Abstract:
A tow-rope terminal section for watersports is provided for attachment to the end a tow rope and forming a final link to the inner tube or whatever inflated or floating towable. The tow-rope terminal section is provide with climb-aboard provisions so that fallen riders can climb back aboard the towable more easily.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/013,123, filed Jun. 17, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference thereto. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to watersports and, more particularly, to the terminal section of a tow rope, as for towing an inner tube or other inflated towable and the like (ie., a towable) for tubers (ie., pleasure riders) to ride on, wherein such terminal section of said tow rope is provided with climb-aboard provisions so that fallen tubers can climb back aboard the towable more easily. 
     A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a terminal section of a tow rope in accordance with the invention, and which is provided with climb-aboard provisions in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a reduced scale, side perspective view showing the tow rope terminal section of  FIGS. 1 and 2  spliced between a main section of a tow rope and an inflated towable in accordance with the prior art, wherein the tow rope is coupled to a tow boat and the tow boat is moving at speed, pulling a combined prior art tow rope and tow-rope terminal section in accordance with the invention taut, and hence towing the inflated towable; and 
         FIG. 4  is a side perspective view comparable to  FIG. 3  except showing the boat and the inflated towable at a stand still, wherein the prior art tow rope and tow-rope terminal section in accordance with the invention have fallen slack. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a terminal section  20  of a tow rope in accordance with the invention which is provided with climb-aboard provisions  22  in accordance with the invention. 
     The tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention might be anywhere from between (and without limitation) about three and nine feet in length (eg., one to three meters). The tow rope terminal section  20  extends axially between a loop end  24  and a T-headed cleat  26 . The tow rope terminal section  20  is preferably constructed of a rope frame  28  which forms an axially elongated rectangle (albeit with rounded ends), with one end of which is fashioned into the loop end  24 , and the other end is tied to and secures the T-headed cleat  26 . The rope of the rope frame  28  can comprise and without limitation large diameter nylon rope. Preferably ¾ths inch to 1¼ths inch ( ˜ 19 mm to  ˜ 32 mm) diameter rope is used. However, anywhere between ⅜ths to 1¾ths inch ( ˜ 10 mm to  ˜ 45 mm) diameter rope would be readily usable as well. 
     The interior of the elongated frame  28  is filled in with an axially elongated panel  32  of fabric or flexible material, such as and without limitation nylon canvas. The panel  32  is preferably secured to the rope frame  28  by stitching or the like. The axially elongated panel  32  is formed with a series of axially-spaced rung-provisions  22 , inasmuch as the rung-provisions  22  serve both as hand-holds and foot stirrups, even if the rung-provisions  22  do not appear anything like ladder rungs. That is, while the inventive rung-provisions  22  do not look like ladder rungs, the inventive-rung provisions  22  serve a similar function, and regardless of differences in appearances therefrom. 
     Preferably the rung-provisions  22  comprise an opening  34  formed in the panel  32 , which opening  34  is surrounded by a periphery of tough nylon strap material  36 . Preferably the fabric panel  32  and the nylon strap material  36  are joined at one edge of the nylon strap material  36  by a stitched seam. Hence the nylon strap material  36  kind of forms the rung-provision  22  into a flexible well for a user to clench by a first or insert a foot like into a stirrup. Thus the strap material  36  serves as the sidewall (eg.,  36 ) of the well. 
     If the nylon strap material  36  is reckoned as a soft-sided sidewall (eg.,  36 ) of a well relative to the panel  32 , the nylon strap material  36  can furthermore be reckoned as having an open top end in the plane of the panel, and a bottom end  38 . The bottom end  38  might optionally be closed by a nylon mesh material or the like. That way, a user can not inadvertently stick his or her whole arm or whole leg through the opening  34  for the rung-provision  22  in the panel  32 . That is because, the mesh bottom  38  prevents that. However, the mesh bottom  38  also provides ample drainage for the rung-provision  22  such that, as being formed in the shape of a shallow well, the rung-provision  22  is one well that does not hold water. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show a preferred manner of use of the tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention. The inspiration behind the invention is to provide tubers (ie., pleasure riders on top of inner tubes or like inflated towables  42 ) with climb-aboard provisions  22  to conveniently climb aboard the towable  42 . Some towables  42  have a riding surface which is quite high off the water. In other cases, some towables  42  are sought to be boarded by rather small tubers. Additionally, since there is often a lot of falling off of an inflated towable  42 , the chore of children climbing back on aboard and then back on aboard again, is repeated nearly endlessly. 
     It is an object of the invention to give such tubers a means of clamoring back on aboard the towable  42  more easily.  FIG. 3  shows a tow boat  44  pulling a main section of a tow rope  46 . The tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention is spliced between the tag end of the main tow rope  46  and the and the inflated towable  42  in accordance with the prior art. The tow boat  44  is moving at speed, pulling the tow rope  46 / 20  taut, and hence towing the inflated towable  42 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the tow boat  44  and the inflated towable  42  at a stand still, and the tow rope slack  46 / 20 . This is the state of things when a crew is trying to load their first tuber onto the inflated towable  42 , or when a fallen tuber is trying to re-board the inflated towable  42 . 
     It is an aspect of the invention that the T-headed cleat  26  for the tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention is metallic and/or otherwise dense and weighty. The weight of the T-headed cleat  26  sinks the tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention into a semi-vertical angle of repose. The counterpart T-headed cleat on the prior art towable  42  is likely to made or polyethylene, or some like plastic with a density about the same as water. In other words, a plastic T-headed cleat of the prior art would not sink the tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention at all, and certainly not as nearly as well a chunky metal one like T-headed cleat  26 . Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to form the T-headed cleat  26  from such material or materials so as to readily sink the tow rope terminal section  20  in accordance with the invention in a nearly vertical angle of repose as shown in  FIG. 4 . Needless to say, the T-headed cleat  26  functions as a coupler. However, it is less significant that this coupler  26  is indeed a T-headed cleat as it is more important that the coupler  26  sinks the tow rope terminal section  20  like as shown in  FIG. 4 . This vertical (to nearly vertical) axis of repose axially spaces out the rung provisions  22  along a vertical or steep axis which is more natural for tubers to climb up. 
     The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.