having a fore portion, an aft portion, a port edge, and a starboard edge;
- a port sponson and a starboard sponson each fixed to the hull bottom and extending between the fore portion and the aft portion, the port sponson including a port ledge, the starboard sponson including a starboard ledge, the port edge of the hull bottom being supported by the port ledge, and the starboard edge of the hull bottom being supported by the starboard ledge;
- and
- a deck fixed to the port sponson and the starboard sponson, the deck spaced above the hull bottom to define a cavity therebetween.
A personal watercraft comprising:
- a hull bottom having a fore portion and an aft portion;
- a port sponson and a starboard sponson each fixed to the hull bottom and extending from the fore portion to the aft portion;
- a deck fixed to the port sponson and the starboard sponson, the deck spaced above the hull bottom to define a cavity therebetween, and the deck including a plurality of apertures to enable access to the cavity;
- and
- a plurality of hatches configured to selectively seal respective ones of the plurality of apertures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.