Abstract:
A watercraft drain assembly has a tubular drain body having a first end and a second end, at least one inlet opening disposed on the drain body for allowing water to enter the drain body, a first outlet opening disposed at the first end of the drain body for allowing water to exit the drain body, a drain plug for selectively plugging the first outlet opening, and a second outlet opening disposed on the drain body for allowing water to exit the drain body. A watercraft incorporating the watercraft drain assembly is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
   This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/731,242, filed Oct. 31, 2005, entitled “Watercraft Drain”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a watercraft drain assembly and a watercraft incorporating the watercraft drain assembly. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Watercraft manufacturers attempt to design their watercraft so as to prevent water from entering the hull. Regardless of these attempts, during operation of the watercraft, some water will enter the watercraft either through the air intakes for the engine, the engine compartment ventilation openings, an improper seal between two elements of the watercraft, or some other opening. Water entering the hull, if left unaddressed, may cause some elements normally found inside the hull, such as electronics or the engine, to malfunction, could cause corrosion, and, in extreme cases, may compromise the buoyancy of the watercraft. 
   To address this problem, watercraft manufacturers typically use two devices. The first one is a drain assembly located on the hull to drain the water out of the watercraft hull when the watercraft is removed from the water, such as when it is placed in dry docks for repair, placed in storage, or placed on a trailer to move it from one body of water to another. The second device is a bailer or a pump used to remove the water from the watercraft hull when the watercraft is on a body of water. 
     FIGS. 2A to 3B  illustrate a prior art drain assembly  36 . The drain assembly  36  is attached to the hull  10  so as to create a passage between an interior and the exterior of the hull  10 . This is done by fastening a flange  39  of the drain assembly  36  to the transom  12  by using fasteners  35  placed through holes  38  found in the flange  39 . The drain assembly  36  is located as low as possible on the transom  12  in order to maximize the amount of water that can be drained from the hull  10 . The drain assembly  36  essentially consists of a cylindrical drain body  37  which is opened at both ends. One end of the drain body (the outlet) communicates with the exterior of the hull  10  and the other end (the inlet) communicates with the interior of the hull  10 . A removable plug  30  is placed in the outlet to prevent water from entering the hull  10  when the watercraft  8  is in the water since the drain assembly  36 , due to its location, is normally below the waterline  13 . To drain the hull  10  when the watercraft  8  is outside the water, the plug  30  is removed and any water which is above the inlet is drained to the exterior of the hull  10 . A restraint  34 , connected to the plug  30 , links the plug  30  to the drain body  37  when it is removed therefrom to prevent the loss of the plug  30 . A check valve in the form of a ball  33  is placed inside the drain body  37 . Should a user of the watercraft  8  forget to replace the plug  30  in its position in the drain body  37  when the watercraft  8  is put back in a body of water, the water pressure pushes the ball  33  towards the inlet to seal it, thus preventing water from entering the hull  10 . However, since the inlet has a smaller diameter than the outlet, the ball does not prevent the flow of water from the inlet of the drain body  37  to the outlet of the drain body  37 . The restraint  34  prevents the ball  33  from falling out of the outlet. 
     FIG. 4  illustrates a prior art bailer system. A pair of bailers  22  having holes  42  are attached to the bottom of the hull  10  by using belts  20  and fasteners  21 . The bailers  22  are located in the locations where water is most likely to pool inside the hull  10 . The bailers  22  are connected to a jet pump  18  of the watercraft  8  though a series of hoses  23  and elbows  25  held together by tie wraps  24 . When the watercraft  8  is in operation, the water passing through the jet pump  18  at high speed creates a low pressure which is used by the bailers  22  to aspirate water located near them through the holes  42 . The water then flows through the hoses  23  and is expelled in the jet pump  18 . Check valves  32  are placed between hoses  23  to prevent water from entering the hull  10  via the bailers  22 . Other prior art bailer systems use electrical or mechanical pumps to aspirate water through the bailers  22 . 
   The drain assembly  36  and the bailers  22  described above can both remove water from the hull of a watercraft, however the drain assembly  36  can only be used when the watercraft is outside the water, and the bailers  22  can only be used when the watercraft is operational (in the case where the suction from the jet pump is used) or when the pump attached to the bailers is operational. For this reason, most watercraft are equipped with both a drain and a bailer system. This dual system approach creates a lot of parts which need to be assembled, which ultimately increases the cost of the watercraft. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a different device for draining water from the hull of a watercraft. 
   STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION 
   One aspect of the invention provides a watercraft drain assembly which incorporates the function of a bailer. 
   Another aspect of the invention provides a watercraft equipped with such a drain assembly. 
   In another aspect, the invention provides a watercraft drain assembly having a tubular drain body. The tubular drain body has a first end and a second end. At least one inlet opening is disposed on the drain body for allowing water to enter the drain body. A first outlet opening is disposed at the first end of the drain body for allowing water to exit the drain body. A drain plug is provided for selectively plugging the first outlet opening. A second outlet opening is disposed on the drain body for allowing water to exit the drain body. 
   In an additional aspect, the at least one inlet opening is disposed at the second end of the drain body. 
   In a further aspect, the second outlet opening is disposed at the second end of the drain body. 
   In an additional aspect, the at least one inlet opening is a plurality of inlet openings forming a strainer. 
   In a further aspect, the drain assembly has a check valve for preventing water from exiting the drain body through the at least one inlet opening. 
   In yet a further aspect, the check valve is a ball disposed inside the drain body. The ball moves to a first position preventing fluid communication from the drain body to the at least one inlet opening when water enters the drain body from at least one of the first and second outlet openings, and the ball moves to a second position allowing fluid communication from the at least one inlet opening to the drain body when water enters the drain body from the at least one inlet opening. 
   In an additional aspect, the drain assembly has a flange located at the first end of the drain body for mounting the drain assembly to a watercraft. 
   In another aspect, the invention provides a watercraft having a hull. The hull has a transom. A propulsion unit is mounted to the hull. An engine is operatively connected to the propulsion unit for powering the propulsion unit. At least one drain assembly is mounted to the hull for fluidly communicating an interior of the hull with an exterior of the hull. The drain assembly has tubular drain body having a first end passing through the transom and a second end extending in the interior of the hull, at least one inlet opening disposed on the drain body for fluidly communicating the interior of the hull with the drain body, a first outlet opening disposed at the first end for fluidly communicating the drain body with the exterior of the hull, a drain plug for selectively plugging the first outlet opening, and a second outlet opening disposed on the drain body. The watercraft also has a hose fluidly connected to the second outlet opening for fluidly communicating the drain body with the exterior of the hull. 
   In a further aspect, the propulsion unit is a jet pump and the hose fluidly communicates the drain body with the jet pump such that when the jet pump is powered by the engine, water present in the hull near the at least one drain assembly is aspirated through the at least one inlet opening to the drain body, exits the drain body through the second inlet opening, and flows through the hose to the jet pump unit. 
   In yet another aspect, the watercraft has a pump in fluid communication with the hose for pumping water present in the hull near the drain assembly through the at least one inlet opening, to the drain body, and through the second inlet opening, through the hose to the exterior of the hull. 
   In an additional aspect, a check valve is fluidly connected to the hose to prevent flow of water from the hose to the drain body via the second outlet. 
   In a further aspect, the at least one drain is two drain assemblies, and the two drain assemblies are mounted to the transom on different sides of a longitudinal centerline of the watercraft. 
   In an additional aspect, the watercraft has a deck mounted on the hull, a straddle seat mounted to the deck, and handlebars disposed forwardly of the straddle seat for steering the watercraft. 
   Embodiments of the present invention each have at least one of the above-mentioned aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. 
   Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a better understanding of the present invention, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of a personal watercraft; 
       FIG. 2A  is a partial view of a hull of a watercraft with a prior art watercraft drain assembly attached to a transom thereof; 
       FIG. 2B  is an exploded view of a prior art watercraft drain assembly; 
       FIG. 3A  is an end view of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 2B ; 
       FIG. 3B  is a cross-section, taken through line A-A of  FIG. 3A , of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 2B ; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a prior art bailer system; 
       FIG. 5A  is an end view of a watercraft drain assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 5B  is a top view of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 5C  is a side elevation view of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 5D  is a cross-section, taken through line B-B of  FIG. 5C , of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A  with the plug inserted in the drain body; 
       FIG. 5E  is a cross-section, taken through line B-B of  FIG. 5C , of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A  with the plug removed from the drain body; 
       FIG. 6  is a partial view of a hull of a watercraft with the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A  attached to a transom thereof; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view, taken from a front, right side, of the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A  fluidly connected to a jet pump support of a watercraft. 
       FIG. 8  is a partial cross-section of a jet pump with the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A  fluidly connected thereto; 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic illustration of an alternative embodiment of a watercraft water removal system using the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 10  is a schematic illustration of another alternative embodiment of a watercraft water removal system using the watercraft drain assembly of  FIG. 5A ; and 
       FIG. 11  is a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of a watercraft drain assembly. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Although the present invention is being described herein with respect to a straddle type personal watercraft propelled by a jet pump, it is contemplated that the invention could also be applied to other types of watercraft, such as boats and stand-up personal watercraft, using the same or other types of propulsion, such as propellers. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a personal watercraft  8  with which a drain assembly  100  of the present invention can be used. The personal watercraft  8  has a hull  10  and a deck  11  disposed on the hull  10 . The hull  10  has a transom  12  at the rear thereof. The hull  10  and deck  11  together define a compartment in which the engine  14  ( FIG. 6 ) of the watercraft  8  is disposed. A straddle seat  15  is disposed on the deck  11  to accommodate a driver of the watercraft  8 . Depending on its length, the straddle seat  15  may accommodate one or more passengers behind the driver. The straddle seat  15  is preferably removable to allow access to the engine  14 . Handlebars  17  are disposed on the deck  11  forwardly of the straddle seat  15  to permit steering of the watercraft  8  as described below. The watercraft  8  is propelled by a propulsion unit in the form of a jet pump  18  located at the rear of the watercraft  8 . Other types of propulsion units, such as propellers, are also contemplated. The jet pump  18  is powered by the engine  14  via a driveshaft  16  ( FIG. 6 ). Turning the handlebars  17  causes a steering nozzle  146  ( FIG. 8 ) of the jet pump  18  to turn about a vertical axis which redirects the flow of water coming from the jet pump  18 , thus causing the watercraft  8  to turn. When the watercraft  8  is disposed in water, the level of the water relative to the watercraft  8  is schematically indicated throughout the figures by waterline  13 . 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 5A to 5E , the drains assembly  100  of the present invention has a tubular drain body  110 . The components of the drain assembly  100  are preferably made of plastic. A flange  104  is located at a first end of the drain body  110 . Holes  102  permit the attachment of the flange  104  to the transom  12  of the watercraft  8  by using fasteners (not shown). When the drain assembly  100  is attached to the transom  12 , the drain body  110  extends inside the hull  10 , as seen in  FIG. 8 . The drain assembly  100  is preferably positioned on the transom  12  as close as possible to the bottom of the hull  10  in order to allow the most water to be drained from the hull  10 . A drain outlet  124  is disposed at the first end of the drain body  110 . A threaded plug  114  is used to open ( FIG. 5E ) and close ( FIG. 5D ) the drain outlet  124  as will be described below. A restraint  112  is integrally formed with the plug  114  to prevent the plug  114  from becoming separated from the drain assembly  100 , as shown in  FIG. 5E , thus reducing the likelihood of losing the plug  114 . 
   A bailer outlet  118  is located at the other end of the drain body  110 . The bailer outlet  118  is in the form of a tube having a tapered protrusion at its end to permit a hose, such as hose  132  shown in  FIG. 7 , to be disposed and retained thereon. The bailer outlet  118  is integrally formed with the drain body  110  and, as shown in  FIG. 5D , is continuous with the outside wall of the drain body  110 . When attaching the drain assembly  100  to the transom  12  of the hull  10 , this also facilitates the insertion of the drain assembly  100  through the hole made in the transom  12  to receive the drain assembly  100 . 
   The inlet  144  of the drain assembly  100  is located at the same end of the drain body  110  as the bailer outlet  118 . The inlet  144  has a tapered portion  128 . The angle of taper of the tapered portion  128  is preferably not too acute, as this may cause the ball  133  described below to become stuck in the tapered portion  128 . The tapered portion  128  has a plurality of inlet openings  126  forming a strainer. The diameter of each inlet opening  126  is smaller than the diameter of the bailer outlet  118 . This prevents large debris from entering the drain body  110  through the inlet openings  126 , thus ensuring that the bailer outlet  118  does not get clogged. 
   A ball  133 , preferably made of plastic, is disposed inside the drain body  110 . The ball  133  moves inside the drain body  110  and acts as a check valve to prevent water to flow from either one of the drain outlet  124  and the bailer outlet  118  to the interior of the hull  10  via inlet openings  126 , as will be explained below. 
   When the watercraft  8  is operated in water, any water entering the hull  10  moves towards the back of the hull  10  since it is normally the lowest point during operation. As shown in  FIG. 6 , two drain assemblies  100 , each one located on a different side of a longitudinal centerline CL of the watercraft  8 , are preferably used since water will pool in the hull  10  on either sides of the jet pump  18 . During operation of the watercraft  8 , when the water reaches the level of the drain assembly  100 , it gets aspirated through the inlet openings  126 , enters the drain body  110 , and leaves the drain body  110  through bailer outlet  118 . In this condition, the flow of water causes the ball  133  to move away from the tapered portion  128 , thus allowing fluid communication between the inlet openings  126  and the bailer outlet  118 . From the bailer outlet  118 , the water is sent back to the body of water. The aspiration can be obtained in various ways, some of which are described below. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the aspiration can be obtained by connecting the bailer outlet  118  to a point in the jet pump  18  where a low pressure is created when it is powered by the engine  14 . A hose  132  connects the bailer outlet  118  to an elbow  130  which is connected to the jet pump support  142  by hose  134 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the point where hose  134  connects with the jet pump support  142  fluidly communicates with a passage  136  located in a wall of the jet pump  18 . The end of passage  136  opens inside the jet pump  18  at point where the speed of the water flowing inside the jet pump  18  during its operation creates a low pressure. It is this low pressure which permits the aspiration of the water through the drain assembly  100 . Therefore, when the watercraft  8  is in operation, water present in the hull  10  near the drain assembly  100  is first aspirated through the inlet openings  126  to the bailer outlet  118  as described above. The water then flows through hose  132 , elbow  130 , and hose  134 . From hose  134 , water flows through the passage  136  to the inside of the jet pump  18  (location  138 ) and is expelled to the body of water with the water ( 140 ) flowing through the jet pump  18 . 
   Locating elbow  130  above the waterline  13  helps ensuring that water does not flow from the body of water back to the drain assembly  100  when the jet pump  18  is not operating. Should any water flow back through hoses  134  and  132 , the water entering the drain body  110  via the bailer outlet  118  would push the ball  133  towards the tapered portion  128  as shown in  FIG. 5D , thus preventing water from entering the hull  10  via the inlet openings  126 . 
     FIG. 9  illustrates an alternative way in which water collecting inside the hull  10  can be aspirated by using the drain assembly  100 . The bailer outlet  118  is connected to a hose  148  which connects to a water pump  152 . From the water pump  152 , the hose  148  goes through the transom  12  above the waterline  13 . The water pump  152  is preferably an electrical pump which can be operated even when the watercraft  8  is not operated. Other types of water pumps are also contemplated, such as a mechanical pump driven by the engine  14 . When the water pump  152  is operated, water present in the hull  10  near the drain assembly  100  is first aspirated through the inlet openings  126  to the bailer outlet  118  as described above. The water then flows through hose  148  to the water pump  152  and is then expelled back to the body of water. As can be seen in  FIG. 9 , the hose  148  extends above the waterline  13  to help ensuring that water does not flow from the body of water back to the drain assembly  100  when the water pump  152  is not operating. As explained above with respect to claims  7  and  8 , the ball  133  would prevent water from entering the hull  10  via the inlet openings  126  should any water flow back through the hose  148 . Alternatively, a check valve in the form of a one way valve  150  can be provided to prevent the flow of water back towards the drain assembly  100 . 
     FIG. 10  illustrates yet another way in which water collecting inside the hull  10  can be aspirated by using the drain assembly  100 . The bailer outlet  118  is connected to a hose  148  which passes through the transom  12 . The position where the hose  148  passes through the transom  12  is selected such that it is located in a region where a low pressure wake is created when the watercraft  8  is moving forward. Thus, when the watercraft  8  moves forward, the low pressure wake causes water present in the hull  10  near the drain assembly  100  to first be aspirated through the inlet openings  126  to the bailer outlet  118  as described above. The water then flows through hose  148  and is expelled in the body of water. Since the open end of hose  148  is located below the waterline  13 , a check valve in the form of a one way valve  150  is preferably provided to prevent the flow of water back towards the drain assembly  100 . For the same reasons as those described above with respect to  FIG. 9 , the hose  148  extends above the waterline  13  and the ball  133  would prevent water from entering the hull  10  via the inlet openings  126  should any water flow back through the hose  148 . 
   When the watercraft  8  is removed from the water to be placed on a trailer or for repairs, water present in the hull  10  can be drained from the hull  10  by simply removing the plug  114  as shown in  FIG. 5E . When this is done, any water present in the hull  10  near the drain assembly  100  above the inlet openings  126  will flow through the inlet openings  126 , through the drain body  110 , and finally to the exterior of the hull  10  through drain outlet  124 . The restraint  112  prevents the ball  133  from falling out of the drain body  110 . Since the drain assembly  100  is located on the transom  12  at a position normally below the waterline  13  when the watercraft  8  is in water, the plug  114  should be placed back in the drain outlet  124  before putting the watercraft  8  back in the water. However, should a user of the watercraft  8  forget to replace the plug  114  in its position in the drain outlet  124  when the watercraft  8  is put back in a body of water, the water pressure from the water entering through the drain outlet  124  pushes the ball  33  towards the tapered portion  128 , thus preventing water from entering the hull  10  through inlet  126 . 
     FIG. 11  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a drain assembly  200 . Like elements between drain assembly  100  and drain assembly  200  have been labelled with the same reference numerals and will therefore not be described again. In drain assembly  200 , the bailer outlet  118  is located on the tapered portion  128 . Therefore, when the ball  133  is pushed against the tapered portion  128  to prevent water from entering the hull  10  (because the plug  114  was not inserted in the drain outlet  124  before placing the watercraft  8  back in the water), water can still be aspirated through inlet openings  126  since they are still fluidly communicating with the bailer outlet  118 . However, since the ball  133  can no longer prevent water from flowing back in the hull  10  through bailer outlet  118 , the drain assembly  200  is preferably used with a hose connected to the bailer outlet  118  that has a check valve such as one way valves  150  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
   As can be understood by the above description, both drain assembly  100  and drain assembly  200  integrate in a single assembly the functions previously found in two different assemblies (a drain assembly and a bailer assembly), which advantageously reduces the number of parts necessary for effectively draining the hull of a watercraft. 
   Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.