Bicycle-type marine vessel
OwnerRafael Mier-Mazainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bicycle-type marine vessel including a long, narrow hull unstable in nature, that keeps balance on the water by means of a front rotating keel-propeller system that plays the role of a front wheel on a ground bicycle. The forward location of the keel and propeller permit the operator, sitting on a ground bike type frame, to balance and direct the vessel, while in motion, by means of the handlebar and body leaning. Forward impulse is achieved by leg actuated pedals that transmit power to the propeller placed at the back of the forward turning keel. The balancing force comes from the course change of the hull given by the new keel and propeller direction.
Claims11
A human powered watercraft apparatus comprising:
- a single hull having a central longitudinal axis;
- a keel pivotally mounted to a bottom of said hull adjacent a forward end of said hull, said keel having a pivot axis extending across said central longitudinal axis of said hull;
- a propeller mounted to a shaft extending horizontally through said keel such that propeller rotates adjacent a rear of said keel;
- a bicycle frame affixed centrally along said longitudinal axis of said hull, said bicycle frame having a saddle at a top thereof, said bicycle frame having a handlebar pivotally supported thereon, said handlebar being linked to said keel such that a pivoting of said handlebar causes a corresponding pivoting of said keel;
- and
- a pedal crank rotatably mounted on said bicycle frame, said pedal crank being linked by a transmission to said shaft of said propeller such that a rotation of said pedal crank causes a corresponding rotation of said propeller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.