GB2554050A

GB2554050A - Versatile canoe seating system

Info

Publication number: GB2554050A
Application number: GB1611097.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Standen John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-06-26
Filing date: 2016-06-26
Publication date: 2018-03-28
Also published as: GB201611097D0

Abstract

A canoe seating system comprising a canoe seat 3, a longitudinal track 1, and a locking means 4 which locks the seat in position. The track is either mounted into the hull after manufacture of the hull or the track is formed as an integral part of the hull, where the longitudinal axis of the track is approximately along the centre line of the hull. The angle of the seat may be adjusted, as the seat is pivotally connected to the seat supports 8 by the axis pins 9 where the seat angle is locked by the bolts 10 which pass through the curves slots 12. The track may be a slotted groove where the seat may be clamped to the track by T-slot fasteners 4. The seat may be removed from the track, so it can be used as a seat away from the canoe. The canoe seat may also comprise kneeling pads which remain in the same position relative to the seat, when the seat is moved forwards and backwards. The systems allows additional seats to be added to the canoe. The seat is less wide than the width of the hull of the canoe.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

John Paul Standen (56) Documents Cited:

EP 0158525 A2 US 20120077396 A1 US 20080060569 A1

CN 203439234 U US 20090038526 A1

Farndon Road, WOODFORD HALSE, Northamptonshire, NN11 3TT, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

John Paul Standen (58) Field of Search:

INT CL A47C, B63B, B63H Other: EPODOC, WPI (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

John Paul Standen

Farndon Road, WOODFORD HALSE, Northamptonshire, NN11 3TT, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Versatile canoe seating system Abstract Title: Longitudinally adjustable canoe seat (57) A canoe seating system comprising a canoe seat 3, a longitudinal track 1, and a locking means 4 which locks the seat in position. The track is either mounted into the hull after manufacture of the hull or the track is formed as an integral part of the hull, where the longitudinal axis of the track is approximately along the centre line of the hull.

The angle of the seat may be adjusted, as the seat is pivotally connected to the seat supports 8 by the axis pins 9 where the seat angle is locked by the bolts 10 which pass through the curves slots 12. The track may be a slotted groove where the seat may be clamped to the track by T-slot fasteners 4. The seat may be removed from the track, so it can be used as a seat away from the canoe. The canoe seat may also comprise kneeling pads which remain in the same position relative to the seat, when the seat is moved forwards and backwards. The systems allows additional seats to be added to the canoe. The seat is less wide than the width of the hull of the canoe.

Figure 2

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Figure 2

VERSATILE CANOE SEATING SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a canoe seating system which provides for simple installation, removal, longitudinal positional adjustment and fixing of the seating which allows the user to optimise the paddling position within the canoe, the seating method allowing for a design which avoids structural connection to the sides of the canoe and avoids the risk of the paddler’s feet becoming trapped underneath the seat.

Background to the Invention

Traditional canoe seats typically comprise a wooden frame supported beneath and between the gunwales of the canoe with the supporting means being either attached to the gunwales or to the sides of the canoe hull. The seat frame typically has a seating area within the central area of the frame. Some canoe seats are made from plastic but these share the same method of attachment to the gunwales or sides of the canoe.

Some traditional canoe seats are moveable longitudinally although this movement is generally limited as they are suspended from the sides of the hull or the gunwales, neither of which are parallel.

A canoe with traditional seating arrangements generally has the seats mounted at different distances from each end of the canoe to allow a degree of flexibility of seating position when using the canoe for different purposes.

Considering a canoe with two seats, one seat will generally be mounted close to one end of the canoe and the second seat will be mounted further from the other end of the canoe. This arrangement allows the canoe to be paddled by one or two people and the direction of paddling is generally changed accordingly.

It is generally the case that when a two seated canoe is paddled by two people the end which a seat is mounted closest to will be used as the stern, thus allowing the other person to sit facing the bow with sufficient leg room. Conversely, when such a canoe is paddled by a single person it is common to reverse the direction of travel so that the paddler is sitting on the seat which is furthest from the end of the canoe and facing the other, unused, seat. This arrangement when a single person is paddling improves the balance of the boat as the weight of the person is closer to the centre although it is often the case that the paddler is still located too far from the centre of the canoe to achieve optimum paddling performance.

It is common for a canoe hull profile to be generally symmetrical so that the canoe can be paddled in either direction.

To further improve the longitudinal weight distribution in a canoe, and also to lower the centre of mass, it is common for a person paddling a canoe to adopt a kneeling position on the floor of the canoe. This also allows the person to lean the canoe sideways which can significantly improve the manoeuvrability of the canoe.

Sometimes a person adopting a kneeling position in a canoe uses a seat to rest their buttocks upon to provide support and sometimes a dedicated kneeling thwart is provided for this purpose.

Sometimes a person kneeling in a canoe will place foam padding on the floor of the canoe to improve comfort to their knees.

Whether using a seat or kneeling thwart to provide additional support when adopting a kneeling position, the paddler is limited to the fixed position of the support and is exposed to the danger of their feet becoming trapped under the support which presents a danger in the event of the canoe overturning and the paddler becoming submerged in the water.

When a person paddling a canoe chooses to lean a canoe sideways it generally causes some discomfort as no sideways support for this is provided and this lack of sideways support also makes the danger of the paddler tipping into the water more likely, especially in rough water conditions. This is especially relevant if the person paddling is positioned in an open area of the canoe, perhaps to achieve optimum weight balance, and does not have support available from either a seat or a kneeling thwart.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides a canoe seating system whereby the canoe seat, which is of limited width and does not extend to the sides of the canoe, rests upon the floor of the canoe and can be locked onto a device mounted longitudinally on the floor of the canoe or incorporated within the floor of the canoe, so that the canoe seat is held securely at the desired longitudinal position in the canoe.

Because the seat does not extend to the sides of the canoe it may be safely used as a support when kneeling with the paddler’s lower legs placed either side of the seat, thus allowing the paddler to easily escape without risk of entrapment in the event of the canoe becoming overturned.

Because the seat mounting structure is between the lower legs of the paddler when the paddler is adopting a kneeling position, the paddler may place the inside of their lower leg against the side of the seat structure when leaning the canoe sideways, thus gaining lateral support and avoiding the danger of tipping into the water.

Preferably the longitudinal position of the seat will be infinitely variable within the constraints of the mounting means attached to the floor of the canoe although a mounting means whereby the seat can be affixed in discrete positions will suffice and still offer significant benefits.

Preferably the seat will be adjustable in height to allow the most comfortable height to be set by the user.

Preferably the seat will have an adjustable seating angle so that the most comfortable support angle can be set by the user.

Preferably the seat may be easily attached to the canoe or detached from the canoe, thus allowing the canoe to be set up for single or multiple person use as required. The ability to easily remove a seat also allows the seat to be used separately from the canoe, for example to provide a stool when camping or taking a rest break during a canoe journey.

Preferably the seat will have provision for the attachment of kneeling pads so that the kneeling pads are always available in the correct position relative to the seat regardless of the longitudinal position of the seat within the canoe.

Preferably any attached kneeling pads can be folded away within the seat structure when they are not required.

Preferably one or more adjustable seats within a canoe will have a concave curved section at the rear edge of the seat which can be fixed in an upwards position by the seat tilting mechanism so that the curved edge can be used to support the canoe upon a user’s shoulders when the canoe is being carried. This feature, together with the ability to adjust the seat position longitudinally to the centre of the canoe, will allow the normal carrying thwart to be omitted from the canoe.

The mounting means attached to the canoe may beneficially comprise a slotted groove into which can be placed one or more threaded fasteners which can be positioned longitudinally and provide a means of fixing the seat in the desired position although the method of providing longitudinal adjustment and attachment is not limited to the use of such a slotted groove and any suitable fastening means which provides adequate location adjustment and fastening capability may be employed. The slotted groove method of providing mounting means is well known as a method of clamping, especially on machine tools, and is often referred to as a T-slot. Fastening means may use cam action locking devices rather than threaded fasteners. Other suitable adjustable clamping means which could be employed include a rail onto which the seat structure can be locked and a series of discrete fastener devices onto which the seat structure can be fastened at the nearest suitable location. The length of the mounting means may be varied to suit individual user requirements and may vary from a relatively short length sufficient only to provide limited adjustment to a relatively long length. The mounting means may comprise a plurality of shorter lengths attached at different locations along the canoe hull.

The use of mounting means attached to the hull and arranged longitudinally along a significant length of the hull not only provides suitable mounting means for seating apparatus but also provides means whereby other devices can be attached to the canoe. Examples of other devices which could beneficially utilise the mounting means include storage device, flotation devices, cooking apparatus, photography and videography tripods, sailing apparatus such as masts and rigging attachment points, fishing equipment, safety equipment attachment points and luggage attachment points.

The clamping means will beneficially feature a degree of mechanical compliance which limits the upwards force which can be imparted upon the mounting means attached to the hull. Such mechanical compliance could be achieved through the use of leaf spring arrangements, tension spring arrangements or any other means which suitably limits the pulling force acting upon the mounting means attached to the hull and may be achieved by limiting the stiffness of parts of the seat structure rather than adding dedicated spring components. Regardless of the method employed to achieve mounting compliance it will be necessary to ensure that adequate locating force is achieved to hold the seat in position although this action is aided by the weight of the user when the seat is in use. Lateral positional stability is important to ensure that the seat remains in the chosen position when the user is leaning the canoe and using the seat as a support aid. The requirements for vertical mechanical compliance and high lateral rigidity favour the use of one or more leaf springs which attach to the seat mounting and are pulled downwards when clamped to the mounting means attached to the hull.

A further benefit of the invention is that the versatile and adjustable seating arrangements mean that the direction of travel does not need to be reversed when converting the canoe from solo to multiple person use and therefore an asymmetric hull design which favours travel in a single direction may be employed, thereby improving the efficiency of the canoe.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a canoe with a simple version of the seating system fitted,

Figure 2 is an orthographic view showing a limited length of mounting track with a seat which incorporates tilt adjustment and a multiple spring clamping method.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a canoe and seat showing a mounting track 1 affixed longitudinally to, and approximately on the centre-line of, hull 2 and seat

3 clamped to the mounting means 1 using T-slot fastener 4 which locates within the groove of mounting means 1 and passes through the flexibly compliant part of the seat 5 such that the resultant tensile force applied to the bond between mounting means 1 and hull 2 is limited by the spring characteristic of the compliant part 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 T-slot fastener 4 causes the flexibly compliant part of the seat 5 to be pulled into contact with mounting track 1 by a simple internally threaded nut 6 which engages on external threads on T-slot fastener 4, the friction created between the compliant part of the seat 5 and the mounting track 1 being sufficient to hold the seat in a fixed position relative to hull 2. The compliant part of the seat 5 provides compliance in the vertical direction and is sufficiently stiff in the lateral direction to resist sideways movement of the seat when the user braces a lower leg against the seat to lean the canoe.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the invention based upon the principles shown in Figure 1 with further enhancements to allow adjustable tilting and fixing of the seat 3, also the use of multiple compliant springs 5, T-slot fasteners 4 and threaded nuts 6. The movable part of seat 3 has attachments 7 which are pivotally connected to seat supports 8 around axis pins 9. The seat attachments 7 are clamped against the seat supports 8 by bolts 10, the male threaded sections 11 of which pass through curved slots 12 in seat supports 8 and engage with female threads in seat attachments 7. The curved slots 12 are concentric to axis pins 9 and allow a range of tilting of seat 3 which is limited by the dimensions of the curved slots 12.

VERSATILE CANOE SEATING SYSTEM

06 17

Claims

1. A canoe seating system comprising a canoe seat which rests upon the floor of 5 the canoe and does not have sufficient width to reach the sides of the hull, a longitudinally mounted track affixed to the inside of the hull and locking means such that the canoe seat can be locked to the track in a longitudinal position convenient to the user.

2. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the track is mounted 10 approximately on the centre line of the hull.

3. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the seat locking means provides an amount of compliance such that the pulling force exerted on the track is limited.

4. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the angle of the canoe 15 seat can be adjusted to improve comfort when the user kneels on the floor of the canoe and uses the seat for support.

5. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the track is formed as an integral part of the hull during manufacture of the hull.

6. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the track is added to the 20 hull after manufacture of the hull.

7. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the seat can be removed from the canoe and used as a seat away from the canoe.

8. A canoe seating system according to claim 1 whereby the canoe seat has kneeling pads attached such that the kneeling pads remain in the correct position

25 relative to the seat when the seat is adjusted longitudinally within the canoe.

9. A canoe seating system according to any preceding claim whereby additional seats can be added to a canoe.

Intellectual

Property

Office

GB1611097.5

1-9

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