Wake-modifying device for a boat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10377453-B2
Application number	US-201816152588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2018
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A recreational sport boat includes a hull having starboard and port sides and a transom, a generally horizontal platform, and a pair of wake-modifying devices positioned aft of the transom. The generally horizontal platform extends aft of the transom and is configured to support a human weighing at least 100 lbs. on an upper surface thereof. The pair of wake-modifying devices are attached to the platform. One of the wake-modifying devices is positioned on a port side of the platform's centerline, and another of the wake-modifying devices is positioned on a starboard side of the platform's centerline. Each wake-modifying device is moveable between a non-deployed position and a deployed position in which the wake-modifying device is angled downwardly at an angle relative to the top surface of the generally horizontal platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recreational sport boat comprising:
a hull including starboard and port sides and a transom;
a generally horizontal platform extending aft from the boat and spanning from a port side to a starboard side of a centerline of the boat, the platform having a centerline, an underside, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a port edge, and a starboard edge; and
a pair of wake-modifying devices on the underside of the platform, one of the wake-modifying devices being positioned on a port side of the centerline of the platform and another of the wake-modifying devices being positioned on a starboard side of the centerline of the platform, each wake-modifying device having a surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform, the wake-modifying device on the port side of the centerline of the platform having a surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the port edge of the platform, and the wake-modifying device on the starboard side of the centerline of the platform having a surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the starboard edge of the platform.

2. The recreational sport boat of claim 1 , wherein, on the wake-modifying device on the port side of the centerline of the platform, the downwardly-sloping surface in the direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform smoothly transitions to the downwardly-sloping surface in the direction from the centerline of the platform toward the port edge of the platform, and
wherein, on the wake-modifying device on the starboard side of the centerline of the platform, the downwardly-sloping surface in the direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform smoothly transitions to the downwardly-sloping surface in the direction from the centerline of the platform toward the starboard edge of the platform.

3. The recreational sport boat of claim 1 , wherein each wake-modifying device has a leading face, the leading face being the surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform.

4. The recreational sport boat of claim 1 , wherein the wake-modifying device on the port side of the centerline of the platform has a trailing face, the trailing face being the surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the port edge of the platform, and
wherein the wake-modifying device on the starboard side of the centerline of the platform has a trailing face, the trailing face being the surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the starboard edge of the platform.

5. The recreational sport boat of claim 4 , wherein each wake-modifying device has a leading face, the leading face being the surface that is downwardly sloped in a direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform, and
wherein the leading face and the trailing face of each wake-modifying device intersect.

6. The recreational sport boat of claim 5 , wherein, on each wake-modifying device, the intersection between the leading face and the trailing face is rounded.

7. The recreational sport boat of claim 5 , wherein an angle is formed between the leading face and the trailing face, the angle being from 100 degrees to 170 degrees.

8. The recreational sport boat of claim 7 , wherein the angle between the leading face and the trailing face is from 140 degrees to 160 degrees.

9. The recreational sport boat of claim 1 , wherein each wake-modifying device is pivotable between a first position and a second position in which the wake-modifying device is angled downwardly at an angle greater than it is in its first position.

10. The recreational sport boat of claim 1 , wherein each of the wake-modifying devices is stationary relative to the generally horizontal platform.

11. A recreational sport boat comprising:
a hull including starboard and port sides and a transom; and
a platform assembly extending aft from the boat, the platform assembly including:
(a) a generally horizontal platform spanning from a port side to a starboard side of a centerline of the boat, the platform having a centerline, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a port edge, and a starboard edge; and
(b) a port-side wake-modifying surface and a starboard-side wake-modifying surface provided on an underside of the platform, each of the port-side wake-modifying surface and the starboard-side wake-modifying surface having a downward slope in a direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform,

wherein a cross section of the platform assembly taken perpendicular to the centerline of the platform and passing through each of the port-side and starboard-side wake-modifying surfaces has a concave shape.

12. The recreational sport boat of claim 11 , wherein the port-side wake-modifying surface is a leading face of a port-side wake-modifying device and the starboard-side wake-modifying surface is a leading face of a starboard-side wake-modifying device.

13. The recreational sport boat of claim 12 , wherein each of the port-side wake-modifying device and the starboard-side wake-modifying device includes a trailing face.

14. The recreational sport boat of claim 13 , wherein the trailing face of the port-side wake-modifying device is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the port edge of the platform and the trailing face of the starboard-side wake-modifying device is downwardly sloped in a direction from the centerline of the platform toward the starboard edge of the platform.

15. The recreational sport boat of claim 11 , wherein each of the port-side wake-modifying surface and the starboard-side wake-modifying surface is pivotable between first position and second position in which the wake-modifying surface is angled downwardly at an angle greater than it is in its first position.

16. The recreational sport boat of claim 11 , wherein each of the port-side wake-modifying surface and the starboard-side wake-modifying surface is stationary relative to the generally horizontal platform.

17. A recreational sport boat comprising:
a hull including starboard and port sides and a transom;
a platform assembly extending aft from the boat, the platform assembly including:
(a) a generally horizontal platform spanning from a port side to a starboard side of a centerline of the boat, the platform having a centerline, an underside, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a port edge, and a starboard edge;
(b) a port-side wake-shaping surface provided on a port side of the centerline of the platform, at least a portion of an underside of the port-side wake-shaping surface having a convex shape; and
(c) a starboard-side wake-shaping surface provided on a starboard side of the centerline of the platform, at least a portion of an underside of the starboard-side wake-shaping surface having a convex shape.

18. The recreational sport boat of claim 17 , wherein at least a portion of each of the port-side and starboard-side wake-shaping surfaces has a downward slope in a direction from the leading edge of the platform toward the trailing edge of the platform.

19. The recreational sport boat of claim 17 , wherein at least a portion of the port-side wake-shaping surface has a downward slope i

Assignees

• Mastercraft Boat Co Llc

Inventors

• Sheedy Darren S
• Huyge Matthew J
• Myers Michael D
• Schwenk Zane E
• Ekern David F

Classifications

• B63B34/70

  Arrangements on vessels specially adapted for generating waves for surfing, wakeboarding or the like, e.g. ballast tanks · CPC title

• B63B2035/855

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B63B35/85 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B63B32/70 Primary

  Accessories not specially adapted for a particular type of board, e.g. paddings or buoyancy elements · CPC title

• B63B34/75 Primary

  Arrangements of wake plates · CPC title