GB1580166A - Sailboard - Google Patents

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION

( 11) 1 580 166 ( 21) Application No 16831/78 ( 62) Divided out of No 1580165 ( 22) Filed 26 Oct 1977 ( 31) Convention Application No's 2648784 ( 32) Filed 27 Oct 1976 2734699 2 Aug 1977 in ( 33) Fed Rep of Germany (DE) ( 44) Complete Specification Published 26 Nov 1980 ( 51) INT CL 3 B 63 H 9/10 ( 52) Index at Acceptance B 7 V HF ( 54) A SAILBOARD ( 71) I, HANS ERICH KUMMETZ, a German citizen of Otto-Raggenbass-Strasse 4, D-7750 Konstanz, Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is performed to be particularly described in and by the follow-

ing statement:-

The present invention relates to a sailboard.

Generally, a sailboard is a sailing vessel comprising a platform on which a sailor stands and a mast upstanding from the platform, the mast being adapted to carry a sail The mast is connected to the sailboard so that during sailing of the sailboard, the mast can be manipulated by the sailor relative to the platform in order to adjust setting of the sail for prevailing winds An example of a sailboard is described in my co-pending Patent Application No: 44606/77 (Serial No 1580165) which describes and claims a sailboard having a platform, a mast and means for connecting the mast to the platform and said means comprising a first connecting member adapted to be connected to the platform in a readily detachable manner, a second connecting member adapted to be connected to the mast and an elastomeric resilient member connecting the first connecting member to the second connecting member so that the mast is pivotable about a lower end portion thereof when mounted on the platform.

Another example of a sailboard is described in U S Patent Application No:

716,547 in which the mast is connected to the platform by a mast heel joint comprising two metal components which are located at right angles to one another However, such a heel joint is not satisfactory because the joint does not permit circular movement of the mast relative to the platform and, in addition, is not sufficiently robust and tends to corrode.

In U S Patent Specification No:

2,353,007 there is described a sailboard having a mast heel joint in the form of a ball joint However, such a mast heel joint has at least some of the disadvantages of the mast heel joint described in U S Patent Application No: 716,547.

It is desirable, therefore, to provide a sailboard having a mast heel joint which is robust, is resistant to corrosion and which is movable relative to the platform in all desirable directions Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a mast heel joint which permits movement of the mast relative to the platform without injuring the feet of the sailor.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sailboard having a platform, a mast, means for connecting the mast to the platform in a readily detachable manner a component carried by the platform and a flexible member connecting the component to the said means so that when the mast is disconnected from the platform, the said means remains connected to the said component.

Following is a description, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of methods of carrying the invention into effect Figures 1 to 11 show arrangements for use with the embodiments of the invention set forth in Figures 12 to 15.

In the drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sailboard in accordance with the present invention with a portion of a platform thereof shown partly cut away, Figure 2 is an elevation, shown partly in cross section, of a mast heel joint of the sailboard, Figure 3 is an elevation of the mast heel joint with a mast of the sailboard in an inclined position, Figure 4 is a more detailed view of the 00 tn ( 19) 1 580 166 mast heel joint shown partly in cross section, Figure 5 is a cross section on the line V-V of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a cross section on the line VI-VI of Figure 4, Figure 7 is a cross section on the line VII-VII of Figure 4, Figure 8 is a cross section of part of another embodiment of a mast heel joint, Figure 9 is a view, shown partly in cross section of another part of the embodiment of the mast heel joint shown in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a view, shown partly in cross section, of another embodiment of a mast heel joint with the mast in an erect position, Figure 11 is an elevation, shown partly in cross section of the mast heel joint shown in Figure 10 with the mast in an inclined position, Figure 12 is a view, shown partly in cross section, of one embodiment of a mechanism embodying a catch-line, Figure 13 is a cross section of another embodiment of a mechanism embodying a catch-line, Figure 14 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 13, and Figure 15 is a view shown partly in cross section, of another embodiment of a mechanism including a catch-line.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a sailboard R comprises a platform 1 and a tubular mast 2 of a length u of about 450 cm on which is drawn a sheath 3 provided along one edge of a triangular sail S The sail is stretched from the mast 2 by a forked boom 4 and a mast heel rope 7.

The platform 1 which has a width c of about 70 cm and a length e of almost 400 cm consists of a double-shell aluminium body with a foam filling 6 Adjacent the mast 2 and extending on the longitudinal axis L of the platform 1, is a centreboard box 9 m for a centreboard 9, displaceable therein, of a height a of for instance 60 cm The centreboard 9 may be displaceably fastened in the centreboard box 9 m or guided in a groove, not shown, on the bottom 10 of the platform 1.

A mast heel joint E is provided for connecting the mast 2 to the platform 1 The mast heel joint E has a length h (Figure 4) of cm or h, of 150 cm (Figures 2 and 8).

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, the platform 1 has an upper surface 11 having a recess 40 in which there is firmly located a sleeve 41 The sleeve 41 has firmly seated therein a cylindrical member 42 having an upper collar 43, there being a sealing ring Q disposed between the collar 43 and the sleeve 41 Thus the cylindrical member 42 may be readily withdrawn from the sleeve 41 to remove the mast 2 along with the joint E when desired The collar 43 has seated thereon a first connecting part 45 comprising a cup-shaped bush 46 having an inner cavity JI open from above The cavity J 1 has received therein one end portion a cylindrical block Z of an elastomer of high extensibility such as EPDM rubber, the other end portion of which is received in a cavity J 2 of a mating bush 48 of a second joint part 49 so that the block Z is contained within the two joint parts 45, 49.

The tubular mast 2 has an outer diameter i of 40 mm and a wall thickness j of 1 5 mm and is located firmly on the second joint part 49, as shown in Figures 4 and 8, the second joint part 49 having a circumferential recessed portion 50 adapted to be received in the mast 2 The portion 50 has an axial bore 51 which is aligned with a bore 52 of the cylindrical member 42 The bores 51, 52 receive therein bolts 53 and 53 having heads 54 and having located thereon washers 55 the bolts being arranged so that the heads 54 urge the washers 55 into engagement with adjacent surfaces of the cylindrical member 42 and the portion 50, the latter being indicated at 58 The threaded end 59 of each bolt 53 is screwed into threaded inserts 60 provided at opposite ends of the cylindrical block Z The threaded inserts 60 are cast or vulcanized in the elastomer block Z Opposite end surfaces 61 of the block Z may be provided with end plates 47 (see Figure 4) which engage inner walls of the bushes 46, 48 or, as shown in Figure 10, may be provided with adhesive 62 for securing the block to the said inner walls The outer circumferential surface 63 of the block Z may also be adhesively secured to inner surfaces of the bushes 46, 48.

Opposite facing surfaces of the two joint parts 45, 49 having surved divergent portions 70 so that when the mast 2 is pivoted relative to the platform 1 from a normal vertical position of the mast 2, in which the joint parts are in abutment with one another, to an inclined position (see Figures 3 and 11) the portions 70 permit such movement, the curvature of the portions 70 defining the geometrical locus for the point of inclination The lower edge 73 of the mast is spaced from said point, depending on the embodiment, by a distance g of 10 mm or g, of 70 mm.

When the mast 2 is swung from the normal vertical position line with the axis K, the block Z deforms and is stressed due to tension therein, the compressive forces being taken up and transmitted further by the bushes 46, 48 which engage one another at least at such point of inclination.

Due to the above-described development of the joint E and of the fact that the stress or force relations prevailing in the block Z are radially the same on all sides, the mast 2 1 580 166 can thus be swung down to a lower inclination angle W of about 900 with respect to the main axis K of the mast as indicated in Figure 3 and then be returned almost automatically into its normal position.

The bush 46 is provided in a surface 75 thereof adjacent the collar 43 with a cavity 76 adapted to receive a metal ring 77 The cylindrical member 42 which is made of a thermosetting resin and the bushing 46 which is made of the same material are rotatable with respect to one another on the metal ring 77 In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, a lower surface of the lower joint part 45 is provided with an annular recess 96 having radial webs, not shown, extending to a boss recessed to provide the cavity 76 for the metal ring 77.

Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 11, the cylindrical member 42 a of the joint E 1 has located therebelow a block 80 having a height p of 2 5 cm The block 80 is of elastic material having a lower surface 81 which is engaged by the washer 55 urged thereagainst by a nut 54 m The nut 54 m and a lock nut 54 k are screwed onto a threaded end portion 53 k of a wire rope 82.

The wire rope 82 extends through the axial bores 51, 52 and bore 51, in the elastomeric block Z and is secured therein by the washers 55 urged thereagainst by the nut 54 m and a similar nut (not shown) screwed on the remote end of the wire rope 82.

If the mast 2 is tilted, the wire rope 82 pulls the lower screw head 54 and with it the face 81 of the block 80 towards the mast Since the block 80 bears against the cylindrical member 42 a, the tension in the wire rope 82 causes shortening of the block and thus radial elongation thereof whereby the diameter q of the block 80 is increased.

The outer surface 83 of the block 80 thus is forced radially outwardly against the inner surface of the sleeve 41 and thus forms a coupling between mast 2 and platform 1 which coupling becomes increasingly frictionally locked upon an increasing inclination of the mast.

The height g 2 of the raised portion 70 of the joint E from the upper surface of the platform 1 is such that a foot of a sailor standing on the platform 1 is not struck by the tilted mast 2.

The joint E 2 of Figure 12 has an upper joint part 49 k which widens towards the mast and a circumferential recessed portion k provided with a mast heel rope 7.

At the lower end of the bolt 53 there is provided an eye 86 to which a flexible member, in this case a catch line 87 for the mast is attached This line is connected at the other end to a tension spring or rubber band 88 in a component, in this case a catch-line box 89 having a cover 90 in the lower surface 10 of the platform 1 The catch-line box 89 terminates in the region of the sleeve 41 in a cylinder shoe 92 which is displaceable telescopically on said sleeve or on a shoulder-like part 91, as a result of which the structural unit consisting of the sleeve 41 and catch-box 89 can be adapted to the thickness bl of the platform 1.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14, the catch-line box 89 h is mounted on the upper surface 11 of the platform 1 as a compact insertion element with the mast heel sleeve 41 The catch-line box 89 h contains a pulley 93 on which the catch-line 87 is wound, the pulley having a spring 94 resisting unwinding the catch-line 87 therefrom The catch-line is secured to the mast and provides a safety device when the mast heel joint E comes loose from the platform 1.

In accordance with Figure 15, the catchline 87 extends through a keel groove 95 of the platform 1 and its elastic end 88 is attached to an eye 85 of the centreboard 89.

The elasticity of the elastic end 88 is so determined that the mast heel joint E can move only a small distance away from the platform 1 and, when the mast 2 is erected on the platform 1, the catch-line 87 rests lightly in the keel groove 95.

In an embodiment not shown in the drawing, the catch-line 87 can also be guided through a tube located in the platform 1, instead of through the keel groove In the case of hollow platforms 1, the catch-line 87 may extend within the body of the board.

In all the cases described, the catch-line 87 does not lie on the upper surface 11 of the platform 1 when the sailboard R is in use and is therefore protected from being grasped or being struck by the foot of a sailor.

Claims (11)

WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1 A sailboard having a platform, a mast, means for connecting the mast to the platform in a readily detachable manner a component carried by the platform and a flexible member connecting the component to the said means so that when the mast is disconnected from the platform, the said means remains connected to the said component.

2 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the platform is provided with a guide and at least a portion of the flexible member extends in the guide.

3 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the flexible member is provided with a resilient portion.

4 A sailboard as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the guide is provided in a lower surface of the platform.

A sailboard according to any one of 1 580 166 the preceding Claims wherein the component is secured to the platform.

6 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the component is a winding device for winding the flexible member thereon.

7 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the winding device is provided with a force storage means which produces a return force directed in opposition to pulling force of the flexible member.

8 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the guide is telescopically adjustable.

9 A sailboard as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the platform is provided with a recess adapted to receive said component.

A sailboard as claimed in Claim 9 wherein said recess is adapted to receive said component on one side of said platform and is adapted to receive said means on an opposite side of said platform.

11 A sailboard substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 12 to 15 of the accompanying drawings.

For the Applicants:

F.J CLEVELAND & COMPANY, Chartered Patent Agents, 40 43 Chancery Lane, London WC 2 A 1 h.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, by Croydon Printing Company Limited, Croydon, Surrey, 1980.

Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC 2 A IAY, from which copies may be obtained.