Abstract:
A protective fender for a personal water craft utilizes a V-shaped resilient body that utilizes a pair of hooks to engage the flange on opposite sides of the water craft. An adjustable strap connects the two hooks and allows for positioning of the hooks and tightening of the entire structure so that the body is securely fastened to the water craft.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application relates to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60,535,028 filed Jan. 8, 2004. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to a protective fender for a floating structure and, more particularly, pertains to a fender for use with a personal water craft such as a jet ski. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Protective fenders have been developed for personal water craft. An example of such a fender is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,729. In this patent, the fender body itself includes a hook portion to engage the bond flange on a personal water craft. A flex region of the body allows the fender to conform to either of the front hull or the rear section of the water craft. A suction cup or securing line is attached to an end of the body opposite the hook portion to further attach the fender to the water craft. Fenders such as disclosed in the &#39;729 patent have the disadvantage of not extending below the water level of the craft and they tend to disengage from the craft far too easily. 
   It is desirable to provide a protective fender which gives the water craft protection above and below the waterline. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective fender for a personal water craft that is easily positioned on the water craft and, once positioned, is securely fastened to the water craft. 
   In one aspect of the invention, a protective fender is provided for a personal water craft having a hull with a flange on both sides. The protective fender includes a V-shaped resilient body attachable to the water craft. A first attachment structure is disposed on the body and engageable with the flange on one side of the water craft. A second attachment structure is engageable with the flange on the other side of the water craft. An adjustment structure connects the first and second attachment structures. The body includes a pair of diverging legs. One leg of the V-shaped body is longer than the other leg of the V-shaped body. At least one leg of the V-shaped body has a locking device to secure the adjustment structure to the body. The adjustment structure comprises an adjustable strap between the first and second attachment structures. The body includes a horizontally extending fin projecting from a central portion thereof, the fin being provided with a passageway. The fin is engageable with the flange. Each of the legs has a free end provided with a locking tab having a pair of slots formed therethrough. The free end of one of the legs is provided with a valve for admitting fluid into the body. The flexible strap is passed through the passageway of the fin and is woven through the slots of one of the locking tabs. The body is reversibly disposed on the water craft. 
   In another aspect of the invention, a protective fender is provided for a personal water craft having a hull with a flange on both sides. The fender includes a reversible V-shaped body attached to the water craft. A first hook structure is disposed on the body and engageable with the flange on one side of the water craft. A second hook structure is disposed on the body and engageable with the flange on an opposite side of the water craft. An adjustable strap is engageable with the body and connects the first and second hook structures. 
   Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description in the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. 
     In the drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a personal water craft fender constructed according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one side of a personal water craft equipped with the fender of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an opposite side of the personal water craft equipped with the fender of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to the drawings, thereshown is a resilient, protective fender  10  for use with a personal water craft  12  having a deck  11  and a bond flange  14  extending along the top of a water craft hull  13 . The body of fender  10  is formed of a PVC or foam material in a V-shape having a first leg  15  and a second leg  16  with leg  15  being longer than leg  16 . Free ends of diverging legs  15  and  16  are each provided with a locking tab  18  having a pair of slots  20  formed therethrough. A horizontally extending fin  22  having a passageway  24  projects from a central portion of the fender  10  where the legs  15  and  16  are joined. 
   An elongated, flexible strap  26  is passed through passageway  24  in fin  22  and woven through the slots  20  of one of the locking tabs  18  (e.g. the locking tab on leg  15  as shown in  FIG. 1 ). Each end of strap  26  is provided with a J-shaped hook  28 . Each of the hooks  28  is engageable with flange  14  and the length of the strap  26  between hooks  28  can be adjusted by means of an adjustment buckle  30 . 
   In use, one of the hooks  28  is engaged with an underside of flange  14  on one side of the water craft with the bottom of fin  22  resting on the top of flange  14  to add stability. The fin  22  can be trimmed if necessary to fit the exact length that the flange  14  extends from the water craft  12 . While strap  26  is kept tight, the other of the hooks  28  is secured to flange  14  on the opposite side of the water craft. The strap  26  can now be pulled tight by means of the adjustment buckle  30 , thus securing the fender  10  to water craft  12 .  FIG. 1  illustrates the disposition of a fender  10  wherein the longer leg  15  is oriented upwardly to protect the deck  11  on the forward portion of the water craft  12 . 
   As a feature of the invention, the fender is reversible and can be turned 180 degrees so that the fender  10  can be disposed with the shorter leg  16  oriented upwardly and the longer leg  15  oriented downwardly to give more protection along the hull  13 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The fender  10  has locking tabs  18  on both free ends so that the fender  10  can be rotated 180 degrees with strap  26  woven through the slots  20  on locking tab  18  of leg  16  and passed through passageway  24  of fin  22 . The reversible design of the fender  10  thus gives the water craft protection above and below the water line. Smaller, lightweight personal water craft  12  are subject to extreme rocking and rolling from waves when docked and have previously been subjected to damage above and below the bond flange  14 . Accordingly, the fender  10  may be used in either disposition of  FIG. 1  or  2  to prevent damage of docked water craft  12  from other boats, piers, rafts and docks. The slots  20  in tabs  18  provide a locking action that prevents the fender from sliding up on the strap and altering the proper location of the installed fender  10 . 
   The free end of leg  16  is provided with a valve  32  for admitting air into an internal chamber in the fender  10  to provide added cushioning and protection. Because storage space for the fender  10  on water craft  12  is limited, the valve  32  may be deflated so that trapped air in the fender  10  may be let out to enable an easier manipulation and storage of the fender  10 . In addition, the valve  32  can be used to let a few inches of water into the fender  10  to add stability and prevent it from floating up when it is below the water line. 
   While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain substitutions, alterations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary only and should not be deemed limitative on the scope of the invention set forth with the following claims.