Motorized kayak

Abstract

A small, light weight watercraft that can be used and enjoyed in substantially the same manner as a conventional kayak, but one that includes a novel auxiliary power system for propelling the watercraft through the water. The auxiliary power system comprises a four-stroke, overhead-valve, single-cylinder engine that is of the character typically used to drive the cutting line head of a conventional line trimmer device. In one form of the invention, the speed of the engine can be controlled by a hand-operated throttle mounted on the kayak paddle. The conventional kayak has been modified by installing at the stem of the kayak an elongated, tubular-shaped duct having a water inlet port and by mounting within the hull of the kayak the engine system that includes a drive shaft that extends through the hull and into the tubular shaped duct to impart rotation to a propeller that is mounted on the drive shaft for controlled rotation within the tubular shaped duct.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A powered watercraft for traversing a body of water comprising: 
 (a) a hull having a stem portion, an operator's cockpit and a top accessible compartment located between said stem portion and said operator's cockpit;    (b) a motor mounted within said top accessible compartment, said motor having a drive shaft;    (c) a tubular member mounted within said stem portion, said tubular member having a first open end and a second end, said tubular member further including a propeller compartment and an inlet port located between said first and second ends, said inlet port communicating with the body of water being traversed by the watercraft;    (d) a support disposed within said second end of said tubular member, said drive shaft extending through and being supported by said support; and    (e) propeller connected to said drive shaft for rotation within said propeller compartment.    
     
     
         2 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 1 , in which said support includes bearing means for rotatably supporting said drive shaft of said motor.  
     
     
         3 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 1  further including cooling means carried by said hull for cooling said motor.  
     
     
         4 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 1  in which said hull is provided with a water inlet in communication with the body of water being traversed by the watercraft and in which a cooling means comprises a first conduit interconnecting said water inlet with said motor.  
     
     
         5 . A powered watercraft for traversing a body of water comprising: 
 (a) a hull having a cooling water inlet in communication with the body of water, a stem portion, an operator's cockpit and a top accessible compartment located between said stem portion and said operator's cockpit;    (b) a gasoline powered motor mounted within said top accessible compartment, said motor having a drive shaft;    (c) a tubular member mounted within said stem portion, said tubular member having a first open end and a second end, said tubular member further including a propeller compartment and an inlet port located between said first and second ends, said inlet port communicating with the body of water being traversed by the watercraft;    (d) support means for closing said second end of said tubular member, said drive shaft extending through and being supported by said support means;    (e) a propeller connected to said drive shaft for rotation within said propeller compartment; and    (f) cooling means carried by said hull for cooling said motor, said cooling means comprising; 
 (i) an oil pan cooler connected to said motor, said oil pan cooler having a water inlet and a water outlet;  
 (ii) a first conduit interconnecting said cooling water inlet in said hull with said water inlet of said oil pan cooler; and  
 (iii) a second conduit interconnecting said water outlet of said oil pan cooler with said support means.  
   
     
     
         6 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 5  in which said hull is provided with a second water inlet and in which said cooling means further comprises: 
 (a) an exhaust manifold cooler connected to said motor, said manifold cooler having a water inlet and a water outlet;  
 (b) a third conduit interconnecting said second water inlet with said inlet of said exhaust manifold cooler; and  
 (c) a fourth conduit interconnecting said water outlet of said exhaust manifold cooler with said support means.  
 
     
     
         7 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 5  further including a paddle for use in moving the watercraft through the water and in which the powered watercraft includes throttle means carried by said paddle for controlling said motor.  
     
     
         8 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 5  in which said propeller includes six circumferentially spaced vanes.  
     
     
         9 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 5  further including closure means for closing said top accessible compartment.  
     
     
         10 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 9  in which said closure means comprises: 
 (a) a cover member for sealably closing said top accessible compartment;  
 (b) a tubular member sealably connected to said cover member and extending therefrom, said tubular member including an upper portion having an opening and a lower portion;  
 (c) a sealing ring disposed intermediate said upper and lower portions of said tubular member; and  
 (d) plug means disposed within said upper portion of said tubular member for telescopic movement between a first position and a second position wherein said plug closes said opening in said upper portion of said tubular member.  
 
     
     
         11 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 10  in which said plug means comprises a generally cylindrically shaped, buoyant plug.  
     
     
         12 . The powered watercraft as defined in  claim 11  further including biasing means for biasing said plug means toward said first position.  
     
     
         13 . A kayak apparatus for traversing a body of water comprising: 
 (a) a hull having a stern portion, said operator's cockpit and a top accessible compartment located between said stern portion and said operator's cockpit;    (b) a gasoline powered motor mounted within said top accessible compartment, said motor having a drive shaft and a throttle means, including a hand control for controlling speed of the motor;    (c) a paddle for moving the watercraft through the water, said hand control of said throttle means being mounted on said paddle;    (d) a tubular member mounted within said stern portion, said tubular member having a first open end and a second end, said tubular member further including a propeller compartment and an inlet port located between said first and second ends, said inlet port communicating with the body of water being traversed by the watercraft;    (e) support means for closing said second end of said tubular member, said drive shaft extending through and being supported by said support means; and    (f) a propeller connected to said drive shaft for rotation within said propeller compartment.    
     
     
         14 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 13  further including closure means for closing said top accessible compartment.  
     
     
         15 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 13  in which said closure means comprises: 
 (a) a cover member for sealably closing said top accessible compartment;  
 (b) a tubular member sealably connected to said cover member and extending therefrom, said tubular member including an upper portion having an opening and a lower portion;  
 (c) a sealing ring disposed intermediate said upper and lower portions of said tubular member; and  
 (d) plug means disposed within said upper portion of said tubular member for telescopic movement between a first position and a second position wherein said plug closes said opening in said upper portion of said tubular member, said plug means comprising a generally cylindrically shaped, buoyant plug.  
 
     
     
         16 . The watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 13  in which said hull is provided with the first and second water inlet ports in communication with the body of water and in which the watercraft further includes cooling means carried by said hull for cooling said motor.  
     
     
         17 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 16  in which said cooling means comprises: 
 (a) an oil pan cooler connected to said motor, said oil pan cooler having a water inlet and a water outlet;  
 (b) a first conduit interconnecting said cooling water inlet in said hull with said water inlet of said oil pan cooler; and  
 (c) a second conduit interconnecting said water outlet of said oil pan cooler with said support means.  
 
     
     
         18 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 16  in which said cooling means further comprises: 
 (a) an exhaust manifold cooler connected to said motor, said exhaust manifold cooler having a water inlet and a water outlet;  
 (b) a third conduit interconnecting said second water inlet with said inlet of said exhaust manifold cooler; and  
 (c) a fourth conduit interconnecting said water outlet of said exhaust manifold cooler with said support means.  
 
     
     
         19 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 16  in which said support means includes bearing means for rotatably supporting said drive shaft.  
     
     
         20 . The powered watercraft apparatus as defined in  claim 19  in which said propeller includes six circumferentially spaced vanes.