Adjustable sponson for watercraft
AssigneeYamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorScott J. Watkins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An adjustable sponson for a personal watercraft allows the vertical position and the angular orientation of the sponson to be adjusted to suit the particular size and riding style of each rider. Each adjustable sponson includes a sponson body. At least one locking mechanism releasably attaches the sponson body to the hull side. A guide mechanism allows the sponson body to move vertically relative to an outer chine of the watercraft hull when the locking mechanism is loose. The guide mechanism also permits the ends of the sponson body to move independent of each other so that the angular orientation of the sponson body relative to the chine can be altered. When locked, the locking mechanism prevents movement of the sponson body over the hull side surface.
Claims24
An adjustable sponson for use with a watercraft hull, said adjustable sponson comprising an elongated sponson body, a guide mechanism operable between at least a portion of said sponson body and the watercraft hull, said guide mechanism defining a translational travel path for the entire sponson body over an outer surface of the watercraft hull, and a locking device adapted to establish a set position of said portion of said sponson body along said travel path.
An adjustable sponson for attachment to a hull of a watercraft, said adjustable sponson comprising a sponson body having an elongated, rib-like shape, means for allowing translational and rotational adjustment of the position of said sponson body on the hull surface of the watercraft, and means for setting the position of said sponson body on said hull.
A watercraft comprising a hull and at least one sponson attached to the hull by a coupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism securing the sponson to the hull in at least an upper position and in a lower position relative to a chine of the watercraft hull, the coupling mechanism operating between the sponson and the watercraft hull at a point above the chine, at least a portion of the sponson lying below an incident line, which extends from the chine at an angle which corresponds to an angular orientation of a lower hull surface adjacent the outer chine, when secured to the hull by the coupling mechanism in the lower position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.