Kayak cockpit cover

A kayak cockpit cover comprising:

• a waist closure means for watertight encirclement of the waist of a paddler occupying a cockpit in a kayak;
• a fabric covering section for spanning the cockpit around the paddler, the covering section having an uppermost topside, an inner margin joined to the waist closure means and an outer margin;
• a doubled portion of fabric at the outer margin of the covering section, the doubled fabric forming an endless fabric sleeve around the outer margin of the covering section;
• an endless resilient inflatable tube carried within the fabric sleeve;
• a valve element integral with the inflatable tube;
• and
• a rigid means for shaping a segment of the endless fabric sleeve, the rigid means being carried within the fabric sleeve,

A kayak cockpit cover comprising:

• a waist closure means for watertight encirclement of the waist of a paddler occupying a cockpit in a kayak;
• a fabric covering section for spanning the cockpit around the paddler, the covering section having an uppermost topside, an inner margin joined to the waist closure means and an outer margin;
• a doubled portion of fabric at the outer margin of the covering section, the doubled fabric forming an endless fabric sleeve around the outer margin of the covering section;
• an endless resilient inflatable tube carried within the fabric sleeve;
• a valve element integral with the inflatable tube;
• and
• a release means for applying an external disengaging force, the release means having a graspable end at the topside of the cover and a tube-constricting end which encircles the inflatable tube within the fabric sleeve.

A kayak cockpit cover for closing the cockpit of a kayak, the deck of the kayak having a tubular channel adapted for use with the cover, the cockpit cover comprising:

• a waist closure means for watertight encirclement of the waist of a paddler occupying the cockpit in the kayak;
• a fabric covering section for spanning the cockpit around the paddler, the covering section having an uppermost topside, an inner margin joined to the waist closure means and an outer margin;
• a doubled portion of fabric at the outer margin of the covering section, the doubled fabric forming an endless fabric sleeve around the outer margin of the covering section;
• an endless resilient inflatable tube carried within the fabric sleeve;
• a valve element integral with the inflatable tube;
• and
• a linear flexible core element inside the inflatable tube;
• whereby a seal may be created between the cockpit cover and the kayak deck by inserting the inflatable tube into the tubular channel and inflating the inflatable tube.

For closing a cockpit in a kayak around a kayak paddler:

• a kayak deck having a tubular channel formed at the perimeter of the cockpit, the channel comprising:
• inner and outer channel edges in the plane of the deck at the cockpit perimeter, the edges defining a slot of uniform width;
• and
• a concavely curved channel wall which joins the inner and outer channel edges and forms a channel interior of uniform cross section below the plane of the deck, the width of the slot being smaller than the maximum width of the channel interior cross section;
• combined with
• a fabric cockpit cover complementary to the kayak deck, the cockpit cover comprising:
• a waist closure means for watertight encirclement of the waist of the paddler;
• a covering section for spanning the cockpit around the paddler, the covering section having an uppermost topside, an inner margin joined to the waist closure means and an outer margin;
• a doubled portion of fabric at the outer margin of the covering section, the doubled fabric forming an endless fabric sleeve around the outer margin of the covering section;
• an endless resilient inflatable tube carried within the fabric sleeve;
• a valve element integral with the inflatable tube;
• and
• a linear flexible core element inside the inflatable tube;
• whereby a seal is created between the cockpit cover and the kayak deck when the sleeve carrying the inflatable tube is inserted into the tubular channel and the inflatable tube is inflated within the tubular channel.