Powered surfboard for preserving energy of a surfer during paddling

Abstract

An improvement to a conventional surfboard includes an impeller and an electric motor contained primarily within the body of the surfboard, whereby performance of the surfboard is substantially unaffected by the presence of the impeller and the electric motor. The electric motor is operatively connected to the impeller for providing a forward thrust of the surfboard. The improvement to the conventional surfboard also includes a throttle for selective control of the electric motor for operating the impeller to provide a forward thrust of the surfboard, the throttle being configured for use by a surfer lying in a prone position on the smooth top surface of the body of the surfboard. An extent of the surfer's energy that otherwise would be expended during paddling can be preserved for riding waves by using the impeller to provide the forward thrust during paddling.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A motorized surfboard comprising:
 a surfboard body having a top and a bottom surface, the surfboard body configured to support a surfer lying in a prone position on the top surface;   one or more fins protruding from the bottom surface of the surfboard body;   an impeller at least partially disposed within one of the one or more fins;   an electric motor disposed within the surfboard body, the electric motor being operatively coupled to the impeller for providing a forward thrust to the surfboard;   at least one battery disposed within the surfboard body configured to provide power to the electric motor; and   a throttle configured to allow for throttle control of the motor by a surfer.   
     
     
         2 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , further comprising a dry box disposed within the surfboard body, the dry box configured to contain the at least the at least one battery. 
     
     
         3 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , further comprising a recharge port positioned on a surface of the surfboard body and configured to allow for recharging of the at least one battery. 
     
     
         4 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a flow passage, having an entrance and an exit hole, wherein the impeller is disposed within the flow passage such that when the surfboard is floating in water, the impeller is configured to draw water into the flow passage entrance hole and force water out the flow passage exit hole, thus providing a forward thrust to the surfboard.   
     
     
         5 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 4 , wherein the flow passage and the impeller are coupled to a tail portion of the bottom surface of the surfboard body and positioned in substantial alignment with a longitudinal axis of the surfboard body. 
     
     
         6 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 4 , wherein the impeller is shielded to prevent contact with a surfer but still allows water to flow past the impeller. 
     
     
         7 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , wherein the throttle is positioned for use by a surfer riding the surfboard in a prone, sitting, or standing position. 
     
     
         8 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , wherein the throttle is embedded within a surface of the surfboard body so as to be flush with or slightly protrude from the surfboard body. 
     
     
         9 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , wherein the throttle is positioned on the top surface of the surfboard body. 
     
     
         10 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the throttle is configured to be twistable, and whereby the speed of the motorized surfboard may be controlled by twisting the throttle. 
     
     
         11 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , wherein the throttle, motor, and impeller are configured to selectively provide either a forward or backward thrust to the surfboard. 
     
     
         12 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 1 , further comprising a shaft having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the shaft is coupled the electric motor and the second end of the shaft is coupled to the impeller. 
     
     
         13 . A motorized surfboard comprising:
 a surfboard body having a top and a bottom surface, the surfboard body configured to support a surfer lying in a prone position on the top surface;   one or more fins coupled to the bottom surface of the surfboard body;   one or more impellers coupled to the body of the surfboard;   at least one electric motor disposed within the body of the surfboard, the electric motor operably coupled to the impeller for providing a forward thrust to the surfboard;   one or more dry boxes disposed within the body of the surfboard, wherein the one or more dry boxes contain at least one or more batteries configured to provide power to the electric motor; and   a motor controller comprising a throttle at least partially disposed within the surfboard body.   
     
     
         14 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one electric motor is disposed within one or more of the dry boxes. 
     
     
         15 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more impellers are at least partially contained within at least a portion of the one or more fins. 
     
     
         16 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein at least one dry box is configured to open and close to allow easy access to the batteries. 
     
     
         17 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , further comprising a watertight recharge nipple on the surfboard body, the recharge nipple configured to allow recharging of the batteries without opening the at least one dry box. 
     
     
         18 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more batteries are disposed within a first dry box and the at least one electric motor is disposed within a second dry box. 
     
     
         19 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein the electric motor is operably coupled to the impeller with a shaft and at least a portion of the shaft is disposed in water when the surfboard is in use. 
     
     
         20 . The motorized surfboard of  claim 13 , wherein the throttle at least partially protrudes through the top surface of the surfboard body.