Waterborne craft

A water borne craft includes a smooth rounded elongate sailboard type hull of little depth. The hull tapers down in width and in depth from its middle towards its ends and has smooth upper and lower surfaces. A cockpit extends downwardly into the hull from its upper surface to provide a craft usable in canoe mode. The craft also includes at least one removable reversible insert which fits snugly in two modes into the cockpit. The upper surface of the insert in one mode, being a paddle-ski mode, has recesses to accommodate the buttocks and feet of a paddle skier when the craft is used in the paddle ski mode. The opposite surface of the insert is uppermost in the other mode, being the sailboard mode. The opposite surface has structure for mounting a mast so that the craft can be used as a sailboard in this mode.

This invention relates to water-borne craft. 
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
Water-related recreational activities are becoming increasingly popular. 
However, for each type of water sport various craft are needed, eg 
sailboards, paddle skis, canoes, and so on. Most of these types of craft 
are expensive. In addition, if, for example, members of a family have 
varying interests, different types of craft would have to be purchased for 
each member of the family. 
It is an object of this invention to provide a water-borne craft which the 
Applicant believes will alleviate these problems at least to some extent. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
Accordingly, the invention provides a water-borne craft which includes 
a smooth rounded elongate sailboard hull of little depth and which tapers 
down in width and in depth from its middle towards its ends, and which has 
smooth upper and lower surfaces and a cockpit extending downwardly into 
the hull from its upper surface to provide a craft usable in canoe mode; 
at least one removable reversible insert which fits snugly in two modes 
into the cockpit, the upper surface of the insert in one mode, being the 
paddle ski mode having recesses to accommodate the buttocks and feet of a 
paddle skier when the craft is used in this paddle ski mode, and the 
opposite surface of the insert being uppermost in the other mode, being 
the saidboard mode, the said opposite surface having mounting means for 
mounting a mast so that the craft can be used as a sailboard in this mode. 
The insert and the hull may have securing means for releasably securing the 
insert snugly in position in the cockpit for both the paddle ski mode and 
the sailboard mode. The securing means may include spring clips or 
quick-release straps or grips which may be of the type presently available 
under the name VELCRO. 
The insert, when seated in the cockpit, in either the paddle ski mode or 
up-side-down in the sailboard mode, may have its upper surface flush with 
the upper surface of the hull. 
The mounting means for the mast may include a removable socket member 
slidably mounted and lockable in position along a longitudinal pathway in 
the insert, the socket member having a socket to accommodate the lower end 
of a sail mast when the craft is to be used in the sailboard mode. There 
may be provided a plurality of shoulders spaced longitudinally in series 
along the pathway. The socket member may have releasable locking means for 
locking it releasably and adjustably in position against any one of the 
shoulders in the pathway. 
The hull may be in the form of a closed hollow shell of moulded fibreglass, 
having at least one enclosed air space for buoyancy. The air space may 
extend under the cockpit and may communicate with air spaces fore and aft 
of the cockpit. 
The craft may further include a longitudinal skeg rail on the underside of 
the hull to accommodate at least one skeg removably lockable in position 
along the length of the rail when the craft is to be used in the sailboard 
mode, the skeg projecting downwardly from the undersurface of the hull. 
The longitudinal skeg rail may extend from the stern longitudinally, about 
half the length of the hull, to accommodate also a dagger board. An 
additional skeg or a dagger board may be provided, spaced longitudinally 
from the said at least one skeg. The skeg may include a skeg slide 
engageable with the rail, and a skeg fin mounted on the skeg slide, to be 
arcuately adjustable in position about a transverse axis relative to the 
skeg slide. 
The insert may be of buoyant material, permitting it to be used surfboard 
fashion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a 
water-borne craft in accordance with the invention. The craft includes a 
smooth rounded elongate sailboard-type hull 12 of little depth which 
tapers down in width and in depth from its middle region towards its ends 
12.1 and 12.2. It has a smooth upper surface 12.3 and a smooth lower 
surface 12.4. The craft further has a cockpit 14 which extends downwardly 
into the hull from its upper surface 12.3, to provide a craft usable in 
canoe mode. 
The craft further includes a removable reversible insert 16 which fits 
snugly in two modes into the cockpit 14. The upper surface 16.1 of the 
insert in one of the modes, being the sailboard mode, has mounting means 
including a rail 18 defining a longitudinal pathway for mounting a mast 20 
for a sail, so that the craft can be used as a sailboard in this mode. 
When the insert 16 is turned over so that its surface 16.2 is uppermost, 
then the craft can be used in the other mode, being the paddle-ski mode. 
In sailboard mode, the insert 16 has its surface 16.1 uppermost. The mast 
20 has a mast slide 22 with a locking pin 24 whereby the slide 22 can be 
locked in position along the length of the rail 18 by engaging with 
shoulders 18.1 spaced longitudinally along the pathway defined by in the 
rail 18. 
The insert 16 has releasable securing means 26 in the form of VELCRO strips 
which permit the quick release of the insert, and quick removal or 
reversing of the insert in the cockpit 14. The insert has mating strips on 
opposite surfaces 16.1 and 16.2 for co-operating with the VELCRO strips 
26, so that it can be securely held in position in the cockpit. The insert 
16, whichever surface 16.1 or 16.2 is uppermost, has it surface flush with 
the upper surface 12.3 of the hull. 
The slide 22 is removable from the longitudinal pathway defined by the rail 
18. Removability is provided by dispensing with the side flanges 18.2 and 
18.3 of the rail 18, near one end 18.4. The insert has foot straps 28 
which may be removable. The hull also has foot straps 30. 
The hull 12 is formed as a closed hollow shell of moulded fibreglass, and 
has two air spaces 12.5 and 12.6, one fore and one aft of the cockpit 14. 
The hull may be provided with a longitudinal skeg rail 40 on the underside 
of the hull. At least one skeg, generally indicated by reference numeral 
42, may be removably lockable in position along the length of the rail 40 
when the craft is used in sailboard mode, the skeg projecting downwardly 
as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, from the undersurface 12.4 of the 
hull. The longitudinal skeg rail extends from the stern end 12.2 where it 
has an open end, longitudinally about half the length of the hull, to 
accommodate also a dagger board, generally indicated by reference numeral 
44, longitudinally spaced from the skeg 42. 
In order to provide for adjustability, the skeg 42 is made in two parts, 
namely a skeg slide 42.1 and a skeg fin 42.2, which is pivotally mounted 
on the skeg slide about the axis of a bolt or pin 42.3, the root end of 
the blade 42.2 being clamped between flanges 42.11 and 42.12. The skeg 
slide 42.1 is secured in position relative to the rail 40 by means of 
screws at centre lines 46, screwed into the rail 40. 
The mounting of the dagger board 44 is similar to that described with 
reference to the skeg 42. 
The insert 16, when used for paddle ski mode, will have its surface 16.2 
uppermost in the hull. The upper surface 16.2 has recesses 16.21 to 
accommodate the buttocks of a paddle skier, and recesses 16.22 to 
accommodate his feet. Straps 16.23 are also provided to provide additional 
purchase for his feet. 
The insert, when removed from the hull, can itself be used surfboard 
fashion, with either surface 16.1 or 16.2 uppermost. The straps 16.23 and 
28 will serve as hand-holds for the person using the insert as a 
surfboard. 
The invention therefore provides a versatile water-borne craft which can be 
used in any one of several modes. In this way, it can meet the needs of a 
family having different interests regarding water sport, because of its 
capability of being used in different modes.