Wall for a watercraft and watercraft having the same

Abstract

A wall for a watercraft and the watercraft. The watercraft having a hull and a deck supported by the hull. The wall extends around at least a portion of a floor of the deck. The wall includes a rear wall, a front wall, and two sidewalls connecting the rear wall and the front wall. The front wall has a first wall section, a second wall section and an intermediate wall section extending between the first and second wall sections. The first wall section includes a first door while the second wall section includes a second door. The first and second doors are moveable between an opened position and a closed position. The watercraft further includes a seat connected to the deck. The seat is positioned proximate to and aligns with at least one of the first and the second doors.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A watercraft comprising:
 a hull;   a deck supported by the hull;   a wall extending around at least a portion of a floor of the deck, the wall including:
 a rear wall having a first end and a second end; 
 a front wall having:
 a first wall section having a first door, the first door being selectively moveable between:
 a first door opened position; and 
 a first door closed position, where at least a portion of the first wall section is defined by the first door; 
 
 a second wall section having a second door, the second door being selectively moveable between:
 a second door opened position; and 
 a second door closed position, where at least a portion of the second wall section is defined by the second door; and 
 
 an intermediate wall section extending between the first wall section and the second wall section; 
 
 a first sidewall connecting the first wall section of the front wall and the first end of the rear wall; and 
 a second sidewall connecting the second wall section of the front wall and the second end of the rear wall; and 
   a seat connected to the deck, the seat being positioned proximate to and aligning with at least one of the first and the second door.   
     
     
         2 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first door is pivotably connected to the first sidewall, such that the first door pivots towards the first sidewall to the first door opened position; and   the second door is pivotably connected to the second sidewall, such that the second door pivots towards the second sidewall to the second door opened position.   
     
     
         3 . The watercraft of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the first sidewall has a first sidewall exterior surface;   the second sidewall has a second sidewall exterior surface;   the first door is configured to pivot outwardly towards the first sidewall exterior surface to the first door opened position; and   the second door is configured to pivot outwardly towards the second sidewall exterior surface to the second door opened position.   
     
     
         4 . The watercraft of  claim 2 , further comprising at least one hinge pivotably connecting at least one of the first door and the second door to a corresponding one of the first sidewall and the second sidewall. 
     
     
         5 . The watercraft of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one hinge comprises:
 a first portion having a contact surface defining:
 a first ramp sloping towards a corresponding one of the first door closed position and the second door closed position; and 
 a second ramp sloping towards a corresponding one the first door opened position and the second door closed position; and 
   a second portion pivotable relative to the first portion, the second portion having:
 a surface; and 
 a protrusion extending from the surface and contacting the contact surface of the first portion, such that as the first and second portions rotate relative to one another, the protrusion moves along the contact surface. 
   
     
     
         6 . The watercraft of  claim 5 , wherein for each of the at least one hinge:
 the first portion is connected to the corresponding one of the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and   the second portion is connected to the at least one of the first door and the second door.   
     
     
         7 . The watercraft of  claim 5 , wherein, for each of the at least one hinge, the second ramp ends in a trough, such that the protrusion is retained by the trough when the at least one of the first door and the second door is in the corresponding one of the first door closed position and the second closed door position. 
     
     
         8 . The watercraft of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one hinge comprises:
 a first hinge pivotably connecting the first door to the first sidewall; and   a second hinge pivotably connecting the second door to the second sidewall.   
     
     
         9 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one locking handle positioned between the intermediate wall section and at least one of the first door and the second door for locking a corresponding one of the first door and the second door in a corresponding one of the first door closed position and the second door closed position. 
     
     
         10 . The watercraft of  claim 9 , wherein:
 at least one of the first door and the second door comprises:
 a handrail extending along an upper edge of the corresponding one of the first door and the second door, the handrail having:
 a bottom surface; and 
 a projection extending away from the bottom surface, the projection defining an opening; 
 
   the at least one locking handle comprises:
 a handle; and 
 a pin operatively connected to the handle, the pin being moveable between:
 an extended position, in which the pin is slidably received in the opening of the handrail; and 
 a retracted position, in which the pin is slidably withdrawn from the opening of the handrail. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . The watercraft of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 at least one bracket connected to the intermediate wall section and defining a bracket opening for slidably receiving the pin of the at least one locking handle, the at least one bracket having a groove configured to receive and retain the projection of the handrail.   
     
     
         12 . The watercraft of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one locking handle comprises:
 a first locking handle positioned between the intermediate wall section and the first door for locking the first door in the first door closed position; and   
       a second locking handle positioned between the intermediate wall section and the second door for locking the second door in the second door closed position. 
     
     
         13 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first door defines all of the first wall section of the front wall; and   the second door defines all of the second wall section of the front wall.   
     
     
         14 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wall section of the front wall and the second wall section of the front wall extends outwardly and rearwardly from the intermediate wall section to a corresponding one of the first sidewall and the second sidewall. 
     
     
         15 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate wall section has a third door, the third door moveable between:
 a third door opened position, and   a third door closed position, where at least a portion of the intermediate wall section is defined by the third door when the third door is fully closed.   
     
     
         16 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate wall section comprises:
 a first post disposed at a first outer edge of the intermediate wall section;   a first handhold connected to the first post;   a second post disposed at a second outer edge of the intermediate wall section, the second outer edge being opposite the first outer edge; and   a second handhold connected to the second post.   
     
     
         17 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the seat is a first seat positioned proximate to and aligning with the first door; and   the watercraft further comprises a second seat positioned proximate to and aligning with the second door.   
     
     
         18 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the watercraft is a multi-hull pontoon. 
     
     
         19 . The watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the intermediate wall section has a first intermediate wall section end and a second intermediate wall section end;   the first sidewall has a first sidewall end;   the first door is pivotably connected to the first sidewall end;   when the first door is in the first door opened position, a first door opening is defined between the first intermediate wall section end and the first sidewall end;   the second sidewall has a second sidewall end;   the second door is pivotably connected to the second sidewall end;   when the second door is in the second door opened position, a second door opening is defined between the second intermediate wall section end and the second sidewall end; and   the first sidewall end and the second sidewall end are aligned with one another such that the first door opening aligns with the second door opening.   
     
     
         20 . A wall configured to extend around at least a portion of a floor of a deck of a watercraft, the wall comprising:
 a rear wall having a first end and a second end;   a front wall having:
 a first wall section having a first door, the first door being selectively moveable between:
 a first door opened position; and 
 a first door closed position, where at least a portion of the first wall section is defined by the first door; 
 
 a second wall section having a second door, the second door being selectively moveable between:
 a second door opened position; and 
 a second door closed position, where at least a portion of the second wall section is defined by the second door; and 
 
 an intermediate wall section extending between the first wall section and the second wall section; 
   a first sidewall connecting the first wall section of the front wall and the first end of the rear wall; and   a second sidewall connecting the second wall section of the front wall and the second end of the rear wall.