Patent TW-201000361-A (TW)
Title: Foot operated hidden power surfboard for aquatic activity
Inventor: WANG DAVE
IPC: B63B35/79
Filed: 2008-06-20
Abstract: The invention provides a foot operated hidden power surfboard for aquatic activity that can be pervasive, have high safety, and easily controlled. In stores present markets or places such as sea, rivers, and lakes, at which some power surfboards with different designs can be seen. Their structural design only adds an exposed power propeller under a waterline of a tail of the power surfboard. A surfer stands on the power surfboard to operate the moving and speed of the power surfboard by means of wire control. Since the propeller normally belongs to a screw propeller exposed to the bottom of the power surfboard, the power surfboard may easily hurt people, and fishes or ecology under water when it moves along the coast. It can also be easily wound and struck by driftage or foreign matters to cause the damages. Moreover, since the tail and the head of the power surfboard are top-heavy, its integral center of gravity is not balanced. The power surfboard can be tipped over while facing waves, and the propeller exposed under water may take greater resistance. Therefore, if the power surfboard is taken as the normal surfboard for surfing, it easily becomes lumpish, heavy, slow speed and is difficultly controlled. The power surfboard is mostly used on the water with wave free or smaller waves to increase the recreation with power driving. The invention focuses on the foregoing shortcomings to allow the original power surfboard to have features of streamlined shape, light weight, safety and easy control after improving the structural and shape designs. The surfer does not need to use hands to operate the power surfboard by means of wire control and uses foot to operate the power surfboard. The improved power surfboard can be leisurely used in places with wave or wave free at any time for water recreation. In addition, the propeller of the invention is a newly jet (fluid) propeller. The jet propeller can be hidden in the power surfboard. The exterior portion of the jet propeller shows the streamlined shape conforming with hydromechanics. Therefore, the invention has environmental protection and safety and does not hurt people, and fishes or ecology under water and is not easily wound and struck by driftage or foreign matters to cause the damage. Further, its integral center of gravity adopts uniform distribution. During the surfing activity, the invention can be easily balanced and may not be easily tipped over while facing waves. The invention also adopts a newly anti-skid device disposed to the surfboard bottom during tippling and has steady, easy control and safety by comparing with the conventional surfboard for aquatic activity. The anti-skid device of the foot operated hidden power surfboard for aquatic activity of the invention uses anti-skid channels (including chamfers and chamfer surfaces) on the bottoms of sides of the surfboard. When the surfboard turns or shakes and a tipping between the bottom of the surfboard and the contact surface (the water surface) happens to generate tilt angles, a cutting mark is generated between the chamfers of the anti-skid channels on the bottoms of the sides of the surfboard and the contact surface (the water surface) due to the centrifugal force. The friction of the cutting mark is performed in the cutting angle surface. Cutting channels are generated with respect to the contact surface (the water surface) communicating with the chamfers due to the gravity compression. The chamfers are caved in the cutting channels. A horizontal resistance is generated at the chamfers to counterbalance the centrifugal force. Phenomenon such as unstable center of gravity, out of control or slippage may not easily happen. Accordingly, the speed and safety of the invented power surfboard for aquatic activity can be improved during the marching or turning or shaking.