Patent ID: 7536971
Filing Date: 2009-05-26
Classification: B63B

Abstract:
1. A water craft with an automatic lowering tow tower, the water craft and tower comprising: a water craft having a bow, a mid-section, and a stern; a tower support structure firmly attached to the water craft and residing near the mid-section of the water craft; a pair of laterally spaced apart tower pivots attached to the tower support structure; a tower loop pivotally attached to the tower support structure by the tower pivots and forming a “U” shaped loop, an open end of the “U” to the bow of the water craft; and two lockable linear actuators pivotally attached between the tower support structure and the tower loop, the linear actuators having a retracted position, wherein the tower loop is lowered and an extended position wherein the tower loop is raised, and wherein the linear actuators jam-lock in the fully extended position until the linear actuators are reversed, the linear actuators comprising: wherein, the linear actuator includes a jam-lock feature selected from the set consisting of: