Abstract:
A double-hulled, single-seat water glider, adapted to be towed behind a motorboat, comprises a unibody frame having a tilted front end. A detachable extension is provided to accommodate a second passenger. Aerodynamic stabilizer structure is provided on each side of the glider to prevent capsizing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/168,618, filed Dec. 3, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to watercraft, and more specifically to recreational apparatus that can be towed behind a motorboat. 
     2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Water skiing has become a highly popular sport on the lakes and waterways of resort areas. However, the sport requires a high degree of coordination, skill and dexterity. Unfortunately, these physical characteristics are not possessed by all persons who might want to experience the exhilaration of being towed behind a fast-moving motor boat. A safe and user-friendly apparatus that would permit less physically gifted persons to experience the joys of water skiing would surely be a welcomed addition in the art. 
     The prior art discussed below is relevant to developments in watercraft prior to my invention. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,708 issued to W. A. Albright on Nov. 3, 1959; U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,944 issued to D. L. Basey et al. on Jul. 10, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 3,092,857 issued to F. L. Churchman on Jun. 11, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,373 issued to W. T. Antcliff on Mar. 3, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,935 issued to H. O. Long on Nov. 17, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,222 issued to R. Frost on Mar. 1, 1966; U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,354 issued to Woolley et al. on Mar. 31, 1992; British Patent No. 1,004,487 published on Sep. 15, 1965; Canadian Patent No. 945,594 issued Apr. 16, 1974 all disclose water sport apparatus which accommodate only a single passenger. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose a stable, single or double passenger water sport apparatus as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a double-hulled water glider adapted to be towed behind a motorboat. The preferred embodiments essentially comprises a unibody frame with two aerodynamic stabilizers, a towing means, a deck area and at least one seat attachment/extension means. 
     The frame includes an upwardly-sloped front end, a pair of parallel, elongated box-shaped hulls, a seating area, forward and rear decks, stabilizer structure and side rails having hand holds formed therein. The upwardly-sloped front end creates an upward thrust against the water surface as the glider is towed, allowing it to glide on its two hulls. The stabilizers are provided to minimize capsizing and provide additional lift as the glider is towed. A tow chain is securely attached to the respective front ends of the stabilizers. Besides serving the obvious function, the hand holds are also utilized to drain any standing water from the seating area. 
     An extension may be attached at the rear (aft) of the glider to provide a seat for an additional rider. The extension is designed so that it may easily attach and detach from the glider frame. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a shallow, user-friendly water glider that is buoyant, lightweight and easy to board. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a water glider which is equipped with stabilizer structure for decreasing the chances of capsizing. 
     A further object of the invention to provide a water glider which can be modified to have one seat or two seats. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a water glider having plural hand holds for enhancing safety. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a watercraft with a configuration which allows the watercraft to glide through the water on a double-hulled structure. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described, which apparatus is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a water glider according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of a water glider and extension according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of a water glider according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of an extension of a water glider according to the present invention. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 in its operating environment, is a water glider generally indicated at  10 . Glider  10  is adapted to be towed by a motor boat (not shown) by means of a tow cable  12  and chain  12   a.    
     As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, glider  10  comprises a frame structure having a forward deck  14  and a rear deck  16  defining the respective fore and aft portions of the glider. A horizontally oriented seat  18  is disposed between decks  14  and  16 . Seat  18  consists of forward portion  18   a  which slopes upwardly from seat  18  to meet with deck  14 . A rear portion  18   b  slopes upwardly from seat  18  to meet rear deck  16 . The slope of rear portion  18   b  is less than that of front portion  18   a  so that a user can comfortably sit in the glider as illustrated in FIG.  1 . Rails  20 ,  20   a , and  20   b  enclose the respective sides and the front end of glider  10 . Side rails  20 ,  20   a  are between fifty-four and sixty-eight inches long and are approximately five inches high at the front end of the glider and approximately eight inches high at the rear end. Front rail  20   b is approximately twenty-two inches wide. Rails  20  and  20   a  are provided with hand holds  22  for purposes as described above. The underside of the glider is equipped with parallel hulls  24  and  26 . Hulls  24 ,  26  extend the entire length of the glider and are connected at their front ends by portion  25 . Hull forward portions  24   a  and  26   a  define an upward slope such that the front end of the glider is tilted at an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the horizontal. As indicated above, this slope or tilt allows the water surface to create an upward thrust on the glider, thus allowing the glider to glide on the hulls  24 ,  26 . The hulls are hollow and are filled with buoyant material (cork, styrofoam, etc.)  27  to enhance the floatation capability of the glider. A pair of aerodynamically designed stabilizers  28  are attached at each side of the glider. Stabilizers  28  function to keep the glider from capsizing at towing speeds. Each stabilizer  28  has a top surface  28   a  which is angled downwardly from the side of the glider and a bottom surface  28   b  which extends substantially perpendicular to the side of the glider. Top surface  28   a  forms an angle of approximately one-hundred-sixty-two degrees with the horizontal plane of bottom surface  28   b.    
     A removable extension  30  (FIGS. 2 and 4) is provided to accommodate a second passenger. Extension  30  is configured with key elements  32 ,  32   a  which are insertable into slots  16   a ,  16   b  formed in the rear of glider  10 . Extension  30  includes aerodynamic parts  29  which are configured to mesh with and extend the stabilizing structure  28 . Extension  30  further includes hull portions  24   b ,  26   b  which mesh with and extend hulls  24 ,  26 . Any suitable and convenient fastening devices (not shown) can be utilized to quickly attach extension  30  to glider  10 . 
     The various parts of the instant invention as described above may be fabricated from any suitables light-weight material (wood, fiberglass, plastic, etc.) Keeping in mind that the glider may be subjected to salt water use. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.