Abstract:
Collar assemblies for use with watercraft including rigid-hulled boats are disclosed. Collars of the assemblies may surround or envelope all or most of the perimeters of boats and provide increased buoyancy at least at their sterns. The collars typically are split, rather than continuous, both to facilitate installation and to reduce risk of damage during the installation process.

Description:
REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and hereby refers to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/168,402, filed Dec. 1, 1999, having the same title as appears above. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to collars and associated components useful in conjunction with watercraft and more particularly to collars adapted to surround or envelope most or all of the perimeters of boats to which they are attached in use. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,685 to Hemphill, et al., incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, illustrates and describes foam collar systems for boats. Also discussed in the Hemphill, et al. patent are numerous other patents disclosing such things as inflatable flotation collars and foam stabilizing members for various watercraft. Although potentially useful for multiple purposes, the collars and members described in these patents do not extend about the entire perimeters of the hulls to which they are intended to be attached. 
     The Dutch company Le Comte promotes a rigid-hulled boat having what it calls a “wrap-around stern.” As depicted in literature of Le Comte, the boat includes a continuous inflatable collar surrounding its perimeter, with the collar extending behind the hull of the boat above its outboard motor. According to the literature: 
     The wrap-around version has the collar running the entire periphery of the hull, positioned on the concave collar resting-guards, which also transverse [sic] the stern and form an integral part of the transom. 
     Placing the collar wholly above the motor may, however, be disadvantageous, as the buoyancy of the collar cannot readily prevent the motor from being submerged under certain conditions. 
     Other continuous “wrap-around” collars may exist (at least outside the United States) for boats having inboard engines, with the collars likely attached directly to the sterns of the rigid hulls of the boats. Whether employed with boats having inboard or outboard engines, these continuous collars typically are fitted from the tops of boats, requiring cranes or other equipment to suspend the collars over the hull peripheries and lower them thereonto. Antennae and hull superstructures conceivably may be damaged by contact with the collars during the fitting operation, as may the collars themselves through contact with the antennae or superstructures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides alternative collar assemblies for use with watercraft including rigid-hulled boats. Of the “wrap-around” type described by Le Comte, the assemblies incorporate a split, rather than continuous, collar both to facilitate installation and to reduce the risk of damage during the installation process. Versions of the collars designed for use with boats having outboard engines additionally can provide buoyancy counteracting certain effects of rough seas (or ramp launches by the stern), reducing the possibility of the engines becoming completely submerged. Whether inflatable or made of foam (or other material), the collars of the present invention preferably (although not necessarily) are attached to an engine guard extending from the sterns of many boats, thus utilizing existing components in addition to the hulls for support. 
     Although those skilled in the art will recognize that split portions of the innovative collar assemblies disclosed herein may exist anywhere around the periphery of a particular boat, for many boats the split portion of the assembly will be is positioned at the stern of its associated boat. In this circumstance, the ends of the collar adjacent the split may be covered with a common piece material effectively functioning as a sling when connected to the engine guard. Irrespective of the location of the ends, covering them with a common piece of material also inhibits air and water from flowing between the ends, which might otherwise tend to try to separate them at high boat speeds or in rough seas. 
     It thus is an object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies extending substantially or completely about the peripheries of various watercraft. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies which, at least because they extend around sterns of craft, provide increased buoyancy. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies which may be installed other than by lowering them onto the external surfaces of boat hulls, thus reducing risk of damage caused by contact with antennae or superstructures protruding upward from the hulls. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies which do not include a continuous collar, but rather a split one with (at least) two distinct ends. 
     It is, moreover, an object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies in which collars are connected to engine guards extending outward from sterns of craft. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide collar assemblies in which a common piece of material covers adjacent ends of a collar. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the remainder of the text and the drawings of this application. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an exemplary collar assembly consistent with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the collar assembly of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the ends of the collar included as part of the assembly of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a partially schematicized top plan view of portions of the collar assembly of FIG. 1 including the ends of the collar of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the collar of FIG. 3 illustrating its attachment to the engine guard of a boat. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the collar of FIG. 3 illustrating its attachment to the hull of a boat. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 details an exemplary assembly  10  consistent with the present invention. Assembly  10  may be used with any suitable watercraft or otherwise as desired. One such suitable watercraft with which assembly  10  may be used is the boat depicted generically in FIG. 1 of the Hemphill, et al. patent, although those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous other boats may be suitable as well. 
     Included as part of assembly  10  is collar  14 . Collar  14  typically has a majority circular cross-section and is designed to provide buoyancy to the watercraft to which it is attached. In some embodiments of assembly  10 , collar  14  may be made of Hypalon or other waterproof fabric or material inflated with air or other gas. In other embodiments, collar  14  may be made of foam (such as that of the Hemphill, et al. patent). Again, however, collar  14  may be formed or configured differently than described herein and nevertheless remain within the scope of the present invention. 
     The wrap-around collars referenced in the preceding sections of this application are continuous, at least in that they have no defined end points or pieces. By contrast and as shown in FIG. 1, collar  14  is discontinuous, defining ends  18  and  22 . Although ends  18  and  22  often will abut in use, as illustrated in FIG. 1, they need not do so in all circumstances. 
     Additionally consistent with FIG. 1, ends  18  and  22  may be positioned at the stern of the watercraft with which collar  14  is associated. Collar  14  may thus consist further of port and starboard sections  26  and  30 , respectively, and bow section  34 . If inflatable, each of sections  26 ,  30 , and  34  may include one or more valves or other mechanisms for filling with gas. 
     Additionally if inflatable, each section  26 ,  30 , or  34  may define one or more chambers, some or all of which may be inflatable and may but need not necessarily communicate with one or more other chambers. 
     FIG. 2 details starboard section  30  of collar  14  together with portions of bow section  34  and stern section  38 . 
     According to FIG. 2, collar  14  need not have the same absolute elevation throughout its length. Instead, for example, it may slope upward toward bow section  34  and be canted upward at stern section  38 . Canting stern section  38  upward facilitates use of outboard motors with boats associated with collar assemblies  10 , although canting it too far above the static waterline may inhibit its ability to prevent outboard motors from becoming submerged from time to time. Preferably, therefore, stern section  38  of collar  14  will be positioned so that it indeed is useful to reduce the possibility of outboard motors submerging yet typically sufficiently above the nominal waterline to avoid interference with proper use of the outboards. 
     Ends  18  and  22  of stern section  38  of collar  14  are illustrated in greater detail in FIG.  3 . As shown, ends  18  and  22  are sealed from the environment (and from each other) so that collar  14  lacks continuity about the entire periphery of the boat with which it is associated. Preferably (although not necessarily), however, ends  18  and  22  will abut in a manner similar to that depicted in FIG. 3 along the approximate center line of the associated boat, with cord  42  laced through D-rings  46  to retain ends  18  and  22  in position. D-rings  46  may be held within fabric patches  50  and glued or otherwise affixed to the material of collar  14  in any conventional or suitable manner. 
     Firmly connecting ends  18  and  22  using cord  42  reduces the ability of turbulent wind or water flow to separate ends  18  and  22  and force them away from each other when in use. Ends  18  and  22  need not be connected, however, or may be connected other than by using cord  42  and D-rings  46 . Likewise, ends  18  and  22  need not be positioned at the approximate center line of the associated boat but rather may appear elsewhere as appropriate or desired. 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 additionally show exemplary means for attaching stern section  38  to an associated boat B. As illustrated (partially schematically) in FIG. 4, boat B may include a hull H and a transom T behind and above which a metal support bar having an engine guard RG may protrude. Wrapping strap  54  around ends  18  and  22  and attaching it to guard RG permits the strap  54  to function as a sling, thereby supporting ends  18  and  22  and connecting them to boat B. Stern section  38  thus is neither unsupported nor attached directly to hull H—in contrast with other wrap-around collars—and, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, may extend significant distance behind transom T to reduce possible interference with any outboard motors used to power boat T. 
     Strap  54  may be made of any material (including but not limited to Hypalon fabric) sufficiently durable to withstand operation for extended periods in marine environments while supporting ends  18  and  22 . Although attachment of strap  54  to guard RG may occur in any suitable fashion, a preferred approach to doing so is illustrated in FIG.  5 . In this approach, a first edge  58  of strap  54  is placed within a split tube portion ST of guard RG and clamped thereby. Strap  54  is then wrapped around most (essentially all) of the circumference of stern section  38  in the areas of ends  18  and  22  so that its opposed edge  62  contacts guard RG. Eyelets or other openings along edge  62  of strap  54  may then be bolted or connected with fasteners F to guard RG, thus allowing guard RG and strap  54  to support ends  18  and  22 . Strap  54  additionally functions as a cover for ends  18  and  22 , further inhibiting the ability of turbulent wind and water to separate the ends  18  and  22 . 
     FIG. 6, finally, provides an example of equipment  66  useful as part of collar assembly  10  for connecting collar  14  to hull H. Equipment  66  may include any or all of an attachment strip  70  adhered or otherwise connected to collar  14  and extending generally longitudinally thereon. Eyelets or other openings formed in strip  70  and any suitable fasteners  74  may be used to fasten collar  14  to hull H. 
     Additionally, if collar  14  has cord  78  affixed longitudinally to portions of its exterior, the cord  78  may be threaded through pipe  82  and retained in a complementary portion of hull H. Attaching a continuous collar to hull H in this manner would be difficult (if not practically impossible), contributing to the need for collar  14  to be split in one or more places as described previously. So forming collar  14  thus enhances its versatility, as in many cases the collar  14  may be mounted to or installed on hull H in myriad ways without significant likelihood of damage either to it or to any portion of the boat superstructure. Nevertheless, however, other connection equipment and techniques obviously may be used instead. 
     The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Further modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.