Abstract:
This invention relates generally to the stabilization of watercraft, such as kayaks and canoes, and especially to the stabilization of a kayak to allow an individual to stand or move in a kayak without the kayak rocking or rolling over. The pontoon assembly is mounted to a kayak which allows for extending a stabilizing pontoon individually on each side of the watercraft and locking the pontoon at an operative position. Each pontoon can be rapidly raised to a rest position for paddling the kayak or canoe.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to the stabilization of watercraft, such as kayaks and canoes, and especially to the stabilization of a kayak or canoe to allow an individual to stand or move therein without the kayak or canoe rocking or rolling over. More particularly, the invention relates to a pontoon assembly which is in a raised rest position for paddling but which can be rapidly extended alongside the kayak or canoe to provide stabilization. 
         [0002]    Floats and pontoons for stabilizing watercraft which are positioned alongside of the watercraft are old and well known in the art. Devices are presently available to address stabilization through the addition of floatation devices. In more recent times these devices have been provided with clamping supports and allow floatation to be clamped to a canoe and are generally held on a fixed extended position from the side of the watercraft. These devices are used to prevent sudden overbalance movement by an occupant in the canoe which can quickly tip or capsize the canoe. Most prior art pontoon assemblies are somewhat cumbersome. Many are attachable but at the same time are large and very unwieldy and are difficult to add or remove from the water. 
         [0003]    It is desirable not to have the pontoons extended when one is paddling a kayak or a canoe and then to rapidly extend the floatation device as needed to stabilize the canoe when the canoe is not in motion and when the occupant desires to stand, such as while fishing or to move around in the kayak. It is an object of the present invention that a floatation assembly can be rapidly and removably attached and removed to and from a kayak or canoe and which can be extended to use as a flotation device either on one or both sides of the kayak. The floatation on both sides can be raised for paddling a kayak with greater ease. 
         [0004]    In the past, there have been a large number of outboard floatation devices especially for adding to a canoe and these include the Birkett U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,594 for a canoe conversion kit for use alone as an iceboat or for easy mounting on a canoe to convert the canoe to a sailboat. In the Nielsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,233, a self-adjusting boat outrigger is provided. The Morriseau U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,216 is a canoe pontoon assembly which has side runners which are attached adjacent to the canoe to prevent the canoe from tipping over. Pontoons are adjustable for height and width and deploys a ballast to stabilize a canoe. The Hall U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,355 is a stabilized watercraft having an elongated V-type hull and stabilizers mounted in outrigger fashion. Each stabilizer has an elongated floatation member that can be extended and retracted with a pantographic-type extension mechanism. The Grzybowski U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,306 is a watercraft stabilization system for a canoe which has a pair of floatation devices. The Barker, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,090 is a stabilization pontoon system for a small watercraft which has a pair of adjustable outriggers connected by a linkage system to an actuator so that each pontoon can be lowered into the water to stabilize the watercraft. 
         [0005]    The present invention, on the other hand, is directed primarily to watercraft, such as a kayak or canoe, and to an outrigger floatation system which is in a raised or storage position while paddling the kayak or canoe and which can be rapidly extended to add stabilization to the watercraft so that the occupant can stand for fishing or doing other functions without the watercraft tipping over and capsizing. A pontoon can be extended from one or both sides, as desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention relates generally to a stabilization system for watercraft, such as kayaks and canoes, and to a pontoon assembly for stabilizing a watercraft. A base member is removably attachable to a watercraft for holding the pontoon assembly. An elongated pontoon support arm has two end portions and has a pontoon attached to one end portion. A supporting bracket for the pontoon supporting arm is movably attached to the base member and slidably supports the pontoon supporting arm therein between the two end portions thereof so that the pontoon supporting arm can tilt on and slide in the arm supporting bracket. A linkage is movably attached to the base and to the other end of the pontoon supporting arm and has a pair of link members movably attached to each other. The linkage is adapted to raise the other end of the pontoon supporting arm to lower and extend the pontoon into an operative position. The pontoon supporting arm tilts on and slides in a pontoon supporting arm supporting bracket to lower one end of the pontoon supporting arm when the linkage is raised and to raise and withdraw the pontoon into a rest position when the linkage is lowered. A locking mechanism is used to lock the linkage in a raised position with the pontoon in an operative position. Pontoons can be mounted on both sides of the base member to allow individual pontoons to be extended from one or both sides of a canoe or kayak. Each elongated pontoon supporting arm has a handle mounted to the other end portion thereof. The pontoon supporting arm and the pontoon can be held in an operative position with a locking mechanism which may be an eccentrically mounted block rotatably attached to the pontoon supporting arm for rotation to different block positions between the pontoon supporting arm and the linkage. The linkage has two links movably attached to each other to allow the linkage to fold when lowering the pontoon supporting arms into a rest position. When the linkage is extended and unfolded, one link moves a portion thereof over the second link to thereby stop or lock the two links together in an extended position with the pontoon supporting arm at the other end in a raised position and the pontoon in a lowered and extended position. A handle on one of the linkage link members allows one of the hinged links to be lifted for folding the linkage to the lower pontoon support arm other end to raise and withdraw the pontoon to a rest position. The pontoon assembly would normally have one base member with two pontoon assemblies attached thereto. The supporting arm bracket has a passageway therethrough for the pontoon supporting arm to slide therein and the passageway has a self-lubricating polymer surface or the entire supporting bracket which may be made of a self-lubricating polymer. The pontoon assembly is attached to a kayak with a strap wrapping around the kayak, which strap is attached to a reel shaft rotatably attached to the base. The reel shaft has a ratchet and pawl mechanism operatively attached thereto for tightening and locking the strap around the watercraft to hold the base and pontoon assembly to the watercraft. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the written description and the drawings in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a kayak having the watercraft stabilization system attached thereto with the pontoons in a raised and rest position; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the kayak of  FIG. 1  having the pontoons in an extended and operative position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the kayak of  FIGS. 1 and 2  having one pontoon extended in an operative position and a second one in a raised rest position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the pontoon assembly; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the pontoon connected in one position to the pontoon supporting arm; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the pontoon of the present invention connected in a second position to the pontoon supporting arm. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]    Referring to the drawings, a watercraft stabilization system  10  is illustrated, as shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , mounted to a kayak  11 . The system  10  can also be mounted to a canoe, as desired, or any other watercraft. The watercraft stabilization system  10  has base member  12  which is mounted to the watercraft  11 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The base  12  is removably attached to the kayak in  FIGS. 1 through 3  using a strap  15  which wraps around the kayak and base member  12  and is tightened and locked around the kayak with a ratchet and pawl mechanism  14  having a handle  15  which rotates the shaft having a strap  13  attached thereto for tightening onto the kayak. The base  12  has a pair of pontoon supporting arms supporting brackets  16  each movably attached to one end of the base  12  and each having a passageway therethrough. A pontoon supporting arm  17  supports a pontoon  18  on one end thereof and is slidably mounted in the supportive bracket  16 . The supportive bracket  16  has a passageway therethrough and is movably mounted on a pin  20  to the base  12  so that the support arm  17  can tilt on and slide in the bracket  16 . Each support arm  17  has a handle  21  on one end for lifting and moving the position of the pontoon support arm  17  and pontoon  18 . 
         [0015]    A linkage  22  has a pair of links  23  and  24  movably attached together with a pin  25 . The link  23  is attached to one end portion of the pontoon supporting arm  17  using a pin  26  while the link  24  is pinned to the base  12  with a pin  27 . This arrangement allows the linkage  22  to be folded into a rest position thereby sliding and raising the pontoon  18  into the rest position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The linkage  22  can be unfolded to a raised position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , to tilt and slide the pontoon support arm  17  into an extended or operative position positioning the pontoon  18  in a position to stabilize the watercraft  11 . The linkage  22  is locked in the raised or operative position by the link  24  end portion extending well beyond the pin  25  so that in the extended position, the link  24  extending portion  28  acts as a stop or lock when it folds against the top of the link  23 . To release the lock from the extended position, a small handle  30  is provided which allows the link  24  to be lifted sufficiently that a pontoon support arm  17  can be slid and tilted with a handle  21  to thereby fold the linkage  22  into a folded or rest position. 
         [0016]    The pontoon  18  can be positioned in different positions by a locking block  31  pinned with a pin  32  to one end of the pontoon supporting arm  17 . The pin  32  is pinned to the block  31  in an off center position that allows the block  31  to eccentrically to position different faces against the surface of the link  23 . The block  31  can have numbers  33  or other indica to indicate different positions for supporting the pontoon support arm  17  relative to the link  23  thereby positioning the pontoon in a different raised or lowered position. In addition, each pontoon  18  is attached to the pontoon supporting arm  17  with a strap  34  which is attached to a support arm  35 . Arm  35  is movably pinned with pin  36  to allow the pontoon  18  to extend, as shown in  FIG. 5 , when the pontoon is in the water. The pontoon, as shown in  FIG. 6 , is allowed to drop when in a raised position. This keeps the pontoon  18  closer to the kayak when the pontoon is not in use. 
         [0017]    In operation, a pair of pontoon assemblies are attached to a watercraft  11 , such as a kayak or canoe, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . Each assembly is attached to the base member  12 , which base member is two members attached together as a unit and attached to the watercraft  11 . Each pontoon assembly operates separately and can extend a pontoon  18  to either side of the watercraft  11 . The pontoon  18  extends from the rest position in  FIG. 1  with each pontoon withdrawn from the water and supported on the sides of the watercraft  11 . Each pontoon  18  can then be extended by grabbing either of the handles  21  on the pontoon support arm  17  and raising it to shift one pontoon at a time into an operative position, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . When raising the handle  21  to raise the pontoon supporting arm  17 , the supporting arm raises the linkage  22  to rotate the link members  23  and  24  until the locking portion  28  of link  24  stops onto link member  23 . Link member  23  comes to a rest on the locking block  31  which has been rotated and positioned to position the pontoon supporting arm  17  and the pontoon  18  in the desired position in the water beside the watercraft  11 . This results by the pontoon supporting arm  17  tilting with the arm supporting bracket  16  tilting on the pin  20  on the base member  12  and simultaneously sliding in the arm supporting bracket to both extend and lower the pontoon beside the canoe or kayak. When the arm  17  is raised, the pontoon  18  drops by arm  35  rotating on pin  36 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . When the arm  17  lowers the pontoon  18  in the water, the pontoon is forced into the position shown in  FIG. 5  where it is held in position by the end of the arm  35  pressing against arm  17 . 
         [0018]    The operation is more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 4 . When it is desired to raise the pontoons  18 , the handle  21  on either pontoon supporting arm  17  is grasped and lifted while the handle  30  can also be slightly lifted to ease the lifting of the handle  21 . Lifting the handle  21  pulls and tilts pontoon supporting arm  17  in the bracket  16  while folding the linkage  23  and  24  on the pin  25  to bring it to a rest position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0019]    A watercraft stabilization system has been illustrated which can be easily attached to a watercraft, such as a canoe or a kayak. It should also be clear that while a stabilization system has been illustrated attached to a kayak, it can as easily be attached to a canoe or other watercraft. In attaching to a kayak, the strap  13  is wrapped around the kayak to hold the base member  12  and braces  38  resting on the side of the kayak. The strap is attached to one end of one base member  12  and rides in the second base member  12  and is attached to a reel or shaft which is rotated by a handle  15  and locked in place with a ratchet and paw mechanism  14 . 
         [0020]    It should be clear at this point that a watercraft stabilization system has been provided which advantageously is rapidly deployed for stabilizing the watercraft and is rapidly lifted and tilted to a rest position for paddling or moving the watercraft. However, the present invention should not be considered limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.