Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
  • F16B7/00—Connections of rods or tubes, e.g. of non-circular section, mutually, including resilient connections
  • F16B7/10—Telescoping systems
  • F16B7/105—Telescoping systems locking in discrete positions, e.g. in extreme extended position
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B32/00—Water sports boards; Accessories therefor
  • B63B32/68—Mast foot attachments, e.g. mast foot rails
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H8/00—Sail or rigging arrangements specially adapted for water sports boards, e.g. for windsurfing or kitesurfing
  • B63H8/20—Rigging arrangements involving masts, e.g. for windsurfing
  • B63H8/21—Wishbones

Definitions

• the present invention relates to sailboards and more specifically to improved sailboard construc ⁇ tions and sailboard components.
• Sailboarding is a sport which is growing in popularity. Perhaps this is due to the fact that sailboarding is not confined to only a relatively few sites, but can be enjoyed virtually anywhere where there a body of water and wind. As with any growing sport, a need exist for improving the equipment utilized in this sport. This need is particularly great with respect to sailboards used in races or other competitions.
• a conventional sailboard includes a board or boat to which a sail-supporting mast assembly is pivotally secured by a universal pivot or power joint.
• a boom is connected at one end to the mast and extends aft at about shoulder height of a user.
• An out haul line is connected from a lower aft portion of the sail and an aft portion of the boom.
• a down haul line is typically connected from a lower fore portion of the sail to a cleat mounted to the lower end of the mast or to a mast extension used to extend the length of the mast.
• the sail is tensioned by tensioning the out haul and down haul lines.
• the sailboard is steered by moving the boom so as to adjust the position of the sail relative to the wind.
• FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a cup in accordance with the present invention for coupling the mast and mast extension to the power joint or pivot of the sailboard, taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 2;
• Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one form of boom utilized in the sailboard of Fig. 1 with boom extensions, the boom being shown in a disassembled state;
• Fig. 7 is a sectional view of one form of mechanism for releasably interconnecting components of tne boom of Fig. 6;
• Fig. 8 is a sectional view of another form of mechanism for releasably interconnecting the components of the boom of Fig. 6; and Fig. 9 is still another sectional view of a still a further form of mechanism for releasably interconnecting the components of the boom of Fig. 6.
• a sailboard includes a board 10 to which a mast assembly 12 is pivotally connected by a pivot and coupling assembly 14.
• a sail 16 is provided with a sleeve along its forward edge which slips over the mast assembly 12 to secure the sail to the mast.
• a boom 18, which may be of a wishbone or airfoil like configuration (See Fig. 6) , is connected at its fore end 20, as by ropes not 5 shown, to the mast 12.
• An out haul line 22 connects a lower aft portion of the sail 16 to the aft or outer end 24 of the boom. Out haul line 22 is used to tension the sail. With certain types of sails, such as RAF sails, approximately eighty pounds of out haul 0 tension is applied.
• the boom 18 is used to tilt the mast assembly 12 and thus the sail 16 in a desired direction relative to the wind for steering purposes. Preferably, the boom 18 is approximately at a user's shoulder height for better control.
• a down haul line 5 26 is also provided and couples a lower fore edge of the sail to a down haul line tie down or securing mechanism 28 described in greater detail below. To properly tension a sail, such as an RAF type sail, as much as eight hundred pounds of tension or more o is applied by the down haul line.
• mast assembly 12 may comprise a unitary mast.
• the mast assembly includes a mast extention 34 which is sized for insertion 5 within the lower end of a main mast 36.
• mast extension 34 is cylindrical, of circular cross section, and is made of a strong, durable material, such as aluminum.
• Main mast 36 is of aluminum, fiberglass or other suitable material.
• Mast extension 34 is provided with pairs of opposed mast height adjustment openings along its length. One opening of 44 of a first pair and another opening 46 of a second pair are shown in Fig. 2.
• a pin 48 extends through a selected pair of these openings, in this case the pair which includes opening 44.
• This pin has semicircular shaped collar supporting projections on each end which project outwardly beyond the outer surface 34 of the mast extension at the sides of the mast extension.
• the pin projections support a circular collar 50 against which the lower end of the main mast 36 rests when the mast assembly 12 is complete.
• the pivot and coupling assembly 14 includes an upper cup 58, a universal pivot 60 to which cup 58 is fastened, and a board connection mechanism 62 connected to the pivot 60 and releasably connected to the board 10 for mounting the pivot and coupling assembly to ' the board.
• the pivot or power joint 60 is conventional and is usually of a rubberized material.
• the board connector 62 is also conventional and for this reason will not be described in detail. Suitable power joints 60 and board connectors 62 are available from a number of companies, such as Fleetwood of Sacramento, California.
• the cup 58 includes a base or collar 70 through which a bolt 72 passes to secure the cup 58 to the upper end of the pivot 60.
• the cup also includes an upwardly projecting hollow cup wall portion 74 which extends above the base 70.
• the cup wall is sized for insertion into the hollow interior of mast extension 34.
• the cup 50 may be of aluminum, stainless steel, zytel plastic or other durable material.
• a pair of laterally opposed openings 76, 78 are provided through the cup wall 74.
• First and second catches 80, 82 are positioned to project outwardly through the respective openings 76, 78 to latching positions beyond the outer surface of cup wall 74.
• a leaf spring 84 has first and second legs 86, 88 extending within the interior of the cup wall. Leg 86 carries, catch 80 while leg 88 carries catch 82. The leaf spring 84 biases the catches 80, 82 to their latching positions.
• Actuators are provided for deflecting the spring leg portions 86, 88 inwardly toward the center of the cup 58. This shifts the catches 80, 82 to retracted positions in which the catches do not significantly project beyond the outer surface of the cup wall 74.
• these actuators comprise first and second wings 90, 92 which engage the respective spring legs 86, 88.
• the wing 90 is of stepped construction with a first step section connected to the spring leg 86, an intermediate section which passes through an opening 91 in cup wall 74, and an outer step or downturned flange 94.
• Wing 92 is of similar shape with a first step section connected to the spring leg 88, an intermediate section which extends outwardly through an opening 93 in the cup wall and an outer downturned flange or step section 96. Openings 91 and 93 are positioned at a location where they are not covered when the mast assembly is mounted to the cup. As a result, the wings 90 and 92, as well as flanges 94 and 96, are readily engageable at times when desired to remove the mast assembly. When wings 90 and 92 are pressed inwardly toward the center of the cup 58, the catches 80 and 82 are moved to their retracted positions.
• the flanges 94, 96 engage the collar 70 prior to the complete withdrawal of catches 80 and 82 from the openings 76 and 78_. As a result, the motion of catches 80, 82 is limited and the catches 80 and 82 are continuously maintained in alignment with the openings 76 and 78.
• the above described cup 58 constitutes an easily operated coupler for releasably securing mast extension 34 to the power joint 60 and thus to board 10. That is, to secure the mast assembly 12 to the board, wings 90 and 92 are depressed to shift catches 80 and 82 to their retracted positions. The cup wall 74 is then inserted into the mast extension 34 with tne openings 76, 78 aligned with the mast extension openings 54 and 56. The wings 90 and 92 are then released so that the catches 80 and 82 shift to their latching positions. In such positions, catch 80 passes through opening 54 while catch 82 passes through opening 56 to thereby releasably secure the mast extension and mast assembly 12 in place.
• Down haul line tie down mechanism 28 is best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.
• mechanism 28 includes a main body 100 mounted to the mast extension 34 (or equivalently to cup 58 or to a mast 36 in the event a mast extension 34 is not used) with a down haul line receiving means 102 projecting downwardly from body 100.
• down haul line receiving means 102 projects to a location which is adjacent an upper region of the power joint or pivot 60.
• the down haul line 26 is received by the line receiving means 102 and provides a location at which this line may be secured.
• body 100 may be cylindrical and of circular cross section sized to slip over the end of mast extension 34 (See Fig. 4) .
• Body 100 may be permanently secured, as by rivets, to the mast extension.
• the body may be releasably secured in place by a bolt 104. This releasable connection enables the body 100, and hence the down haul line receiver 102, to be positioned at various locations along the length of the mast exten ⁇ sion for purposes explained below.
• Body 100 is provided with openings 106 (one being shown in Fig. 2) which permit access to . the catch pins 80, 82.
• openings 106 are typically beveled to facilitate fingertip access to the catches 80, 82.
• the illustrated down haul line receiver 102 includes a back or rear plate portion 110 which comprises a downwardly extending section of the main body 100.
• plate 110 curves in the same manner as the portion of the main body to which it is connected.
• Side plates or flanges 112, 114 project outwardly from the respective side edges of back plate 110.
• a cover plate 116 extends from plate 112 to plate 114 at a location spaced from the rear plate 110.
• the plates 112, 114 and 116 form a cover section and, together with the rear plate 110, form a box like housing which is tapered or narrows toward its bottom. This tapering minimizes possible interference between the housing and movement of the power joint 60.
• a down haul line receiving pulley 118 is pivotally secured, as by a rivet, between the plates 110 and 116.
• plate 112 is provided with a circular opening for receiving the down haul line within the nousing.
• Plate 114 has an opening 122 with an upper notched cleat for passage of the down haul line outwardly from the housing.
• the down haul line securing mechanism 28 is made of aluminum, nylon, stainless steel or plastic, such as zytel plastic.
• the back plate 110 is flared outwardly slightly to provide additional clearance for the power joint 60 and cup 58.
• the sail hits the board 10 before the down haul line receiver 102 so that the sail prevents receiver 102 from scraping the deck of the board.
• the lower edge of the sail may be drawn to a height of from three and one half to four inches above the upper deck or surface of the board.
• prior art down haul line securing devices known to applicant are only capable of bringing the lower edge of the sail to within five to five and one half inches of the upper deck of the board.
• this construction improves board speed by at least two knots.
• sails attached in this manner seem better balanced and easier to handle.
• the boom may be lowered slightly when the sail is lowered in this manner so that it is easier for relatively short people to have the boom set at a proper height.
• a user lays in the water with his or her feet on the deck of the board and with the sail angled upwardly to catch the wind.
• the wind lifts the user onto the board as sailing commences.
• the sail traps air better during water starts. This improves the lift provided by the wind and permits water starts in lower wind conditions.
• the speed of water starts is increased.
• the straight line passage of the down haul line through the line receiver 102 eliminates crossing of the down haul line.
• Crossing of a down haul line can add as much as 70 to 90 pounds of friction as the down haul line is tensioned.
• sailboarding in surf it is desir- able to have a larger gap (i.e. six inches) between the lower edge of the sail and the deck of the board.
• the down haul tie down mechanism 28 is adjustable along the mast extension 34, it can be raised for use in surf conditions and lowered when desired to use the board in flatter water. This makes tne apparatus extremely versatile. Also, with the - 11 -
• the boom 18 may comprise a boom of the type having a wishbone end section with first and second side wing portions
• the length of the boom may be adjusted by coupling an appropriate side boom extension 130, 132 to the respective ends 134, 136 of the boom side wings 126, 128.
• a boom tail portion is coupled to extensions 130, 132 to complete the boom.
• 15 extensions are typically interchangeable with other boom extensions to adjust the length of the boom to fit sails of varying widths.
• each of the Figs. 7 through 9 shows a connection mechanism utilized to connect the end 134 of boom side wing 126 to the boom
• boom extension 130 is hollow and includes an end wall section 140 having a
• the boom end 134 includes a hollow end wall section 146 sized for insertion within the boom extension end wall 140. .Wall 146 has first and second opposed openings 148, 150 which are aligned with the
• a latching mechanism is carried by the boom end 134 and includes first and second catches 152, 154 sized for insertion through the respective openings 144, 148 and 142, 150 when these pairs of openings are aligned.
• a leaf spring 156 is positioned within the interior of end wall 146. Spring 156 has first and second leg spring portions 158, 160 which carry the respective catches 152, 154. The spring 156 biases the catches 152, 154 to latching positions. When in the latching positions, the catches project outwardly beyond the outer surface of wall 146 and through the openings 142, 144 to thereby couple the boom extension 130 to the boom end 134.
• Actuators 162, 164 are provided to facilitate the quick release of members 130 and 134.
• respective actuator openings 166, 168 are provided through the wall 146 at a location where these openings are exposed when the members 130, 134 are coupled together.
• the openings 166, 168 are respectively aligned axially with the openings 148, 150. That is, openings 148 and 166 are along a line parallel with the longitudinal axis of the boom side wing 126 and openings 150, 168 are along another similar line.
• a leaf spring deflector 170 is positioned within the boom end 134.
• Spring deflector 170 includes a first leg 172 which engages the spring leg 158 and a second leg 174 which engages the spring leg 160.
• the actuator mechanism 162 includes a first actuator 176 which is connected to the deflector leg 166 and which projects outwardly a distance "d" beyond the outer surface of wall 146.
• a similar actuator 178 is supported by the deflector leg 174.
• the distance "x" between the actuators and catches is inversely related to the distance.
• the greater the distance "x" the smaller the distance d, and vice versa.
• Figs. 8 and 9 form of connection mechanisms are similar to the Fig. 7 form, except they employ only one catch (i.e. 154a or 154b) and use a leaf spring deflector of a somewhat different configuration.
• a catch i.e. 154a or 154b
• leaf spring deflector of a somewhat different configuration.
• Each of the above mechanisms like the release mechanism for cup 58, provide an effective and convenient coupling and release device for interconnecting sailboard components.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Tents Or Canopies (AREA)
• Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=25248690

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1987
  • 1987-02-06 JP JP62501424A patent/JPS63502499A/ja active Pending
  • 1987-02-06 AU AU70376/87A patent/AU7037687A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1987-02-06 WO PCT/US1987/000273 patent/WO1987004682A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1987-02-06 EP EP19870901850 patent/EP0257090A4/fr not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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