Modular watercraft
AssigneeJohnson Outdoors Inc.
InventorsRobert J. McDonough, Geoffrey Michael Bergmark, Mathew Sewell Cardinali, Geoffrey P. King, Steven J. Zajicek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A watercraft system is provided. The watercraft system includes a hull and a plurality of removable pods. Each pod has a different operational characteristic to alter the configuration of the watercraft depending on which pod is inserted. The hull has a pod opening for receiving a selected one of the removable pods. A method and apparatus for transitioning various ones of the pods between different positions is also provided.
Claims28
A modular kayak system comprising:
- a hull having a seating area and a pod opening extending through the hull, the hull including a removable pod interface arrangement;
- a plurality of removable pods, each removable pod configured to be mounted within the pod opening, each removable pod of the plurality of pods being configured such that only a single one of the removable pods is mountable within the pod opening at a time, each removable pod having at least one functional feature different than the other removable pods, each removable pod having a hull interface arrangement configured to cooperate with the removable pod interface arrangement to mount the removable pod within the pod opening;
- wherein a first one of the plurality of removable pods is an electric motor pod including a propeller;
- and
- wherein a second one of the plurality of removable pods is a floor pod mountable to the removable pod interface arrangement within the pod opening when the electric motor pod is removed from the hull and the removable pod interface arrangement.
A method of adjusting a position of a propulsion pod of a kayak comprising:
- transitioning the propulsion pod of the kayak from a first position wherein a propulsion mechanism is located, at least in part, below a bottom surface of a bottom of a hull of the kayak to a second position wherein the propulsion mechanism is at least flush with and above the bottom surface of the bottom of the hull, transitioning includes pivoting the propulsion pod from the first position to the second position;
- securing the propulsion pod in the second position using a prop extending between the propulsion pod and the hull;
- wherein the prop is pivotally attached to the propulsion pod for rotation between a first prop position in which the propulsion pod can transition from the second position to the first position and a second prop position in which the prop prevents the propulsion pod from transitioning from the second position to the first position.
A kayak comprising:
- a hull having a bottom
- defining bottom surface;
- a propulsion pod unit mounted to the hull, the propulsion pod transitionable from a first position wherein a propulsion mechanism is located, at least in part, below the bottom surface of the bottom of the hull to a second position wherein the propulsion mechanism is at least flush with and above the bottom surface of the bottom of the hull, the propulsion pod being transitionable from the first position to the second position by pivoting the propulsion pod relative to the hull;
- and
- a prop positionable between the propulsion pod and the hull to secure the propulsion pod in the second position, the prop is pivotally attached to the propulsion pod for rotation between a first prop position in which the propulsion pod can transition from the second position to the first position and a second prop position in which the prop prevents the propulsion pod from transitioning from the second position to the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.