Adjustable brake and control flaps for watercraft
AssigneeMardikian 1991 Irrevocable Trust
InventorAlbert Mardikian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for trimming, steering and braking a watercraft includes a retractable plate or flap disposed on each lateral side of the hull of the watercraft. Each flap is extendible into the water, rearwardly in a continuously adjustable manner, and independently of the extension of the other flap. When the flap is fully extended then its angular position relative to the hull is also continuously adjustable independently of the angular positioning of the other flap. The flaps in their fully declined position act as powerful brakes for the watercraft. Differential extension of the flaps or differential adjustment of their relative angular positions on the two sides of the watercraft results in trimming and steering of the watercraft.
Claims18
A watercraft comprising:
- a hull including a bottom section;
- a compartment formed in the bottom section of the hull;
- a flap operatively mounted in the compartment;
- first means for extending the flap in a continuously adjustable manner from the compartment into positions wherein the flap acts as a hydrofoil, the first means also capable of retracting the flap into the compartment into a retracted position wherein the flap does not act as a hydrofoil, and
- second means for continuously adjusting the angular positioning of the flap relative to the bottom of the hull whereby the angle at which the flap meets the water is adjusted, the flap acting as a brake for the watercraft in its substantially fully lowered position, said first and second means being controllable by the operator of the watercraft.
A watercraft comprising:
- a hull;
- a first and a second compartment formed in the right and left sides of the hull respectively, substantially at the same level in the fore and aft direction;
- a first flap operatively mounted in the first compartment;
- first means for extending the first flap of the first compartment in a continuously adjustable manner from the first compartment into positions wherein the first flap acts as a hydrofoil, the first means also capable of retracting the first flap into the first compartment into a retracted position wherein the first flap does not act as a hydrofoil;
- second means for continuously adjusting the angular positioning of the first flap relative to the hull whereby the angle at which the first flap meets the water is adjusted, the first flap acting as a brake for the watercraft in its substantially fully lowered position;
- a second flap operatively mounted in the second compartment;
- third means for extending the second flap of the second compartment in a continuously adjustable manner from the second compartment into positions wherein the second flap acts as a hydrofoil, the third means also capable of retracting the second flap into the second compartment into a retracted position wherein the second flap does not act as a hydrofoil;
- fourth means for continuously adjusting the angular positioning of the second flap relative to the bottom of the hull whereby the angle at which the second flap meets the water is adjusted, the second flap acting as a brake for the watercraft in its substantially fully lowered position, said first, second, third and fourth means each being independently controllable by the operator of the watercraft, whereby the extension and angular positioning of the first and second flaps can be utilized for trimming, steering and braking the watercraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.