This invention relates to water craft and more particularly to an emergency steering system for a jet propelled water craft.
Jet propelled personal water craft (PWC) have become increasingly popular during recent years. They are shallow draft boats and skis which are propelled by the impulse of high velocity water jets. The water jets are discharged through nozzles, mounted at the rear of boats. They are steered by rotating the nozzles about vertical axes with linkages or cables. The rotation of the nozzles changes the direction of the water jets causing the boats to change their courses. They are generally operated within the confines of small inland lakes.
The high speeds and maneuverability of PWC are the reasons for their popularity with water sportsmen. During 1997, approximately 200,000 PWC were sold in the U.S.A. The sales constituted more than one-third of new recreational boat sales. About 1 million are in current use and their numbers are growing.
Injuries and casualties are major problems with PWC. The National Transportation Safety Board is concerned about the safety of PWC and is searching for solutions. A major cause of the safety problems is that steering is lost when an engine fails. The loss of steering in a PWC is particularly serious because of the high speeds and the manner in which PWC are operated within the confines of the small lakes. A loss of steering can result in a grounding of a PWC or a collision with a swimmer or other water craft.
The present invention is a complete solution to the problem of the loss of steering when an engine fails. The solution resides in novel features which individually and collectively contribute to the ability of the invention to steer a PWC when an engine fails. An important benefit of the invention is that existing PWC can be easily and economically retrofitted with the invention. An important feature of the invention is that a substitute steering system is automatically activated when an engine fails. Another benefit is that the substitute steering system becomes immediately effective when an engine fails. A still further feature is that braking forces are generated when the substitute steering system is activated.
In a first embodiment of the invention, a rudder is pivotally mounted on a nozzle of a PWC for rotation about a horizontal axis. When the PWC""s engine is started, the rudder is elevated to a non-operative position by an impingement of a water jet on a baffle which is substantially in covering relationship with an outlet of the nozzle. If an engine fails, the rudder is automatically lowered to an operative position by gravitational and hydrodynamic forces. At the operative position, braking forces are generated by a fin on the rudder. When the engine is re-started, the rudder is automatically raised by the water jet to the elevated non-operative position.
In a second embodiment of the invention, one end of a cable or link is attached to a rudder and an opposite end of the cable or link is attached to a usual type of manual control. If the water jet is cutoff because of an engine failure, The rudder is manually elevated and lowered by a PWC operator to the non-operative and operative positions.
In employing the teachings of the present invention, a plurality of alternate constructions can be adopted to achieve the desired results and capabilities. In this disclosure, only several aspects of the invention are discussed. However, these aspects are intended as examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.
Further objects, benefits and features of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description and drawings which illustrate and describe the invention. The best mode which is contemplated in practicing the invention together with a preferred manner of using the invention are disclosed and the property in which exclusive rights are claimed is set forth in each of a series of numbered claims at the conclusion of the detailed description: