CA2268732A1

CA2268732A1 - Waterski training bar

Info

Publication number: CA2268732A1
Application number: CA 2268732
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard C. Merritt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-04-07
Filing date: 1999-04-07
Publication date: 2000-10-07

Abstract

As an aid for teaching people to waterski, the waterski training bar (or ski bar) is known to have an attachment method to the front of the skis and a attachment method to the ski rope to aid a novice person to be able to ride on the skis without the normal requirement of strength and skill. In this invention, a training bar is secured to the front of the skis to keep the skis separated the correct distance and allow the pulling force of the boat to be transferred to the skis directly. The rope then continues to the skier from the ski training bar where it is easily attached, so the handle can be set at the correct distance for the skier and thus provide stability. The bar can be easily attached or removed from the skis, and a regular waterski rope can be easily attached or removed from the bar and adjusted for various height skiers.

Description

Specification 1. This invention relates to a waterski training bar that attaches to the skis and is also used to attach the tow rope to enable the boat to pull the skis directly. The handle of the rope extends through the training bar and can be adjusted in length to suit the size of the skier. The ski bar is so designed that a regular ski rope can be used and can be easily attached to the bar at the appropriate location to enable the handle length to be adjusted. The length of the ski bar is set to hold the skis apart at the proper distance and is attached to the skis in such a manner as to still provide the skier with the ability to control the skis for direction. As the skier gains skill, the rope can be removed from the training bar and go directly to the skier while the bar remains on the skis to increase the stability and make it easier for the skier.

2. It is common when teaching new people to ski, especially younger children, to require many attempts at "getting up" and they often become tired and discouraged after several failures. In previous types of training skis, the skis are attached together by ropes which hold the skis at a distance which is too close for a natural stance and still requires considerable strength and control as the rope is not attached to the skis. Also, the ropes holding the skis together tend to drag in the water causing more difficulties for the novice skier.

3. I have found that these disadvantages may be overcome by attaching a bar to the nose of the skis by a device, such as a ball and socket, that allows some flexibility of movement for control, and said bar provides a location to easily attach a regular ski rope so that the rope pulls the skis directly, reducing the difficulty for the skier. The rope is attached to the bar in such a manner that the handle is properly positioned to help give the skier the correct stance and stability. This new arrangement makes it much easier for a novice skier to learn to ski and get the confidence and skill to continue and progress.

4. In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the ski bar, figure 2 shows the device attached to a pair of skis with the rope in place, figure 3 shows a side view of the device attached to the skis with the rope in place, figure 4 shows an alternate style of the device attached to the skis with a different style of attachment method to the skis and an alternate attachment method of the rope to the device, figure 5 and 6 show details of the attachment of the rope to the preferred embodiment of the device, and figure 7, 8, 9, and 10 show attachment methods of the device to the skis and figure 11 shows a method to adjust the width of the skis to accommodate skiers of different sizes.
The ski bar illustrated in figure 1 comprises an main body 1 which is attached to the front of a pair of skis 2 by pins 4 and the pins are locked to the skis by a washer 5 and clevis pin 6 on each pin. The main body of the ski bar has holes 7 and 8 and lobes 9 and 10 which are used to attach the rope 3 to the bar. Figure 2 shows the device 1 attached to the skis 2 ready for use with the rope 3 attached. Figure 3 shows a side view of the ski bar 1 attached to the skis 2 with the rope 3 threaded through the device and pin 4 of the device is inserted through hole 11 in the front of the skis and held in place on the skis by washer 5 and clevis pin 6.
Figure 4 shows a side view of an alternative construction of the device which is simply a rectangular bar of approximately the same length as the preferred embodiment of the device which is held in place by a regular bolt 13 which passes through a hole in the skis 11 and a hole in the bar 12 and then is locked in place by washer 5 and nut 14. The rope is simply tied to the centre of the bar for attachment purposes. Figure 5 shows the start of the threading procedure where a loop is made in the rope near the handle and it is pushed through hole 8 in the main body of the ski bar and the length of the rope to the handle is adjusted to the proper length for the skier to provide a comfortable standing position with arms out straight. Loop 15 is then pushed up through slot 17, hooked around lobe 10 and then the slack is taken up by pulling the rope tight at point 18. The rope is then pulled tight at loop 16 and loop 16 is then hooked over lobe 9 and the slack again taken up by pulling the rope at point 19 so that the rope is now firmly attached to the device without difficult tying and can be easily adjusted for any size skier. Figure 6 shows the device with the rope in place but not tightened so that it can easily be seen how the loops hook in place over the lobes for clarity purposes. Figure 7, 8, 9, and 10 show some of the possible styles of attachment of the device to the skis, but this is not to indicate that these are the only possible attachment methods as many more are possible.
Figure 7 shows a simple bolt 13, washer 5 and nut 14 arrangement to attach the device 1 to the skis 2 and also shows a simple bar style device 1 and an alternate method of positioning the bar relative to the skis, that is with the bar located in front of the skis with a pulling action instead of on top of the skis creating a pushing action. Figure 8 shows the preferred simple method to attach the skis 2 to the ski bar 1 which uses a pin 4 solidly attached to the device 1 which then goes through a hole in the skis and is secured in place with a washer 5 and clevis pin 6. The hole in the skis can be simply a plain hole as in figure 3 and 4, number 11, or can be created by attaching an insert 20 to the skis which has a shaped hole 21 in it to allow slightly more movement between the device and the skis and the insert is held firmly in place by a lip on the top surface and a nut 22 on the lower surface. Figure 9 shows a more complicated attachment method which employs a ball and socket style principle in that a ball 23 on a rod is securely attached to the ski bar land the insert 24 that is mounted to the skis 1 has a socket of suitable size to accept the ball and when the ball is inserted into the socket of the insert, pin 25 is slid into place which locks the ball and socket together. In this way the skis 2 and the device 1 can move freely relative to each other while still being attached and also can be readily disconnected when not in use for easy storage simply by pulling the pin and removing the ball from the socket. Figure 10 shows another method of attaching the ski bar to a pair of skis using a thumbscrew style attachment method which a employs a thumbscrew 26 which is inserted through hole 27 in the device 1 and then screws into the insert 28 which has a female thread to accept the male thread of the thumbscrew 26, and the insert is firmly mounted in the skis 2. Figure 11 shows a pair of skis 2 with several different attachment locations 29, 30, and 31 across the width of the skis to attach the bar to enable the skis to have an adjustable width to accommodate skiers of different sizes. These attachment locations could be any of the previously described attachment methods from straight holes to ball and socket inserts and the number of locations could vary depending on the ski size and attachment method.

Claims

1. A bar that can be manually attached to the front of a pair of skis, comprising an attachment device at each end of the bar to enable attachment of the bar to the skis, and a method to attach a rope to the bar to enable the tow boat to pull the skis directly and the rope also extends to the skier with a handle for support.

2. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the shape is roughly triangular with the two outside extremities being used to locate the attachment device to attach the bar to the skis and the middle forward point is used to attach the rope to enable the boat to pull the skis.

3. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the shape of the bar is not as in claim 2 but can be of any other shape that allows for attachment of the bar to the skis and also allows for attachment of the rope to the bar for towing purposes.

4. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the rope is a regular waterski rope and can easily and securely attached to the bar with one end attached to the boat for towing and the handle going to the skier.

5. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the rope is in two pieces so that a rope goes from the bar to the boat for towing purposes and a separate rope goes from the bar to the skier.

6. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar contains several holes and lobes for easy attachment of the rope to the bar without cutting or complicated knots and can be readily adjusted for the proper handle length to suit any size skier.

7. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which there can be bars of different lengths keep the skis at a predetermined distance apart that is most advantageous for that particular size skier, which could range from toddlers to adults.

8. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar can be adjustable in length to suit different size skiers from toddlers to adults.

9. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar has a set distance between the attachment devices at the end of the bar to attach the bar to the skis, but the skis have several different locations across the width of the skis to attach the bar to enable the skis to have an adjustable width to keep the skis at a predetermined distance apart that is most advantageous for different size skiers.

10. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar is mounted on either the top or the front of the curved up nose part of the skis roughly in the centre of the radius that defines the rounded end on the front of the skis, to ensure that the bar does not get caught in the water during use.

11. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar can be mounted in front of the skis so that the boat pulls the bar which pulls the skis.

12. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar can be mounted to the top of the skis so that the boat pulls the bar which pushes the skis.

13. A bar as defined in claim 1, in which the bar is secured to the skis with an attachment device which could be of various styles such as a bolt and nut, or a straight pin and a clevis pin or other style of clip, or a ball and socket attachment, or a thumbscrew, or any other suitable attachment device.

14. A bar as defined in claim 1, which can be readily removed from the skis and allow the skis to be used separately in their normal configuration without any loss of performance or change from regular intended use.

15. A bar as defined in claim 1, which can be manufactured together with a pair of skis including all necessary attachment devices etc. ready for use.

16. A bar as defined in claim 1, which can be manufactured separately as a bar and attachment devices which are then installed on skis already owned or purchased separately by any individual.

17. A bar as defined in claim 1, which can be manufactured separately as a bar and which is then installed on skis already owned or purchased separately along with attachment devices which are already owned or purchased separately by any individual.