EP0273989A1 - Floating body or board for aquatic sports - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a hull (20) for water sports. The rear end of a block-like hull of the type which can be used for sailing boards or instead of a slalom ski in water skiing is forked in a horizontal plane, thereby defining a rigid upper deck section (32) and a flexible, deflectable panel (34), which extends below and is spaced from the upper rear deck section (32). The deflectable panel (34) can be deflected upward independently of the upper rigid rear deck section (32). Although the deflection of the deflectable panel (34) below the upper rear deck section (32) is functional without further control or modifications, the independent deflectability of the deflectable panel (34) itself with respect to the overlying rear upper deck section (32) is disregarded its properties are improved by the fact that certain control features (40) are used, which are designed, for example, as a blocking element (50, 52), by means of which the curvature of the deflectable panel (34) is determined and. one or more stops (42) which are preferably spring-loaded and which determine the top deflection of a certain section or certain sections of the deflectable panel. If the hull is used on a sailing board or instead of a slalom ski, this will significantly improve certain properties of the hull.

Description

The inven tion relates to a float or hull for water sports, in particular the water sports of windsurfing and water skiing with a particular focus on monoski or slalom ski.

Windsurfing only developed about 15 years ago and has become extremely popular over the years, especially in Europe. Windsurfing frigates, various competitions, classes or just as a sport are popular in the United States and have taken Europe by storm.

With the more advanced competitions and the increase in skill of users of sailboards in connection with the increasing prize money for winners, the sailboards have become increasingly more complicated, faster and more flexible in use and are available on the market in various shapes and sizes to suit different weight classes the user, as well as the most diverse conditions and the most diverse applications. Apart from that, for all sailing boards, as they are currently available on the market, one can ignore the unlikely exception that the sailing board only in the case of special weather types and for a special course Chen angle to the wind is used, compromises have been made between the various types in which the board can be used.

For example, in a typical triangular race, the configuration of the fuselage is optimal if it is somewhat concave from bow to stern, especially in the rear section. The downward sloping rear end shows the tendency to hold the bow down in the water against the force of the incoming wind, which tries to roll the hull backwards and push the stern into the water. This effect occurs hard on the wind. However, when driving with half wind or downwind, a concave hull contour will result in the butt or bow tip being undercut and pushed into the water, making it impossible to reach high speeds. For this reason, a convex contour of the underwater hull is ideal for half-wind courses or pre-wind courses, so that the bow or the bow tip never undercuts. It is obvious that a compromise must be reached with a rigid hull which leads to a hull which is neither optimal on the wind nor on pre-wind courses, but which can nevertheless be used sufficiently under both conditions.

The invention has for its object to provide a hull of the type specified above, which takes into account the existing conditions in an optimal manner.

This object is achieved by a fuselage which has a rear floor section which consists of a deflectable panel which enables the effective contour of the bottom of the fuselage to be changed. This is advantageous with or without any of the features given below, by means of which the angle of the deflectable panel is determined. That is, the deflectable panel alone without any other components gives the fuselage advantageous properties that a star hull cannot be reached. For example, the comparatively high water pressure on the deflectable panel when driving around a turning mark causes it to be bent upwards, so that a relatively convex shape of the bottom of the rig is achieved, as a result of which a much narrower turn is made than with a fuselage straight bottom.

If the deflectable panel is provided with an adjustable device to fix it in a specific degree of deflection, the deflectable panel can be fixed at the optimal angle for the respective maneuver to be carried out. For example, the deflectable panel can be pushed all the way down, so that the bottom of the fuselage is forcibly given a concave contour, for example hard on the wind, i. H. when the first turning mark in a normal regatta is either driven hard on the wind or on the cross. After the first turning mark has been reached and the windsurfer is on a half wind course, the deflectable panel can be adjusted in a middle position so that the bottom of the fuselage is neither very concave nor very convex.

When rounding the second buoy when the wind is approaching the finish line, the deflectable panel can be released or allowed to move to its uppermost position, achieving the maximum convexity of the bottom of the hull to prevent undercutting.

This same basic principle was applied to a slalom ski for water skiing, which differs from every known slalom ski on the market. The slalom ski of the present invention using a rear section of the type described above is made of a foam construction and is wide and thick enough to provide much more lift than a conventional slalom ski which usually barely has enough buoyancy to swim, let alone carry a user. The combination of the wider and thicker skis made of the lightweight building material with the deflectable panel leads to a completely different driving style. A user can actually kneel on the ski and thereby at least partially swim, instead of starting from deep water or starting from the shore, as is the case with conventional slalom skis.

When driving, the deflecting panel acts as a cushion or damper when landing on the water from a jump, and also acts as a spring that allows the user to jump off the stern wave of the towing boat.

In both embodiments according to the invention, variable stops can be used which limit the upper limits of the deflection of the deflectable panel and which can be arranged either in the middle or on opposite sides of the center line of the fuselage. The adjustability of the stops or the one stop in the case of slalom boards allow one and the same hull to be used by users of different weights. The springs surrounding the stop rods can also be interchangeable with springs of greater or lesser strength, in order to take into account the different weights of the users.

• Fig. 1 eine Seitenansicht des Rumpfes bei Verwendung als Segelbrett;
• Fig. 2 eine Draufsicht des Rumpfes gemäß Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 eine teilweise Draufsicht des Hinterendes des Rump­fes;
• Fig. 4 eine Teilansicht des Hinterendes eines Rumpfes der­jenigen Art, wie er typischerweise als Slalomski verwendbar wäre;
• Fig. 5 eine teilweise geschnittene Seitenansicht des Hin­terendes des Rumpfes gemäß Fig. 1 und 2 längs der Linie 5 - 5 in Fig. 2;
• Fig. 6 eine Schnittansicht durch die Anschlagseinrichtung längs der Linie 6 - 6 von Fig. 2;
• Fig. 7 eine teilweise geschnittene Einzelansicht, welche ein motorgetriebenes System zum Ändern der Auslen­kung veranschaulicht;
• Fig. 8 eine Hinteransicht längs der Linie 8 - 8 gemäß Fig. 2, welche in gestrichelten Linien die Art und Weise zeigt, in der sich das auslenkbare Paneel um seine Längsachse verbindet;
• Fig. 9 eine Schnittansicht längs der Linie 9 - 9 in Fig. 3, welche die Auslenkung des auslenkbaren Pa­neels unter Verwendung von zwei federunterstützten Anschlägen veranschaulicht;
• Fig.10 eine Schnittansicht längs der Linie 10 - 10, welche in gestrichelten Linien die Auslenkung des auslenk­baren Paneels unter Verwendung eines einzigen mit­tigen Anschlags zeigt;
• Fig.11 eine Schnittansicht einer Einzelheit einer typi­schen federunterstützten Anschlagseinrichtung, wel­che einen Kragen in seinen konstruktiven Einzelhei­ten und in seiner Einbaulage im oberen hinteren Deckbereich des Rumpfes zeigt;
• Fig. 12 eine Draufsicht längs der Linie 12 - 12 von Fig. 11, welche die Oberseite des Anschlags mit einge­betteten Abschnitten des Anschlags in gestrichel­ten Linien veranschaulicht zeigt;
• Fig. 13 eine Draufsicht eines typischen Slalomskis; und
• Fig. 14 eine typische Schnittansicht längs der Linie 14 - 14 von Fig. 13.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It shows:

• Figure 1 is a side view of the hull when used as a sailing board.
• FIG. 2 shows a top view of the fuselage according to FIG. 1;
• Figure 3 is a partial top view of the rear end of the fuselage;
• Fig. 4 is a partial view of the rear end of a hull of the type that would typically be used as a slalom ski;
• FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned side view of the rear end of the fuselage according to FIGS. 1 and 2 along the line 5 - 5 in FIG. 2;
• 6 shows a sectional view through the stop device along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;
• Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view showing a motor-driven system for changing the deflection;
• Figure 8 is a rear view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 2, showing in dashed lines the manner in which the deflectable panel connects about its longitudinal axis;
• Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in Fig. 3, illustrating the deflection of the deflectable panel using two spring-supported stops;
• Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10, showing in dashed lines the deflection of the deflectable panel using a single central stop;
• 11 shows a sectional view of a detail of a typical spring-supported stop device, which shows a collar in its structural details and in its installation position in the upper rear deck area of the fuselage;
• Fig. 12 is a plan view taken along line 12-12 of Fig. 11, showing the top of the stopper with embedded portions of the stopper in dashed lines;
• 13 is a top view of a typical slalom ski; and
• 14 is a typical sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13.

1 shows a typical sailboard hull 20 with a central sword 22 and a rear fin 24. The hull has a deck surface 26, a bottom 28 and side edges 30, which are generally referred to as "rails". The deck tapers toward the rear to an upper rear deck section 32 which is separated from the rear end of the bottom of the hull which forms a deflectable panel 34. A wedge-shaped open space 36 is formed between the generally rigid upper rear deck section 32 and an underlying deflectable panel. A resilient flexible foam insert 38 can be used to continue the contour of the surface of the fuselage, which is a cosmetic measure, so to speak.

As already described above, the use of the deflectable panel without certain details and components offers certain defined advantages compared to a completely rigid fuselage. Twisting the deflectable panel in curves allows you to make tighter turns and the flexibility gives the user an additional opportunity to develop their creativity when it comes to jumps and landings. The resilient properties of the fuselage when landing enable a windsurfer, who would otherwise bounce from a high jump, to land softly and continue at essentially the same speed. The use of the hull in the embodiment as a slalom ski leads to similar benefits.

However, much greater advantages are achieved by using a device to fix the deflectable panel in a chosen degree of deflection. An embodiment of a device for setting the desired degree of deflection of the panel 34 at 40 is illustrated in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, a major length portion of a rod 42 is used which is hinged to the upper rear deck portion at 44 and which is spring biased upwardly by a spring 46. At the rear end of this length section, a swivel joint 48 is provided, which is articulated both on the rear end of the main length section 42 and on the deflectable panel. The pivot lever 48 compensates for the different overall lengths of the locking device of the panel, which must be provided in order to compensate for the different distances between the two articulation points on the rear upper deck section and on the deflectable panel when different degrees of deflection are set. In order to keep the deflectable panel in a certain position of different degrees of deflection that are possible, a ratchet rod 50 is provided in connection with a claw 52 in the embodiment with a claw, the latter being able to consist only of a flange which, as in FIG Fig. 5 illustrates in which the upper rear deck section is mounted.

The ratchet rod in the embodiment according to FIG. 5 has a foot cushion 54 at the upper end and is prestressed into the position in engagement with the claw by means of a spring 56. As a result, the user standing on the fuselage can slide the foot pad back and down to thereby adjust the maximum deflection of the deflectable panel, or alternatively, push the foot pad out of engagement with the claw and part of the pressure on the deflectable panel entla Most, so that this pivots up to one of the upper positions, as illustrated in Fig. 5 in dashed lines. As a result, the effective configuration of the bottom of the trunk, or at least the rear portion of the trunk, is easily adjustable between convexity and concavity.

It is pointed out that once the deflectable panel has been fixed by means of the locking device 40, it remains in this position regardless of the position of the windsurfer on the sail board. In other words, it has complete freedom of movement as required in a race or other competition, with the only exception when there is actually a switch from one configuration to another of the deflectable panel.

In order to give a user even greater freedom in changing and moving the deflectable panel, an embodiment can be used, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in which a small, possibly battery-operated motor 58 is provided which drives a worm shaft 60 which drives itself rotates about the vertical axis in an internally threaded collar 62. This moves the threaded shaft 64 up and down to move the main length portion 40 of the panel lock. The advantage of using an electric motor of this type is that it can be controlled from any point on the sailing board, for example by one or more switches 66 which can be mounted on the boom 69 of the sailing board. The user must have his hands on the boom to control the sail board anyway, so it is very easy to adjust the deflectable panel or make readjustments during a race without having to change the body position in the least .

In addition to the locking devices for the deflection, stop devices are shown which actually do not exactly control the position of the deflectable panel, but rather only define its position at the maximum upper deflection. In addition, a coil spring around the stop for maximum deflection serves to generate increasing resistance as the deflectable panel or a portion thereof approaches positive striking at the bottom of the stop rod. A typical stop is shown in detail in FIG. 11. It consists of a collar 70 which is embedded in the foam and the glass mat of the upper rear deck section. The collar has an outwardly immovable section 72, which is provided with an internal thread, and an inner section 74, which is screwed into the threaded outer section and virtually remains here.

The inside of the inner section is also provided with a thread and receives the stop rod 76 bearing the same thread. The stop bar moves up and down in the collar when it is rotated in either direction. The rotation takes place by means of the axial bore 80 in the stop rod, which is not circular. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 at 80, it is hexagonal. A hexagonal shaft 82 has a one-piece knob 84 which snaps into the collar so that the shaft and the knob are freely rotatable but cannot move axially.

When the knob is rotated, it rotates the hexagonal shaft which rotates the rod 76 so that it is moved up or down. The rod 76 is the stop rod, so that the effective stop point, which is defined for a certain part of the deflectable panel, is thus adjustable. The degree to which the attack rod is adjusted can be determined if a switching system is used, as illustrated in FIG. 12, a plan view of the stop shown in FIG. 11 being shown here. The knob 84 has a pointer 86 which is brought to coincide with a wide variety of ribs, numbers or other indicators on the flat surrounding surface of the collar. This feature is important in that it allows the user to determine from above how far the stop bar is set. It is normally not possible for a user to look under the upper rear deck section to determine how far down the stop bar extends.

These stops can be provided at lateral intervals on opposite sides of the center line of the fuselage, in connection with the locking devices of the deflectable panel, as illustrated at 88 in FIG. 2. Likewise, these can be used without the center device as illustrated in FIG. 3. The stops themselves produce a certain amount of control, which is advantageous for the user.

4 shows a single middle stop, this figure of the drawings showing, for example, the rear of a slalom ski, but this embodiment is also advantageous in the case of sailing boards due to the possible twisting despite the preset deflection. This stern is narrower than the hull of a sailing board and is shown in its overall view in FIG. 13. As mentioned above, a single stop with the ability to change the upward deflection of the deflectable panel can be used to accommodate different surfing conditions and different user weights. By replacing the spring 88 which surrounds the stop bar and presses up against the lower part of the collar 70, in easier Way different weights of users are taken into account.

As indicated in Fig. 14, the design of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 differs from a typical slalom board in that there is a defined thickness of the board which provides buoyancy and, as indicated at 90, that Underside is double concave. The thickness, buoyancy and deflectable panel work together to create something that ultimately leads to a new device for a new sport. Driving the hull suitable for slalom differs significantly and leads to a completely different feeling compared to driving with the usual thin, wooden slalom ski. In addition to the intended buoyancy, this ski is softer on landing, has higher jumping ability when jumping and is generally easier to use than a normal slalom ski, although the possibilities given to the athlete are much greater.

In summary, it can be stated that in all embodiments with or without the locking devices for the deflectable panel or the central or lateral spring-loaded stops, the use of the deflectable panel on the sailing board or on the slalom ski on the sailing board leads to maneuverability at high speeds and advantages when jumping and when Slalom ski for an easier driving style and a high flexibility in maneuvers, which was previously not possible in both sports. In addition, when the deflection detection devices or stops are added, more precise control for the user can be achieved by adding the advantages mentioned above by achieving even greater maneuverability, speed, competitiveness and excitement than without these features . In both Embodiments, the invention is important and represents a measurable departure from conventional solutions in the development of hulls, even if one takes into account the highly technical nature of proposed solutions and embodiments of known hulls.

Claims (19)

1. Hull for water sports, in particular sailing board hull or water ski with a front section with a deck, a bottom and side edges (rails) and a rear hull section, characterized by the following components: a) a rigid upper rear deck section which forms a rear extension of the deck of the front section and is substantially rigid; b) a deflectable, resilient floor panel, which forms a continuation of the bottom of the front section and which extends below the rear deck section and can be deflected upwards independently of the rear deck section in such a way that increasing water pressure against the floor of the deflectable panel progressively increases the panel in presses a curved configuration to change the effective contour of the bottom surface of the fuselage. 2. Fuselage according to claim 1, characterized in that means are provided to essentially fix part of the deflectable panel against deflection and in a selectable degree of deflection. 3. Fuselage according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for locking are adjustable to fix at least part of the deflectable panel in a selectable from a variety of different degrees of deflection. 4. Hull according to claim 3, characterized in that the means for fixing has a connecting arm which is pivotally mounted at both ends between the upper rear deck section and the deflectable panel. 5. Fuselage according to claim 4, characterized in that the connecting arm has a main length section and a pivotable connecting member, and that the pivotable connecting member is articulated between the main length section and the deflectable panel. 6. Hull according to claim 5, characterized in that locking devices for fixing the arm in a selected angular position between the upper rear deck section and the deflectable panel are provided to selectively change the deflection. 7. Fuselage according to claim 6, characterized in that the latching device has a ratchet rod and a claw to selectively engage in ratchet rod in different positions, one of these elements being mounted on the rear upper deck section and the other of these elements being mounted on the deflectable panel. 8. Hull according to claim 7, characterized in that the claw on the upper rear deck section and the ratchet rod is articulated on the deflectable panel and extends upwards through the rear upper deck section and thereby by a person standing on the hull, is adjustable to change the degree of deflection of the deflectable panel. 9. Hull according to claim 8, characterized in that the ratchet rod is spring-biased in the direction of the claw and has a foot cushion above the upper rear deck section, so that a user can press the foot cushion on the fuselage with his foot to the ratchet rod disengaged from the claw and to bring the ratchet rod back into engagement with the claw in a selectable position. 10. Fuselage according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device for locking is electrically driven and actuated by an actuator which is easily accessible to a user on the fuselage. 11. Hull according to claim 10, characterized in that the hull is designed as a hull of a sailing board, which has a boom, and that the actuating member contains at least one switch, which is operatively connected to the locking device and which is mounted on the boom. 12. Hull according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking device has a vertical adjustable rod which protrudes downward from the rigid deck and is effective as a stop for at least part of the deflectable panel. 13. Hull according to claim 12, characterized in that the rod is in threaded engagement with a threaded collar which is mounted in the upper rear deck section, and in that the rod is rotatable by hand in the collar to thereby adjust the rod vertically to carry the collar. 14. Fuselage according to claim 13, characterized in that the rod is provided surrounding a helical spring which abuts the collar at its upper end and protrudes downwards to cushion the stop of the deflectable panel when deflected upwards in contact with the stop. 15. Hull according to claim 13, characterized in that the rod is a non-circular, substantially axial Boh tion and has a shaft of substantially the same cross-section as the bore and is fitted into it that the shaft has means to prevent axial movement and has a rotary movement causing device at its upper end such that the shaft is rotatable by hand is to thereby effect the axial displacement of the rod without the shaft moving axially. 16. Fuselage according to claim 15, characterized in that the device for causing the rotary movement has a knurled knob at the top of the shaft. 17. Fuselage according to claim 16, characterized in that the collar has non-rotatable surface areas around the knob, and that the non-rotatable surface areas and the rotatable knob together form a display device which indicates the different degrees of relative rotation between the knob and the collar. 18. Fuselage according to claim 13, characterized in that the rod is provided individually and is arranged essentially on the axial center line of the fuselage. 19. Fuselage according to claim 13, characterized in that the rod is provided twice and is arranged at a lateral distance substantially symmetrically to the longitudinal center line of the fuselage.

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