Personal watercraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12024265-B2
Application number	US-202117154948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2021
Priority date	Jan 21, 2021
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A personal watercraft includes a watercraft body including: a center elongated protrusion located at a center of the watercraft body in a left-right direction, extending in a front-rear direction, and having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape; a drainage channel outward of and adjacent to the center elongated protrusion in the left-right direction, lying along the center elongated protrusion in the front-rear direction, extending rearward and outward in the left-right direction, and having a downwardly convex cross-sectional shape; and an outside elongated protrusion outward of and adjacent to the drainage channel in the left-right direction, lying along the drainage channel in the front-rear direction, having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape, and facing the drainage channel from outside in the left-right direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A personal watercraft comprising:
a handle; and
a watercraft body supporting the handle and including a front upper portion anterior to the handle,
the watercraft body further including:
a center elongated protrusion constituting a part of the front upper portion, the center elongated protrusion being located at a center of the watercraft body in a left-right direction, extending in a front-rear direction, and having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape;
a drainage channel constituting a part of the front upper portion, the drainage channel being outward of and adjacent to the center elongated protrusion in the left-right direction, lying along the center elongated protrusion in the front-rear direction, extending rearward and outward in the left-right direction, and having a downwardly convex cross-sectional shape; and
an outside elongated protrusion outward of and adjacent to the drainage channel in the left-right direction, the outside elongated protrusion lying along the drainage channel in the front-rear direction, having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape, and facing the drainage channel from outside in the left-right direction, wherein

the drainage channel guides water entering the drainage channel to discharge the water outside the personal watercraft in the left-right direction.

2. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein
the drainage channel includes a front end, a rear end, and a peak point located between the front end and the rear end,
a front region of the drainage channel from the front end to the peak point extends obliquely upward and rearward, and
a rear region of the drainage channel from the peak point to the rear end extends obliquely downward and rearward.

3. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a seat posterior to the handle, wherein
the watercraft body further includes a foot rest surface outward of the seat in the left-right direction, and
a rear end of the drainage channel is anterior to the foot rest surface.

4. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein a front end of the drainage channel is wider in the left-right direction than a portion of the center elongated protrusion, the portion of the center elongated protrusion being at the same location as the front end of the drainage channel in the front-rear direction.

5. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein an outer end of an upper surface of the center elongated protrusion in the left-right direction is located above a ridge line of the outside elongated protrusion when the outer end and the ridge line are compared at the same location in the front-rear direction, the ridge line being a line drawn through peak points of the outside elongated protrusion, each of the peak points being the highest point of the outside elongated protrusion at a location in the front-rear direction.

6. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the watercraft body further includes a guide protruding from an upper edge of the drainage channel and including a guide surface, the guide surface extending along the upper edge and facing the drainage channel from above,
the drainage channel includes a front end, a rear end, and a peak point located between the front end and the rear end, and
the guide lies along the upper edge in a rear region of the drainage channel from the peak point to the rear end and is inclined to extend rearward and outward in the left-right direction.

7. The personal watercraft according to claim 6 , wherein
the watercraft body includes a hull, a deck covering the hull from above and having an upwardly facing opening, and a hatch cover closing the upwardly facing opening from above, and
the guide is located outward of the hatch cover of the watercraft body in the left-right direction.

8. The personal watercraft according to claim 6 , wherein the guide surface extends rearward in a direction having a component directed outward in the left-right direction.

9. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein a boundary line between the drainage channel and the center elongated protrusion in the left-right direction extends in a curve rearward and outward in the left-right direction.

10. A personal watercraft, comprising:
a handle; and
a watercraft body supporting the handle and including a front upper portion anterior to the handle, the watercraft body further including:
a drainage channel constituting a part of the front upper portion and having a downwardly convex cross-sectional shape, and
a guide that pushes down water flowing through the drainage channel, wherein

the guide includes a lock configured to lock a string-shaped element.

11. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein
the watercraft body includes a hull, a deck covering the hull from above and having an upwardly facing opening, and a hatch cover closing the upwardly facing opening from above, and
the hatch cover includes a part of the center elongated protrusion and a part of the drainage channel.

12. The personal watercraft according to claim 11 , wherein
the drainage channel includes a front end, a rear end, and a peak point located between the front end and the rear end,
the center elongated protrusion and a front region of the drainage channel from the front end to the peak point are disposed in an upper surface of the hatch cover, and
a rear region of the drainage channel from the peak point to the rear end is disposed in an upper surface of the deck.

13. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein a light is disposed in the outside elongated protrusion to emit light forward from the watercraft body.

14. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein an outer end of the outside elongated protrusion in the left-right direction extends rearward and outward in the left-right direction.

15. The personal watercraft according to claim 2 , wherein the rear end of the drainage channel opens outside the personal watercraft in the left-right direction.

16. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein
the drainage channel includes a front end, a rear end, and a peak point located between the front end and the rear end, and
a rear region of the drainage channel from the peak point to the rear end is inclined to extend rearward and outward in the left-right direction.

17. A personal watercraft comprising:
a handle; and
a watercraft body supporting the handle and including a front upper portion anterior to the handle,
the watercraft body further including:
a center elongated protrusion constituting a part of the front upper portion, the center elongated protrusion being located at a center of the watercraft body in a left-right direction, extending in a front-rear direction, and having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape;
a drainage channel constituting a part of the front upper portion, the drainage channel being outward of and adjacent to the center elongated protrusion in the left-right direction, lying along the center elongated protrusion in the front-rear direction, extending rearward and outward in the left-right direction, and having a downwardly convex cross-sectional shape; and
an outside elongated protrusion outward of and adjacent to the drainage channel in the left-right direction, the outside elongated protrusion lying along the drainage channel in the front-rear direction, having an upwardly convex cross-sectional shape, and facing the drainage channel from outside in the left-right direction, wherein
the drainage channe

Assignees

• Kawasaki Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Araki Toshio
• Shibuta Yu
• Onohata Azusa

Classifications

• B63B34/10 Primary

  Power-driven personal watercraft, e.g. water scooters (water jet propulsion B63H11/00; jet steering B63H25/46); Accessories therefor · CPC title

• B63B3/48

  Decks (planking B63B5/06) · CPC title

• B63B2001/005

  Deflectors for spray, e.g. for guiding spray generated at the bow of a planing vessel underneath the hull · CPC title

• B63B13/00 Primary

  Conduits for emptying or ballasting; Self-bailing equipment; Scuppers (draining means for hatches B63B19/26; centrifugal bilge-water separators B04; {arrangements of installations for treating ballast water B63J4/002; } pipes in general F16L) · CPC title