Novel water sport device

Abstract

A recreational device for supporting a person being pulled along over the surface of a body of water, including an elongated platform body having a central front-to-rear axis and terminated by a slightly upturned, rounded front end, a rounded rear end, and a pair of spaced-apart side edges extending therebetween to form a smooth transitional periphery having rounded corners at the front and rear, the platform body further including a top surface for contact with the feet of the person and a bottom surface for contacting and moving over the surface of the water, two widely spaced-apart upwardly concave channels formed in the platform bottom surface adjacent the side edges and extending parallel to the central front-to-rear axis and terminating respectively in front of the rear end and in back of the upwardly turned front end, and a concave area located on the platform top surface, between the channels, to provide different elevations in the platform top surface for the person to place his or her feet and regulate the angle of the platform in the surface of the water and control the side-to-side movement of the platform over the water.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A recreational device for supporting at least one person thereon during movement of the person and said device, as a unit, over the surface of a body of water in response to being towed at high speed by a motor boat, comprising: 
 a) an elongated platform body aligned along a central front-to-rear axis and defined by a rear end and an upwardly-turned front end and spaced-apart side rails extending therebetween and parallel to said central axis; and,    b) said platform further including a top surface for supporting the person and a bottom surface for contacting the water;    c) wherein said platform bottom surface has formed therein at least two, spaced-apart channels, parallel to said central front-to-rear axis, for channeling water under said platform during forward motion of said platform over the water and to provide close control of the direction of said platform during said motion.    
     
     
         2 . The recreational device of  claim 1  wherein said channels terminate short of said upwardly-turned front end.  
     
     
         3 . The recreational device of  claim 1  further including: 
 a) equally sized front and rear ends that are both upwardly turned; and,  
 b) a pair of fins attached to and depending from said platform bottom surface, adjacent both said front end and said rear end, to aid in controlling the pathway of said platform during towing, wherein said fins comprise: 
 i) a flat outer member of terminal length, for abutment against said platform bottom surface and attachment thereto;  
 ii) an outer element passing from one terminal end of said outer member, downward in an arc to the other terminal end of said outer member to form an outer surface; and,  
 iii) wherein, said outer element and said flat outer member form at least two, spaced-apart hollow chambers.  
 
 
     
     
         4 . The recreational device of  claim 1  wherein said top surface includes a concave area interior said front and said rear ends for use in standing by the person during use of said device.  
     
     
         5 . The recreational device of  claim 1  wherein said bottom surface includes a convex area interior said front and said rear ends, between said channels, and parallel to said central front-to-rear axis.  
     
     
         6 . The recreational device of  claim 1  wherein said at least two channels are arcuate in cross-section, wherein, at any point transverse to said front-to-rear axis, said arcs are of equal radius and lie in a common plane orthogonal to said front-to-rear platform axis.  
     
     
         7 . The recreational device of  claim 1  wherein said side rails form an edge of at least two, spaced-apart channels.  
     
     
         8 . A platform for supporting at least one person being towed along the surface of a body of water, said platform comprising: 
 a) an elongated platform body including top and bottom surfaces, an upturned front end and a pair of spaced-apart side rails extending rearward from said front end to a rear end, and bounded by a curved periphery;    b) a pair of straight water channels formed in said platform bottom surface, each said channel passing from front-to-rear along said platform and spaced-apart from a central front-to-rear axis and, wherein each side channel terminates along one of said side rails to provide independent flow of water along the underside and outer edge of each said side rail for controlling the direction of said platform along the surface of the water.    
     
     
         9 . The platform of  claim 8  wherein said channels terminate behind said upturned front end.  
     
     
         10 . The platform of  claim 8  further including: 
 a) equally sized front and rear ends that are both upwardly turned; and,  
 b) a pair of fins attached to, and depending from, said platform bottom surface, adjacent both said front end and said rear end, to aid in controlling the pathway of said platform during towing wherein said fins comprise: 
 i) a flat outer member of terminal length, for abutment against said platform bottom surface and attachment thereto;  
 ii) an outer element passing from one terminal end of said outer member, downward in an arc to the other terminal end of said outer member to form an outer surface; and,  
 iii) wherein, said flat outer member and said outer element form at least two, spaced-apart hollow chambers.  
 
 
     
     
         11 . The platform of  claim 8  wherein said platform top surface includes a concave portion for supporting the user thereon.  
     
     
         12 . The platform of  claim 8  wherein, at any point transverse to said front-to-rear cen said two channels are arcuate in cross-section, wherein said arcs are of equal radius, and wherein said arcs lie in a common plane orthogonal to said front-to-rear platform axis.  
     
     
         13 . The platform of  claim 8  wherein said side rails are straight and parallel along said channels and then taper inward respectively toward said front and said rear ends.  
     
     
         14 . The platform of  claim 8  wherein said platform bottom surface under said front end and under said rear end are flat.  
     
     
         15 . A recreational device for supporting a person being pulled along over the surface of a body of water, comprising: 
 a) an elongated platform body having a central front-to-rear axis and terminated by a slightly upturned, rounded front end, a rounded rear end, and a pair of spaced-apart side edges extending therebetween to form a smooth transitional periphery having rounded corners at the front and rear;    b) said platform body further including a top surface for supporting the person and a bottom surface for contacting and moving over the surface of the water;    c) two widely spaced-apart upwardly concave channels formed in said platform bottom surface adjacent said side edges and extending parallel to said central front-to-rear axis and terminating respectively in front of said rear end and in back of said upwardly turned front end; and,    d) a concave area located on said platform top surface, between said channels, to provide different elevations in said platform top surface for the person to place his or her feet and regulate the angle of said platform in the surface of the water and control the direction of said platform over the water.    
     
     
         16 . The recreational device of  claim 15  further including a pair of fins attached to and depending from said platform bottom surface, adjacent both said front end and said rear end, to aid in controlling the pathway of said platform over the surface of the water.  
     
     
         17 . The recreational device of  claim 15  wherein said two channels are arcuate in cross-section, wherein, at any point transverse to said front-to-rear central axis, said arcs are of equal radius and lie in a common plant orthogonal to said platform.  
     
     
         18 . The recreational device of  claim 15  wherein said platform is of substantially equal thickness throughout.  
     
     
         19 . The recreational device of  claim 15  wherein said top surface of said platform has a high friction to the feet of the user.  
     
     
         20 . The recreational device of  claim 15  wherein said platform comprises a laminate of layers of wood.