Patent Abstract:
A boat tower and methods for making in which the tower is made of one or more composite members, each including a structural member and molded decorative members attached to opposite sides of the structural member, resulting in a tower system that requires substantially less finishing of the surfaces of the structural members as compared to conventional boat towers.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/285,284, filed Dec. 10, 2009, and entitled “Wakeboard Tower System,” incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to boat towers, such as wakeboard towers, radar arches, and the like. More particularly, the disclosure relates to boat towers in the nature of wakeboard towers which utilize cast structural members. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Structures such as wakeboard towers, radar arches and other arch systems of the type found on boats are conventionally made using as structural members aluminum tubing of various cross-sectional configurations welded together. The use of such tubing members requires substantial hand-treatment in the nature of bending, sanding, polishing, painting, powder coating, and the like to provide the tower structure with an aesthetically pleasing shape and smooth finish. In addition to these shortcomings, the use of structural members made from tubing also limits the compatibility of the tower for incorporating other aesthetic features as well as other components, particularly electrical components such as speakers, illumination, and the like. 
         [0004]    The present disclosure relates to improved arch or tower structures which utilizes structural members that do not require bending of the components or significant buffing, polishing, and the like in the manner of tubing and are thus less labor intensive to produce. The structural members may also readily include additional aesthetic features as well as components such as speakers, illumination, and the like. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The above and other needs are met by a composite member especially suitable for use in a wakeboard tower. In one aspect of the disclosure, the composite member includes a structural member having molded decorative members attached to opposite sides of the structural member. The structural member may be, for example, a cast aluminum structural member, a fabricated beam structural member, or a tubular structural member. 
         [0006]    In an additional aspect of the disclosure, the structural member includes a pair of spaced apart side rails, between which spans an intermediate section, with the decorative members substantially covering the intermediate section and adjacent surfaces of the side rails so that such portions of the structural member do not require sanding or finishing. 
         [0007]    In another aspect of the disclosure, the decorative members are vacuum formed plastic panels or fiberglass or plastic sheet panels. In certain embodiments, the panels include electrical speakers or electrical lights or other electrical components integrated therein. 
         [0008]    In a further aspect of the disclosure, the decorative members may be removed from the wakeboard tower provided by the composite member and replaced with other decorative members. 
         [0009]    The disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing a boat tower, including the steps of: providing a structural member having exterior surfaces requiring finishing in order to have suitable aesthetics; providing decorative members having a desired aesthetic appearance; and attaching the decorative members to opposite sides of the structural member so as to substantially cover the exterior surfaces of the structural member to yield a composite boat tower structure. 
         [0010]    The resulting composite boat tower structure has suitable aesthetics and requires substantially less finishing of the surfaces of the structural members as compared to conventional boat tower structures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Further advantages of the disclosure are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0012]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are exploded perspective views of structural members and decorative members for use in providing wakeboard towers according to the disclosure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a structural member according to the disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wakeboard tower according to the disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5 . is a side view of a portion of a wakeboard tower according to the disclosure, and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  depicts a wakeboard tower according to the disclosure and which incorporates speakers with the decorative member. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  depicts a wakeboard tower according to the disclosure and which incorporates lighting elements with the decorative member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    With reference to the drawings, the disclosure relates to a composite member  10  especially suitable for use in a wakeboard tower  12  ( FIG. 4 ). The composite member  10  includes a structural member  14  having decorative members  16  and  18  attached to opposite sides of the structural member  14 . The composite member  10  is mountable to a structure, such as a boat B ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0020]    The composite member  10  advantageously minimizes sanding and finishing typical to conventional wakeboard tower construction, while offering decorative appearances atypical to conventional wakeboard towers, and which may be customized and changed. 
         [0021]    While the structures are described herein in the context of a wakeboard tower, it will be understood that the structures are applicable to other raised structures, such as radar arches, flying bridges, and the like used on boats. 
         [0022]    In one embodiment, the structural member  14  is a unitary member of cast construction. For example, the structural member  14  may be of aluminum or polymeric cast construction or a fabricated beam structural member. The use of a cast member is desirable to avoid the need for bending as is required in tubing structures or other structures having a plurality of joined members. However, it will be appreciated that tubular structural members assembled from a plurality of smaller members joined together as by bolts or other fasteners, or welding, such as is common for tubular structural members, may be used, with the decorative members  16  and  18  configured for use with a tubular structural member if desired. In this regard, structures according to the disclosure also advantageously enable elimination of a substantial portion, if not all, of the need for sanding, polishing, painting, and powder coating of the tubular or other assembled member. For the purpose of describing a preferred embodiment, the structural member  14  is described in the context of a unitary cast member. 
         [0023]    The structural member  14  includes a pair of spaced apart side rails  20  and  22 , between which spans an intermediate section  24 . The intermediate section  24  may be formed having a lattice or oval strut design, as a thin wall with open port holes, or using various other designs which further reduce materials costs and weight of the structural member  14 . In certain alternate embodiments, the intermediate section  24  between the side rails  20  and  22  may substantially be void of any structure. 
         [0024]    To receive the decorative members  16  and  18  in a snap fit or other fastened manner, the structural member  14 , or other structural member used if not cast, may include attachment features, such as projections  26  ( FIG. 3 ) to promote a snap-fit engagement of the decorative members  16  and  18 . The projections  26  are preferably located on the intermediate section  24  of the structural member  14 . In this regard, it will be understood that the decorative members  16  and  18  may also be reliably mounted to withstand use conditions of wakeboard towers, but preferably removably mounted onto the structural member  14  utilizing adhesives, hook and loop material, fasteners, and the like. 
         [0025]    The exterior surfaces of the side rails  20  and  22  will typically be visible and represent surfaces that may be sanded and finished, such as by painting or powder coating. The remaining surfaces of the side rails  20  and  22  and the intermediate section  24  are covered by the decorative members  16  and thus are not sanded or finished, thus greatly reducing the amount of surface area of the side rails  20  and  22  that are sanded and finished. However, if desired it will be understood that the decorative members  16  and  18  may be configured to cover substantially all exterior surfaces of the side rails  20  and  22  of the structural member  14 , thus virtually eliminating all need for sanding or other finishing. 
         [0026]    For the purpose of example, and with reference to  FIG. 6 , the structural member  14  has surfaces S 1 -S 16 . However, when the decorative members  16  and  18  shown in  FIGS. 1-6  are used, only surfaces S 1 , S 2 , and S 16  associated with the rail  20  and surfaces S 8 , S 9 , and S 10  associated with the rail  22  are exposed and typically need to be sanded and finished to provide the desired appearance and aesthetics. The majority of the surfaces, i.e., the surfaces S 3 -S 7  and S 11 -S 15 , are covered by the decorative members  16  and  18  and need not be significantly sanded and/or finished. In this regard, it will be understood that  FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing the decorative member  18  not installed and the other decorative member  16  installed on the structural member  14 . 
         [0027]    The decorative members  16  and  18  may be the same or different to one another and may represent the same or different aesthetic appearances and functional structures. For example, the members  16  and  18  may be vacuum formed plastic panels, or fiberglass or plastic sheet panels incorporating various color schemes, graphics, or other visual effects, such as lenticular materials and printing that provides a three-dimensional visual effect. The decorative members  16  and  18  may have a fabric or other finish, with the members  16  and  18  being of relatively lightweight and rigid construction. The decorative members  16  and  18  are preferably removably mounted to the structural members  14  to enable them to be readily changed out if desired so that another decorative or aesthetic expression may be presented on either or both sides of the structural member  14 . 
         [0028]    As mentioned above, various snap-fit or other fastening arrangements may be utilized to attach the decorative members  16  and  18  to the structural member  14 . In this regard, it will be understood that the attachment features may be provided on the decorative members  16  and  18  or the structural member  14  or both. For example, the decorative member  16  is shown ( FIG. 1 ) having apertures  28  for passage of fasteners, such as screws or the like. With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 6 , it will be seen that interior surfaces of the side rails  20  and  22  adjacent the intermediate section  24  are contoured, with the decorative member  16  having matching or corresponding contours to yield a snap-fit relationship. The decorative members  16  and  18  may also be permanently attached if desired, as by adhesives, sonic welding, overmolding, or the like. 
         [0029]    The decorative members  16  and  18  may also incorporate other components, including electrical components such as speakers, illumination, and the like. For example,  FIG. 7  shows one of the decorative members  16  or  18  having a plurality of audio speakers  30  located thereon, and  FIG. 8  shows one of the decorative members  16  or  18  having a plurality of illumination devices  32 , such as electrical lights or light emitting diodes, located thereon. The wiring for the speakers  30  or the illumination devices  32  may be located either within the decorative member  16  or  18  or on the back side thereof so as to be hidden from view. 
         [0030]    Utilizing the composite members  10  in accordance with the disclosure to manufacture wakeboard towers enables significant reductions in the labor needed to manufacture wakeboard towers. For example, it is believed that towers made using the composite members  10  involve only about 10 to 20 percent of the handwork (sanding and finishing) required in the manufacture of conventional wakeboard towers. As will be appreciated, this results in considerable economy. The towers according to the disclosure also have substantial advantages in that customized decorative appearances may be readily provided and repeatedly changed if desired. Also, the towers may incorporate other components, such as electrical components including speakers and lighting in an integrated manner. This is advantageous both from an ease of installation and incorporation standpoint, as well as an aesthetic standpoint. 
         [0031]    The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8