Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Body supporting buoyant device – With seat
Patent
1999-03-08
2000-12-05
Swinehart, Ed
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Body supporting buoyant device
With seat
114345, B63C 908
Patent
active
061558990
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an improved float or chair for aquatic use. The float or chair is specially useful for recreational use on white-water rivers, though it will be appreciated that the chair could readily be used on any other body of water.
At present, personal flotation devices, fishing-floats, swimming-aids and white-water canoes/catamarans are well known. However, all these known flotation means are configured for use in a specific manner and do not meet requirements addressed by the present invention.
BACKGROUND ART
Known inflatable craft suitable for white-water use can be generally categorised as canoes/kayaks, catamarans, or rafts, although there is a degree of overlap with some hybrid craft.
Typical inflatable canoes or kayaks are approximately symmetrical about their lateral and longitudinal axes, with enclosed sterns, and utilise oars or paddles for propulsion. Although the use of hands is a possible alternative, it is impractical to use feet/leg power for manoeuvring and propulsion. Entry to, or exit from the canoe to the water is hindered by the inflatable tube forming the whole perimeter.
An intrinsic feature of canoe design is that they are very long in relation to their width, and thus somewhat constrained in their ability to manoeuvre in confined areas.
Catamarans with inflatable hulls, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,196, whilst enabling unobstructed access into and out of the seating position, require a rigid tubular frame to form the seat and secure the hulls. Although the seat can be folded flat to facilitate overland transport, via attached shoulder straps, the float is primarily intended for flat-water use, in particular for fishing/hunting: the seating position is high, relative to the hulls, and would be precarious for white-water use, given the relatively short hulls.
Inflatable catamarans capable of white-water use are required to be substantially bigger to achieve the required stability as the operator is sifting at a significant height above the water surface.
In order to obtain sufficient stability to minimise the risk of capsize together with the associated structural requirements, such craft tend to be substantial, expensive, cumbersome and unwieldy. In contrast to the kayaks/canoes, foot propulsion on catamarans is possible, but the width of the inflatable hulls and the height of the occupant above the water inhibit practical use of the hands and thus oars are generally utilised.
White-water rafts formed from a continuous inflatable tube in an elongated annular shape, with a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible floor, are well-known. They generally require several users, equally distributed on each side of the raft using paddles to propel and steer effectively. Again, foot propulsion is impractical.
Several types of floats suitable for non-white-water use are known, such as ring floats, tubes, horseshoe floats, chairs and pool floats/toys.
Annular inflatable tubes used by fisherman to access areas of a lake or stream unreachable from the shore are typically formed from a car tyre inner tube (or similar) covered by a fabric sleeve. A fabric seat is suspended from the ring allowing the whole of the lower torso to be submerged in the water and supporting the user in an upright position. Waders and swim fins are used by the fisherman in conjunction with this type of float. A drawback of such designs is the difficulty in getting in and out of the tube (especially when suitably attired for fishing) both ashore and following a puncture in the air bladder whilst in water.
The seating position is hydrodynamically inefficient and exposes the user's lower torso to underwater hazards, thus making white-water use in shallow rivers impractical.
Variations on annular inflatable designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,667, and NZ patent No. 61408. These all teach a seating position which may be maintained above the water, allowing just the lower legs to be submerged. Neither of these floatation devices has an efficient hydrodynamic shape or is suitab
REFERENCES:
patent: 4894033 (1990-01-01), Chang
patent: 5217400 (1993-06-01), Creek et al.
patent: 5571036 (1996-11-01), Hannigan
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