Lateral displacement surf system

Abstract

The present disclosure generally pertains to a lateral displacement surf system and methods of laterally displacing a watercraft to generate wake. The lateral displacement system includes at least one pair of foils configured to be extended from a hull on a first side of the watercraft at a level of approximately the waterline. Upon forward movement of the watercraft with extended foils, the watercraft is rotated about its vertical axis toward the first side and generates waves sufficient for the conduction watersport activities on a second side of the watercraft. In some instances, foils are built into the hull and extended from this position, while in other instances the foils are attached to the hull using attachment structures. Rotation of the foils about an axis of rotation approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the watercraft alters the angle of attack of the foils relative to the waterline.

1 . A lateral displacement system for generating waves,
 comprising:   a pair of foils including a front foil and a rear foil, each of the front foil and the rear foil having a base with a front surface and a back surface, a curved wing, and an angled wing support connecting the curved wing to the front surface of the base at a wing angle, wherein the base has at least one attachment structure on the back surface configured to attach the foil to a hull of a watercraft,   wherein the curved wing of the front foil extends out from its respective base a first distance and the curved wing of the rear foil extends out from its respective base a second distance that is greater than the first distance, and   wherein the pair of foils are coupled to a first side of the hull of the watercraft with the rear foil nearer a stern of the watercraft than the front foil with the pair of foils being configured for forcing the watercraft downward in a body of water when the watercraft moves forward in the body of water, causing rotation of the watercraft about a yaw axis toward the first side and generating waves sufficient for conducting watersport activities on a second side of the watercraft.   
     
     
         2 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 1 , wherein the rear foil is positioned along the first side approximately 18 inches to approximately 36 inches from a transom of the watercraft. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 1 , wherein each base is flexible and is configured to place each of the at least one attachment structures in sufficient contact with the hull for attachment to the hull. 
     
     
         5 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 1 , further including a fin mounted to the curved wing of the front foil with a largest fin surface oriented approximately perpendicular to a largest curved wing surface of the front foil, such that the largest fin surface is configured to be approximately parallel to the waterline when the front foil is attached to the watercraft. 
     
     
         6 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 5 , wherein the largest fin surface is cambered. 
     
     
         7 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 1 , wherein the curved wing of the front foil is configured for movement relative to its respective base. 
     
     
         8 . The lateral displacement system of  claim 7 , wherein movement includes rotation of the curved wing of the front foil about an axis of rotation that is approximately perpendicular to its respective base. 
     
     
         9 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method of generating waves using lateral displacement of a watercraft, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a watercraft and a lateral displacement system, the system including a pair of foils;   extending the pair of foils from a hull on a first side of the watercraft, wherein a front foil of the pair of foils has a first length that extends a first distance out from the hull and a rear foil of the pair of foils has a second length that extends a second distance out from the hull, the second length being greater than the first length; and   moving the watercraft forward in water whereby interaction of the pair of foils with the water while the watercraft is moving forward (i) causes the watercraft to rotate about a yaw axis toward the first side, (ii) creates lift in a downward direction thereby forcing the watercraft downward, and (iii) generates waves sufficient for conducting watersport activities on a second side of the watercraft that exit at a rear end of the watercraft.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the extending is accomplished by attaching the pair of foils to a surface of the hull of the watercraft using at least one attachment structure on the pair of foils. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of rotating each foil of the pair of foils about an axis of rotation that is approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the watercraft to alter an angle of attack relative to a waterline. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the pair of foils is built into the watercraft. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of rotating each foil of the pair of foils about an axis of rotation that is approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the watercraft to alter an angle of attack relative to a waterline. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the front foil creates a cone of turbulence in the water, the cone of turbulence having an outer edge that intersects with an outer edge of the rear foil. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the front foil is located between a bow and a center of gravity of the watercraft. 
     
     
         23 . A watercraft comprising:
 a hull with a first side,   a stern,   a center of gravity,   a bow, and   a pair of foils including a rear foil projecting out from the first side and between the stern and the center of gravity and a front foil projecting out from the first side and between the bow and the center of gravity, the rear foil having a length sufficient for the rear foil to project a distance out from the first side that is greater than a distance the front foil projects out from the first side,   wherein, when the watercraft moves forward in water, the pair of foils are configured for causing the watercraft to rotate about a yaw axis and increasing displacement of the water by the watercraft.   
     
     
         24 . The watercraft of  claim 23 , wherein the front foil has a bow-facing surface having a first surface area and the rear foil has a bow-facing surface having a second surface area that is greater than the first surface area. 
     
     
         25 . The watercraft of  claim 24 , wherein first surface area is 64 square inches and the second surface area is 144 square inches. 
     
     
         26 . The watercraft of  claim 24  wherein the first surface area is approximately 44% of the second surface area. 
     
     
         27 . A method of generating waves using the watercraft of  claim 23  comprising moving the watercraft forward in the water whereby the front foil creates a cone of turbulence in the water having an outer edge that intersects with an outermost edge of the rear foil. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein moving the watercraft forward in the body of water whereby the watercraft is caused to rotate about a yaw axis toward the first side thereby generating a wave sufficient for conducting watersport activities on a second side of the watercraft.