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Title: Aquatic vehicle
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body having floatation material secured thereto, steering means at the forward end of the body including a steering column and a steering shaft operatively connected to said steering column and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the vehicle body at an angle in the range of 40.degree. to 75.degree. from the vertical, a front ski member, a generally horizontal transverse pivot connecting the front ski member to the steering shaft at a point fowardly of the center of torque of the ski member, compression spring means on the front ski member and operatively connected to said steering shaft to yieldably bias the ski member to rotate towards an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, a flat plate defining the undersurface of the vehicle body, a rearwardly and downwardly inclined tapering tunnel formed in said plate longitudinally aligned with the front ski member and opening in a generally semi-circle at the forward edge of the plate spaced rearwardly of the front ski member and terminating adjacent the rear edge of the plate, a pair of outwardly extending and downwardly inclined longitudinal fins integral with said flat plate along the sides of the body and below the tunnel surface, a motor located in the body adjacent the rear end thereof, a depending drive shaft terminating in a propeller, anti-torque means cooperating with the propeller including a cowling encompassing the propeller and a pair of blades intersecting at right angles supported by the cowling behind the propeller, and a hollow air intake in the body communicating between the exterior of the body and the motor. 2. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body having floatation material secured thereto, steering means at the foward end of the body, a front ski member, a generally horizontal transverse pivot for said front ski member forming an operative connection to said steering means, a rearwardly and downwardly inclined tapering tunnel formed in the undersurface of the vehicle body to terminate adjacent the rear edge thereof, said tunnel being longitudinally aligned with and spaced rearwardly of the front ski member, and propulsion means located adjacent the rear edge of the vehicle body to propel the vehicle and rider through the water, wherein said tunnel opens in a semi-circle at the forward edge thereof and is formed in a generally flat plate defining the lower surface of the vehicle body, the tunnel terminating short of the rear edge of the plate, and including a pair of outwardly extending longitudinal fins along the sides of and below the tunnel surface, said fins being integral with said flat plate. 3. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body having floatation material secured thereto, steering means at the forward end of the body, a front ski member, a generally horizontal transverse pivot for said front ski member forming an operative connection to said steering means, a rearwardly and downwardly inclined tapering tunnel formed in the undersurface of the vehicle body to terminate adjacent the rear edge thereof, said tunnel being longitudinally aligned with and spaced rearwardly of the front ski member, and propulsion means located adjacent the rear edge of the vehicle body to propel the vehicle and rider through the water, wherein said tunnel opens in a semi-circle at the forward edge thereof and is formed in a generally flat plate defining the lower surface of the vehicle body, the tunnel terminating short of the rear edge of the plate, and including a pair of outwardly extending and downwardly inclined longitudinal fins integral with said flat plate along the sides of the body and below the tunnel surface. 4. An aquatic vehicle adapted for powered movement through water comprising a narrow body, steering means connected to said body located at the forward end of said body along the center line of said body, the lower surface of said body comprising a concave supporting surface located behind said steering means along the center line of said body, said supporting surface sloping downwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of said movement, and propulsion means mounted in said body and adapted to propel said body through the water, said body including a seat located between said steering means and said supporting surface, a quantity of floatation material disposed at the upper portion of said body and having a buoyancy sufficient to maintain said vehicle in floating condition in the water when a driver is not in position on the vehicle, but insufficient to maintain said seat above the waterline when the vehicle is stationary in the water, with a driver in said seat. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said steering means comprises a front ski member located at the extreme forward end of said vehicle, and including means for turning said ski relative to the direction of travel of said vehicle, steering of said vehicle being performed by simultaneously turning said ski and said driver leaning to one side. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a planar keel connected to the bottom of said front ski member and extending downwardly therefrom, said keel defining a plane intersecting a line parallel to the direction of travel of said vehicle when said front ski member is rotated during turning of said vehicle. 7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said steering means and said supporting surface each comprise lifting surfaces for producing an upwardly directed force when said vehicle is in motion through the water, whereby the elevation of said vehicle is raised substantially in relation to the water level when in motion. 8. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including a concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means comprising a tunnel surface formed as a part of the lower surface of said body, said tunnel surface opening in concave downward fashion with the side walls of said tunnel surface, at their outer edges, angled downwardly and outwardly, the intersection of said tunnel surface with a vertical plane passing through the center line of said vehicle comprising a rearwardly and downwardly sloping line. 9. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including a concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means including a pair of generally planar wings, said wings extending outwardly and downwardly from the rear portion on each side of said body, said wings being effective to produce a lifting force as said vehicle moves through the water without any substantial roll stability while said vehicle is upright, whereby roll stability must be achieved by the shifting of weight by the rider of the vehicle. 10. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including a concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means including a pair of generally planar wings, said wings extending outwardly from the rear portion on each side of said body, each of said wings having a swept back leading edge, said wings being effective to produce a lifting force as said vehicle moves through the water without any substantial roll stability while said vehicle is upright, whereby roll stability must be achieved by the shifting of weight by the rider of the vehicle. 11. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including a concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means including a pair of generally planar wings, said wings extending outwardly from the rear portion on each side of said body, each of said wings having a convex upper surface, said wings being effective to produce a lifting force as said vehicle moves through the water without any substantial roll stability while said vehicle is upright, whereby roll stability must be achieved by the shifting of weight by the rider of the vehicle. 12. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body, floatation material secured to said vehicle body, steering means located at the forward end of said body, a steerable front ski operatively connected to the steering means for supporting the forward portion of said body, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined tunnel formed in the undersurface of said vehicle body longitudinally aligned with and positioned rearwardly of said front ski, a motor in said body having a depending drive shaft connected with a propeller, and anti-torque means cooperating with said propeller. 13. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including a concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means including a pair of generally planar wings, said wings extending outwardly from the rear portion on each side of said body, said wings being effective to produce a lifting force as said vehicle moves through the water without any substantial roll stability while said vehicle is upright, whereby roll stability must be achieved by the shifting of weight by the rider of the vehicle, said lifting surface comprises a smoothly curved, downwardly opening funnel-like tunnel surface, with a forward location of said tunnel surface having a larger perimeter than a rearward location of said tunnel surface, the perimeter in each case being the length of the intersection formed by said tunnel surface in a plane normal to the center line of the vehicle, the upper portion of said tunnel surface being sloped downwardly and rearwardly to provide lift as said vehicle moves through the water. 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, including a steerable front ski for supporting the forward end of said body, such that at least the upper extremity of the forward end of said tunnel surface is above the water level when said vehicle is moving forward in an upright condition, a portion of the forward end of said tunnel surface passing below the water level during execution of a banked turn, to provide a force directed toward the inside of such turn which resists skidding of the vehicle outwardly and resists rolling of the vehicle inwardly. 15. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body, flotation material secured to said vehicle body, steering means located at the forward end of said body, a steerable front ski operatively connected to the steering means for supporting the forward portion of said body, a rearwardly inclined tunnel formed in the undersurface of said vehicle body longitudinally aligned with and positioned rearwardly of said front ski, a motor in said body having a depending drive shaft connected with a propeller, and anti-torque means cooperating with said propeller, said tunnel opening in a semi-circle at the forward edge of said body and tapering rearwardly and downwardly toward said propeller. 16. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body, flotation material secured to said vehicle body, steering means located at the forward end of said body, a steerable front ski operatively connected to the steering means for supporting the forward portion of said body, a rearwardly inclined tunnel formed in an undersurface of said vehicle body longitudinally aligned with and positioned rearwardly of said front ski, a motor in said body having a depending drive shaft connected with a propeller, anti-torque means cooperating with said propeller, and including a pair of outwardly extending longitudinal wings connected with the bottom surface of said body. 17. An aquatic vehicle comprising a relatively narrow body, a seat for a rider supported on said body, flotation means secured to said body and adapted to hold said body afloat when said body is in a stationary condition in the water, a steerable front ski secured to said body and adapted to support the forward portion of said body when said body is moving through the water, a manually operable steering member secured to said body and connected to said front ski, and a pair of wings extending laterally from the rear portion of said body for assisting in the support of the rear portion of said body during movement thereof through the water, said front ski and said rear wings exerting a lifting force on said body during such movement which is sufficient to raise said body so that said flotation material is out of contact with the water, the bottom surface of said body being formed with a concave downwardly sloping supporting surface, to assist in supporting the rear end of said body. 18. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including an inclined concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means also comprising a pair of generally planar wings, one of said wings extending outwardly from the rear portion on each side of said body, said wings being effective to produce a lifting force as said vehicle moves through the water without any substantial roll stability while said vehicle is upright, whereby roll stability must be achieved by the shifting of weight by the rider of the vehicle. 19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said wings have an aspect ratio of approximately unity, said aspect ratio being the quotient of the span of said wings measured in a direction transverse to the center line of said vehicle, divided by the length of said wings measured in a direction parallel to said center line. 20. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said rear wings extend outwardly from the lower surface of said body. 21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said propulsion means comprises a motor mounted within said body and a propeller mounted immediately below the lower surface of said body. 22. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said lifting means also includes a tunnel surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said tunnel surface being smoothly curved and concave opening downwardly. 23. Apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said tunnel surface is funnel-like, with a forward location of said tunnel having a larger perimeter than a rearward location of said tunnel, the perimeter in each case being the length of the intersection formed by said tunnel surface and a plane normal to the center line of the vehicle. 24. Apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said propulsion unit comprises a motor located in said body and a propeller disposed adjacent the rear end of said tunnel surface, whereby said tunnel operates to funnel water toward said propeller as said vehicle moves through the water. 25. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including an inclined concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said propulsion means including a motor mounted inside said body, and including an inverted U-shaped hollow air intake on said vehicle body behind said seat having an air intake opening, the ends of the intake communicating with said motor. 26. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including an inclined concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said propulsion means comprising a motor located in the vehicle body adjacent the rear end thereof and a depending drive shaft terminating in a propeller, and anti-torque means cooperating with said propeller, said anti-torque means including a cowling surrounding said propeller and a plurality of blades in said cowling behind said propeller, said blades being oriented to resist the torque resulting from turning of said propeller, said blades including a self-adjusting horizontal blade and a vertical blade supported by the cowling, said horizontal blade being pivotally mounted on the cowling so as to be inclined downwardly and rearwardly, and spaced stop means on the cowling limiting pivotal movement of the horizontal blade. 27. An aquatic vehicle comprising a narrow vehicle body including a centrally disposed seat for a driver, propulsion means for propelling the vehicle through the water, and lifting means disposed along the center line of said body for raising the position of said vehicle in the water as it is propelled forward, said lifting means including an inclined concave lifting surface formed in the lower surface of said body, said lifting means being effective to lift the center of gravity of said vehicle above the center of buoyancy, whereby said vehicle may be maintained in upright position while being propelled through the water by balancing of the driver, said lifting means comprising a tunnel surface formed as a part of the lower surface of said body, said tunnel surface opening in concave downward fashion, the side walls of said tunnel surface, at their outer edges, being angled downwardly and outwardly, and said tunnel surface comprising a smoothly curved funnel-like surface, with a forward portion of said surface having a greater perimeter than a rearward portion of said surface, said perimeters being measured in each case as the length of the line formed by the intersection of said surface with a vertical plane normal to the center line of said vehicle. 28. An aquatic vehicle comprising a relatively narrow body, a seat for a rider supported on said body, floatation means secured to said body and adapted to hold said body afloat when said body is in a stationary condition in the water, a steerable front ski secured to said body and adapted to support the forward portion of said body when said body is moving through the water, a manually operable steering member secured to said body and connected to said front ski, and a pair of wings extending laterally from the rear portion of said body for assisting in the support of the rear end of said body during movement thereof through the water, said front ski and said rear wings exerting a lifting force on said body during such movement which is sufficient to raise said body so that said floatation material is out of contact with the water, said rear wings extending outwardly from said body on both sides thereof to span a distance approximately equal to the length of said wings, said front ski having a width approximately equal to its length, said front ski incorporating a centrally disposed vertically depending fin, and said front ski including a concave downwardly opening surface, said surface having a generally plane central portion, extending longitudinally of said ski, and downwardly sloping portions joined to both sides of said central portion. Other info: Inventors: Ono, Hiroshi (Chicago, IL, US) Application Number: 466802 Filing Date: 1974-05-03 Publication_date: 1979-01-23 Assignee: Primary Class(es): 114/55.54 180/190, 440/77 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Blix, Trygve M. Assistant Examiner: Basinger, Sherman D. Attorney: |
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