Patent Publication Number: US-6213046-B1

Title: Watercraft cover

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the invention pertains to protective covers. The invention relates more particularly to a removable protective cover for watercraft, wherein a peripheral flange of the upper shell is supported by a rub rail of said watercraft. Furthermore, a hitching element is utilized to secure the protective cover to the watercraft. 
     The popularity of personal watercraft has increased in recent years for use in recreational activities, including pleasure boating and waterskiing. However, because of the open top construction of most personal watercraft, the watercraft is exposed to harsh environmental conditions which can damage the open top. Moreover, unauthorized entry into the watercraft is possible due to its open top construction. In an effort to address these concerns, various types of protective covers have been developed and utilized, both as a protective device and as a security measure. For instance, weather-resistant, flexible covers have been used mainly to provide protection from the elements. As can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,223, a protective covering system is shown having a strap which is connected to the body of a watercraft, and a universal clip being attached to the strap. However, one of the disadvantages to having a flexible watercraft covering is that they provide little security for boats and their contents. The fabric of flexible covers may be easily breached. Moreover, a flexible cover has a tendency to flutter during transportation of the watercraft, which can cause tears in the flexible cover. 
     In an effort to address the inadequacies of a flexible cover, various rigid, hard-case covers have been developed. For example, as can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,302, a rigid cover is shown hydraulically mounted on a mobile trailer unit at a front end and at its sides, without contacting the exterior of the boat. Hydraulically activated cylinders on the side of the mobile trailer function to raise and lower the cover by pivoting the cover about its front end. Additionally, as can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,946, another rigid hinged cover is shown, hingedly mounted to a mobile trailer. Similar to the cover in the &#39;302 patent, the cover in the &#39;946 patent also has a pair of jack assemblies along the sides of the cover and trailer to raise and lower the cover. In both the &#39;302 and &#39;946 patents, the protective covers are permanently secured to the trailer units, with mechanical actuation systems functioning to raise and lower the covers. While both of these cover systems may suitably effect its purpose, they require complex and costly actuation motors and structures. Moreover, because these covers need to be propped up about the bow of the boat when accessing the seated watercraft, the raised cover is vulnerable to gusts of wind which can cause substantial damage. 
     As can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,752, a personal motorcraft trailer is shown having a lower shell which is capable of floatation, and an upper shell which fits over the edge of the lower shell, thereby forming a sealed pod for storage. The upper shell of the personal motorcraft trailer is hinged along its tail end 28. Moreover, the upper shell is also supported by air filled cylinders 30, which operate in conjunction with the hinge 28 to pivot the upper shell to a raised position. 
     It will be desirable to provide a rigid protective cover for watercraft, which may be releasably secured to the watercraft without complex and costly mechanical actuation devices. Moreover, it is desirable to have a protective cover which secures to the watercraft without contacting the finished exterior surface of the watercraft. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, rigid protective cover for watercraft, which may be releasably secured to the watercraft without the need for mechanical actuation devices. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rigid protective cover having an integrally formed unitary construction which may be manufactured in a cost-effective manner by conventional manufacturing methods. 
     The present invention is for a removable protective cover for watercraft of the type having a hull with a bow, a stern, and a side periphery. The removable protective cover comprises a rigid upper shell which is adapted to be positioned over the watercraft. Preferably, the rigid upper shell is substantially contoured to the watercraft above a rub rail which is rigidly secured to the side periphery of the hull. The rigid upper shell has nose and tail ends which correspond with the bow and stern respectively. The rigid upper shell also has a peripheral flange which is adapted to be supported by the watercraft. Preferably, the peripheral flange is supported by the rub rail. 
     The removable protective cover also comprises means for releasably securing the rigid upper shell to the watercraft. Preferably, the means for releasably securing the rigid upper shell to the watercraft includes a hitching element which is connected to the nose end of the rigid upper shell. The hitching element extends below the rub rail to form a hitch cavity seating the bow therein. Additionally, the means for releasably securing the rigid upper shell to the watercraft includes means for releasably securing the tail end of the rigid upper shell upon seating the bow in the hitch cavity. Preferably, where the tail end of the rigid upper shell has an aperture adjacent an anchoring element positioned on the stern, the means for releasably securing the tail end of the rigid upper shell secures to the anchoring element via the aperture at the tail end. 
     In this manner, the protective cover may be releasably secured to the watercraft by slipping the nose end of the rigid upper shell over the bow of the watercraft. The means for releasably securing the tail end of the rigid upper shell, which is preferably a lock, is then secured to the anchoring element via the aperture. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a general perspective view of the protective cover as seen from the nose end and as releasably secured to the watercraft. 
     FIG. 2 shows a general perspective view of the protective cover alone as seen from the tail end. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2, particularly illustrating the contact between the protective cover and the rub rail. 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the protective cover as shown in relation to the watercraft. 
     FIG. 6 shows means for releasably securing the cover. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 show the protective cover, generally indicated by reference character  10 , which may be releasably secured to a watercraft, generally indicated by reference character  11 . As can be best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the hull  11 ′ has a bow  12  and a stern  13 . The protective cover  10  comprises a rigid upper shell, generally indicated by reference character  14 . The rigid upper shell  14  has a nose end  15  and a tail end  16 , which correspond to the bow  12  and stern  13 , respectively. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 5, the rigid upper shell  14  is preferably aerodynamically contoured to the outline of the upper top half of the watercraft  11 . In particular, a hood cover portion  18  contouredly covers the hood  28  and handles  30 , and a mid-cover portion  20  covers the seat  29 . It is notable that the aerodynamic design facilitates transportation by substantially reducing drag. In particular, as can be seen in FIG. 5, the head cover portion  18  preferably slopes upward from the nose end  15  toward the tail end  16 , and drops along a back surface  19 . Similarly, the mid-cover portion  20  also preferably has a back surface  21 , which has a negative slope relative to the direction of air travel around the protective cover. Both back surfaces  19  and  21  operate to produce an area of lower pressure, wherein air vents  37  (shown in FIG. 2) may preferably suction out air from the interior of the cover. As can be seen in FIG. 2, three hooded air vents  37  are shown. One is positioned along the back surface of the hood cover portion  19 , and two air vents  37  are positioned along the back surface  21  of the mid-cover portion. 
     As can be seen in FIGS. 1-2, the rigid upper shell  14  has a shell deck  23  having a peripheral flange  17  extending downward below the shell deck  23 . As can be best seen in FIG. 4, the peripheral flange  17  is adapted to be supported by the watercraft  11 , and not a secondary support structure, such as a trailer for transporting the watercraft. And preferably, the peripheral flange is adapted to be seated along a rub rail  25  which is itself secured to the hull  11 ′. In particular, an abutment surface  27  of the peripheral flange  17  contactedly sits along an upper surface  26  of the rub rail  25 . In this manner, the removable protective cover  10  preferably contacts and thereby exerts a downward force, only along the rub rail  25  and not along any other exterior surface of the watercraft  11 . The rub rail  25  is preferably made of a durable and flexible material, such as plastic or rubber, which is capable of withstanding and supporting a load. 
     The removable protective cover  11  also has means for releasably securing the rigid upper shell  14  to the watercraft  11 . In particular, an important preferred feature of the removable protective cover  10  is a hitching element  24 , which is connected to the nose end  15  of the protective cover  10 . Preferably, the hitching element  24  is integrally formed with the nose end  15 . As can be best seen in FIG. 3, showing a cross-section of the nose end  15  of the protective cover  10 , the hitching element  24  extends below the rub rail  25  in a substantially contoured manner relative to the bow  12 . The hitching element  24  thus forms a hitching cavity  24 ′ which may receive the bow  12 . As can be seen in FIG. 3, the hitching element  24  prevents relative vertical movement of the bow  12  when seated in the hitching cavity  24 ′. To prevent abrasive contact between the hitching element  24  and the bow  12 , a suitable non-abrasive substance or material may be applied therebetween, such as a flexible polymeric foam. 
     Furthermore, the means for releasably securing the rigid upper shell  14  to the watercraft  11  also comprises means for releasably securing the tail end  16  of the rigid upper shell upon seating the bow  12  in the hitch cavity  24 ′. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the tail end  16  of the rigid shell  14  preferably has an aperture  22  adjacent a locking bore  32  embedded in the stern  13  of the hull  11 ′. A locking pin  34  is conventionally used for many watercraft models for towing a water skier behind the watercraft  11 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the locking pin  34  is releasably securable to the watercraft by partially passing the shank portion of the locking pin  34  through the locking bore  32  such that it may be accessed and secured from below the hull  11 ′. Moreover, the broad head portion of the locking pin  34  functions to abut and press against the rigid upper shell  14  as the shank portion passes through the aperture  22  and into the locking bore  32 , which effectively secures the rigid upper shell  14  to the hull  11 ′. 
     A second embodiment of the means for releasably securing is shown in FIG.  6 . In this embodiment, a tow loop  33  is secured to a back surface  30  of the seat  29 , and is used for towing a water skier therebehind. Moreover, a tie-down loop  35  is secured to the interior surface of the protective cover  10  adjacent the tow loop  33 . An axis aperture  22 ′ is provided along the back surface  21  of the rigid upper shell  14 , to enable a user to reach in and releasably secure the tow loop  33  with tie-down loop  35 , preferably with a padlock  36 . A third alternative embodiment (not shown) utilizes a latch mechanism connected to the rigid upper shell  14  which releasably catches the rub rail  25  at the stern  13  of the watercraft  11  in a manner similar to the hitching element  24 . 
     In this manner, the hitching element  34  preferably operates to prevent removal of the nose end  15  from the bow  12 , and the means for releasably securing the tail end  16 , preferably operates to secure the tail end  16  after the nose end  15  of the rigid upper shell  14  is seated in the bow  12  of the hitch cavity, for preventing unauthorized or accidental removable of the protective cover  10 . 
     It is notable that the protective cover  10  is preferably composed of a rigid material, such as plastic, fiberglass, or other composite material, which may be easily formed by conventional manufacturing methods. It is also notable that the term “watercraft” is understood and used herein to include various types of boats, jet skis, or other water-based vehicles, as well as other personal motorized and non-motorized craft, such as snowmobiles, etc. 
     The present embodiments of this invention are thus to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive; the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.