WO2014204325A2 - A foot bearer for a watercraft - Google Patents

A foot bearer for a watercraft Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014204325A2
WO2014204325A2 PCT/NZ2014/000121 NZ2014000121W WO2014204325A2 WO 2014204325 A2 WO2014204325 A2 WO 2014204325A2 NZ 2014000121 W NZ2014000121 W NZ 2014000121W WO 2014204325 A2 WO2014204325 A2 WO 2014204325A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
foot
receiver
push surface
stroke
foot receiver
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/NZ2014/000121
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2014204325A3 (en
Inventor
Breunis LODDER
Original Assignee
Row 24 7 Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Row 24 7 Limited filed Critical Row 24 7 Limited
Publication of WO2014204325A2 publication Critical patent/WO2014204325A2/en
Publication of WO2014204325A3 publication Critical patent/WO2014204325A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H16/00—Marine propulsion by muscle power
    • B63H16/02—Movable thwarts; Footrests

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted for propulsion by rowing.
  • a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted to be propelled by rowing the bearer having:
  • the foot receiver adapted to receive a rower's foot so he or she can apply pushing force via the foot as part of a normal rowing stroke to transfer propelling force to the push surface, the foot receiver arranged so that during the stroke it is able to pivot with respect to the push surface with a heel part of the foot receiver remaining in constant, or near constant, contact with the push surface.
  • the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface.
  • the heel part of the foot receiver is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface.
  • the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke.
  • the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet (eg allowing a rower's heel to be placed in a good bio-mechanical position with respect to the foot receiver).
  • the foot receiver has a restrictor (eg a thread) which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface.
  • a restrictor eg a thread
  • the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability.
  • the heel part is able to slide or nest with respect to the toe part to facilitate the length adjustability.
  • the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver.
  • foot receivers each formed and functional in a substantially similar manner with a different one of the rower's feet.
  • the push surface provides an incline for the rower to push on via the foot receiver.
  • the foot receiver comprises a shoe.
  • the foot bearer is installed in a rowboat so as to be functional in the manner set out above.
  • a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted to be propelled by rowing the bearer having:
  • At least one of the toe and heel parts adapted to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability
  • the foot receiver adapted to receive a rower's foot so that he or she can apply pushing force via the foot as part of a normal rowing stroke to transfer propelling force to the push surface.
  • the foot receiver is arranged so that throughout the stroke it is able to pivot with respect to the push surface.
  • Figure 1 is an isometric overhead view of an adjustable foot bearer for a rower's racing skiff
  • Figure 2 is an alternative isometric overhead view of the bearer
  • Figure 3 is an isometric side view of the bearer when at the beginning of a rowing stroke
  • Figure 4 is an isometric side view of the bearer when at the end of the stroke
  • Figure 5 is an isometric side view of an alternative bearer for a rower's racing skiff according to a further embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 6 is an alternative isometric side view of the alternative bearer
  • Figure 7 is an isometric side view of a prior art foot bearer
  • Figure 8 is an alternative isometric side view of the prior art bearer.
  • a foot bearer 1 for a rower's racing skiff has a pair of foot receivers 2 and a pair of bridged elongate push plates 3.
  • Each foot receiver 2 has a heel retainer 4 with an adjustable strap 4a for receiving the heel of a rower's foot, and a toe retainer 5 for receiving the rower's toes.
  • a rower can put his or her feet into the receivers 2 and push against them to transfer propulsive force to the skiff. This is possible because the bearer 1 is secured to the skiff in front of the rower's seat.
  • each foot receiver 2 is pivotally anchored 7 to its corresponding push plate 3 at or adjacent its heel retainer 4. This means that a rower's heel is pretty well always against the push plate 3 so as to avoid loss of power as would occur if, for example, the rower's heel were to lift away from the push plate 3 during a rowing stroke.
  • the arc of dots 8 in figure 3 highlights a permanent longitudinal curvature of each foot receiver 2.
  • the curvature is such that when the bearer is in use the toes, ball and heel of a rower's feet are encouraged into contact with the push plate 3 throughout an entire stroke of an oar. The effect is that the rower's whole foot is kept in contact with the plate push 3 for longer than otherwise, for optimal force transfer.
  • the arrangement is such that the heel may lift off a push plate for an undesirable amount of time during each stroke, and this can result in less efficient power transfer.
  • the preferred embodiment goes at least some way to addressing this.
  • each foot receiver 2 there is a spring 9 between a medial part of each foot receiver 2 which presses or encourages the foot receiver against the rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke.
  • the foot receiver 2 has an anti-slip top surface to help a rower's foot to grip it.
  • the heel retainer 4 and toe retainer 5 of each foot receiver 2 may be separate, and formed so that they are able to adjustably overlap to a greater or lesser extent so as to make the foot receiver length adjustable. This enables the foot receivers 2, and indeed the foot bearer 1 as a whole, to be conveniently used with different rowers from one time to the next, even if they have significantly different sized feet.
  • the heel retainer 4 may be nested into the toe retainer to a greater or lesser extent, and locked, to produce the length adjustability.
  • the adjustable straps allow for use by rowers with different sized feet.
  • Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a bearer 10 similar to that described above, except that in each case a shoe 11 with a rigid sole becomes the foot receiver 2.
  • the shoe 11 is anchored to the push plate by a pivot connection 12 at or adjacent the heel part of the shoe.
  • Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a prior art type of bearer at different positions of a rowing stroke. They demonstrate how a rower's heel will lift clear of a push plate, undesirably, with a consequent loss of optimal force transfer.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Abstract

A foot bearer 1 for a rower's racing skiff as shown in figure 1 has a pair of foot receivers 2 and a pair of bridged elongate push plates 3. Each foot receiver 2 has a heel retainer 4 with an adjustable strap 4a for receiving the heel of a rower's foot, and a toe retainer 5 for receiving the rower's toes. When in use a rower can put his or her feet into the receivers 2 and push against them to transfer propulsive force to the skiff.

Description

TITLE
A foot bearer for a watercraft. FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted for propulsion by rowing.
BACKGROUND
In the context of rowboats, particularly racing skiffs, it is known to provide foot bearers for rowers to push their feet against to propel the boat. The bearers tend to be permanently fitted to club owned racing skiffs, and are used by club-members of various sizes. For rowers with feet too large or too small for the bearers, it may be difficult to row comfortably or in a way that gives optimal performance. Also, bearers are typically arranged so that heel contact between the rower and the bearer may be lost during significant parts of a rowing stroke. This can cause less than optimal transfer of force from rower to bearer. It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the invention to go at least some way towards addressing one or other of these issues. While this is an object of a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the object of the invention per se is simply to provide the public with a useful choice.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted to be propelled by rowing, the bearer having:
• a foot receiver; and
· a push surface;
the foot receiver adapted to receive a rower's foot so he or she can apply pushing force via the foot as part of a normal rowing stroke to transfer propelling force to the push surface, the foot receiver arranged so that during the stroke it is able to pivot with respect to the push surface with a heel part of the foot receiver remaining in constant, or near constant, contact with the push surface.
Optionally the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface. Optionally the heel part of the foot receiver is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface.
Optionally the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke.
Optionally the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet (eg allowing a rower's heel to be placed in a good bio-mechanical position with respect to the foot receiver). Optionally there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke.
Optionally the foot receiver has a restrictor (eg a thread) which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface.
Optionally the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability. Optionally the heel part is able to slide or nest with respect to the toe part to facilitate the length adjustability.
Optionally the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver.
Optionally there are two foot receivers, each formed and functional in a substantially similar manner with a different one of the rower's feet.
Optionally the push surface provides an incline for the rower to push on via the foot receiver.
Optionally the foot receiver comprises a shoe.
Preferably the foot bearer is installed in a rowboat so as to be functional in the manner set out above. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a foot bearer for a watercraft adapted to be propelled by rowing, the bearer having:
• a push surface; and
• a foot receiver having
o a toe part; and
o a heel part;
at least one of the toe and heel parts adapted to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability;
the foot receiver adapted to receive a rower's foot so that he or she can apply pushing force via the foot as part of a normal rowing stroke to transfer propelling force to the push surface.
Optionally for the further embodiment the foot receiver is arranged so that throughout the stroke it is able to pivot with respect to the push surface.
IMAGES
Some preferred forms of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying images, of which:
Figure 1 is an isometric overhead view of an adjustable foot bearer for a rower's racing skiff;
Figure 2 is an alternative isometric overhead view of the bearer;
Figure 3 is an isometric side view of the bearer when at the beginning of a rowing stroke;
Figure 4 is an isometric side view of the bearer when at the end of the stroke; Figure 5 is an isometric side view of an alternative bearer for a rower's racing skiff according to a further embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is an alternative isometric side view of the alternative bearer;
Figure 7 is an isometric side view of a prior art foot bearer; and
Figure 8 is an alternative isometric side view of the prior art bearer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to figures 1 , 2, 3 and 4, a foot bearer 1 for a rower's racing skiff has a pair of foot receivers 2 and a pair of bridged elongate push plates 3. Each foot receiver 2 has a heel retainer 4 with an adjustable strap 4a for receiving the heel of a rower's foot, and a toe retainer 5 for receiving the rower's toes. When in use a rower can put his or her feet into the receivers 2 and push against them to transfer propulsive force to the skiff. This is possible because the bearer 1 is secured to the skiff in front of the rower's seat.
As shown in figures 3 and 4, the bearer incorporates a block 6 to enable inclined mounting of the push plates 3. As indicated, each foot receiver 2 is pivotally anchored 7 to its corresponding push plate 3 at or adjacent its heel retainer 4. This means that a rower's heel is pretty well always against the push plate 3 so as to avoid loss of power as would occur if, for example, the rower's heel were to lift away from the push plate 3 during a rowing stroke.
The arc of dots 8 in figure 3 highlights a permanent longitudinal curvature of each foot receiver 2. The curvature is such that when the bearer is in use the toes, ball and heel of a rower's feet are encouraged into contact with the push plate 3 throughout an entire stroke of an oar. The effect is that the rower's whole foot is kept in contact with the plate push 3 for longer than otherwise, for optimal force transfer. In previously known bearers, the arrangement is such that the heel may lift off a push plate for an undesirable amount of time during each stroke, and this can result in less efficient power transfer. The preferred embodiment goes at least some way to addressing this. As shown in figure 4, there is a spring 9 between a medial part of each foot receiver 2 which presses or encourages the foot receiver against the rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke. There are also thread like restrictors 10 which limit the degree to which the forward part of the foot receiver 2 can move away from the push plate 3. Preferably the foot receiver 2 has an anti-slip top surface to help a rower's foot to grip it.
In some embodiments of the invention the heel retainer 4 and toe retainer 5 of each foot receiver 2 may be separate, and formed so that they are able to adjustably overlap to a greater or lesser extent so as to make the foot receiver length adjustable. This enables the foot receivers 2, and indeed the foot bearer 1 as a whole, to be conveniently used with different rowers from one time to the next, even if they have significantly different sized feet. In some embodiments the heel retainer 4 may be nested into the toe retainer to a greater or lesser extent, and locked, to produce the length adjustability. However even without this feature the adjustable straps allow for use by rowers with different sized feet. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a bearer 10 similar to that described above, except that in each case a shoe 11 with a rigid sole becomes the foot receiver 2. The shoe 11 is anchored to the push plate by a pivot connection 12 at or adjacent the heel part of the shoe. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a prior art type of bearer at different positions of a rowing stroke. They demonstrate how a rower's heel will lift clear of a push plate, undesirably, with a consequent loss of optimal force transfer.
While some embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example, it should appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

A foot bearer for a watercraft adapted to be propelled by rowing, the bearer having:
• A foot receiver; and
• a push surface;
the foot receiver adapted to receive a rower's foot so he or she can apply pushing force via the foot as part of a normal rowing stroke to transfer propelling force to the push surface, the receiver arranged so that during the stroke it is able to pivot with respect to the push surface with a heel part of the receiver remaining in constant, or near constant, contact with the push surface.
A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface.
A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface and wherein the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface.
A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, and the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke.
A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, and the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet. 6. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, and there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke.
7. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, and the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface.
8. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface, and the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver.
9. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface, the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver, and the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability.
10. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface, the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver, the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability, and the heel part is able to slide or nest with respect to the toe part to facilitate the length adjustability.
11. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , having two foot receivers, each formed and
functional in a substantially similar manner with a different one of the rower's feet.
12. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface, the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver, the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability, the heel part is able to slide or nest with respect to the toe part to facilitate the length adjustability, and the push surface provides an incline for the rower to push on via the foot receiver.
13. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , wherein the foot receiver is secured so that during the stroke its heel part remains in constant contact with the push surface, the heel part is pivotally secured with respect to the push surface, the foot receiver is curved longitudinally to encourage the heel part to contact the push surface throughout the stroke, the foot receiver is adjustable for different sized feet, there is a spring between the foot receiver and the push surface which encourages the foot receiver to contact a rower's foot throughout a rowing stroke, the foot receiver has a restrictor which limits an amount to which a forward part of the foot receiver can lift off the push surface, the foot receiver has an anti-slip top surface to facilitate grip between a rower's foot and the foot receiver, the foot receiver has a toe part, and at least one of the toe and heel parts is able to be moved and set with respect to the other to give the receiver length adjustability, the heel part is able to slide or nest with respect to the toe part to facilitate the length adjustability, the push surface provides an incline for the rower to push on via the foot receiver, and the foot receiver comprises a shoe.
14. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , substantially as herein described.
15. A foot bearer according to claim 1 , installed in a rowboat so as to be functional in the manner mentioned in claim 1.
PCT/NZ2014/000121 2013-06-19 2014-06-18 A foot bearer for a watercraft WO2014204325A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NZ61215813 2013-06-19
NZ612158 2013-06-19
NZ625432 2014-05-23
NZ62543214 2014-05-23

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2014204325A2 true WO2014204325A2 (en) 2014-12-24
WO2014204325A3 WO2014204325A3 (en) 2016-05-06

Family

ID=52105451

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/NZ2014/000121 WO2014204325A2 (en) 2013-06-19 2014-06-18 A foot bearer for a watercraft

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2014204325A2 (en)

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US421080A (en) * 1890-02-11 Rowing apparatus
US20060183385A1 (en) * 2005-02-11 2006-08-17 Peter Kaufer Pivoting footrest for rowing boats
US7421971B1 (en) * 2005-04-13 2008-09-09 Vespoli, Usa Rowing shell shoe system
GB0911318D0 (en) * 2009-06-30 2009-08-12 Ewans John F Rowing shoes

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WO2014204325A3 (en) 2016-05-06

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