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Description
This invention relates to a water craft. More particularly, the invention relates to a self-propelled pleasure water craft which is capable of moving through the water at a relatively high speed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Outdoor activities in general are becoming more popular as people become more health conscience. More recently, the use of weekend and summer vacation homes has grown in popularity. The home-away-from-home gives the owner a chance to be away from it all. Biking and hiking are very popular with this group of people. Given the fact many of the vacation homes are found near a lake, it is not surprising that boating also is a very popular form of outdoor activity among the vacation home enthusiasts. Boating includes all types of water craft, including row boats, paddle boats, hydrofoil boats, sail boats, inboard and outboard motor boats and small yachts. The costs and skills involved are very dependent on the type of craft one chooses.
Some individuals enjoy the thrill of speeding across water in a water craft and perhaps racing against another individual. A self-propelled water craft used for this purpose can be exhilarating. Water craft such as row boats and canoes are two very popular self-propelled boat types which are widely used. They require primarily arm and shoulder strength to propel them and ordinarily the individual must be in near top physical condition.
Paddle boats have become more popular in recent years. They require primarily leg strength and generally the individual need not be in as good as physical condition as the rowers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,027,863, 3,467,049 and 4,772,237 contain descriptions of paddle boats. The known paddle boats, though, are inefficient in operation. All known paddle boats have planar paddles mounted on rotating wheels or bands which plow through the water to provide a forward propulsive force. They are not made for speed racing. While enjoyable, they simply do not provide a thrill to the boating enthusiast who enjoys speeding through the water.
Hydrofoil water crafts have enjoyed limited popularity. They all have an underwater elongated body with a configuration which provides a lifting force. The boat hull has sufficient buoyancy to float when at rest. Yet, when in operation and moving beyond a critical speed, action of water on the hydrofoil raises the boat hull so that it no longer engages the water. This, of course, substantially reduces drag on the boat hull and allows it to move faster through the water. Such boats can be self-propelled or motor driven. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,294,104, 2,315,027, 4,349,340 and 4,473,358 describe hydrofoil boats which have foot operated drive means to propel the boat through the water. They require the operator to have about the same physical conditioning as paddle boats, but do move faster through the water. The known self-propelled hydrofoil boats are complicated in design and are costly to produce and maintain.
There has now been developed a self-propelled i.e. human powered fast moving water craft which is propelled by leg power, arm power, or both leg and arm power. The water craft of the invention is capable of relatively fast speeds through the water, unlike conventional paddle boats, row boats, kayaks, and similar crafts. The water craft is economical to produce, requires only an ordinary effort to operate and is easy to maintain. Very importantly, it is highly efficient in that sustained human power output is a fraction of horsepower thereby lending itself to high speeds for substantial time intervals. It fills a need in an ever increasingly popular outdoor sport.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A self-propelled water craft comprises a boat hull, a hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly and a power transmission system. The hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly comprises an open frame with attachment means for securing to a stern of the water craft's boat hull, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the open frame, at least one bladed wheel permanently secured to the shaft to rotate with the shaft, and a hydrofoil mounted on the open frame directly below the bladed wheel. The blades are mounted on the periphery of each wheel. Each blade is angled backwardly and curved to provide a scoop surface for optimum capturing of water. The power transmission system transfers power from the individual to rotate the drive shaft and the bladed wheel. As the blades move through the water, they force water over the hydrofoil in a manner which efficiently provides a forward propulsive force and provides lift to the water craft so as to lessen water resistance against the boat hull.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a self-propelled water craft 10 having a hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly 11 of the invention. The water craft 10 is a single person craft having an elongated boat hull 12, an operator's seat 13 for the individual and a power transmission system 14 for transferring power supplied by the individual to the hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly 11.
The boat hull 12 of the water craft 10 depicted in FIGS. 1-3 is designed to reduce water drag on the hull as it moves through the water. It is a basic one-person boat hull which has been designed to receive the hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly and to accommodate the power transmission system. The boat hull is preferably from about twelve feet to about sixteen feet long and about two and one-half feet to about three feet wide. It has a flattened stern and its sides are generally tapered towards the bow to lessen water resistance as the water craft moves through the water. The boat hull has a water line depth with an adult person of average weight inside of about four inches to about six inches. Boat hulls of many other shapes and sizes can be used. As shown, the operator's seat 13 for the individual is positioned near the approximate center of the boat hull for optimum operation.
The boat hull 12 is made from a fibrous reinforced resinous material in a known manner. Other materials commonly used in building water craft including Kevlar, wood and aluminum are feasible, though less preferred. The use of fibrous reinforced resinous material in the boat hull is an optimum blend of manufacturing cost, durability, weight, and maintenance.
The uniqueness of the water craft of the invention is the hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly. As best seen in FIGS. 1-5, the hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly 11 includes an open frame 20, a horizontally disposed drive shaft 21, a first wheel 22 with a set of curved blades 23 permanently mounted thereon, a second wheel 24 with a set of curved blades 25 permanently mounted thereon, and a substantially horizontally disposed hydrofoil 26. In accord with this invention, one wheel or multi-wheels, each with a set of blades, are used in the hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly. As evident in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assembly 11 has two bladed wheels. FIGS. 7 and 8 depict a hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly having a single wheel. FIG. 9 depicts a hydrofoil-bladed wheel assembly having four wheels. Generally speaking, the greater the number of bladed wheels, the more efficient the propulsion process. Hence, the faster the water craft can be made to move through the water. However, increased cost in producing the four wheel assembly as well as increased weight and bulk in the water craft are offsetting factors.
