User-propelled watercraft, such as kayaks and paddleboards, have long been used for water transportation and recreation. With kayaks, one or two users sit within a cockpit formed within a hull. The hull may be constructed out of a variety of materials, such as plastic, wood, or fiberglass, generally has a hollow interior with a upper deck formed by the top surface of the hull. The user of the kayak faces forward with their legs in front, such that the waist and legs of the user are positioned within the hollow interior of the hull. Most kayaks have hollow interiors with closed decks, although other designs, such as inflatable kayaks are available. In use, the user in the seated position propels the kayak forward using a paddle with a blade at each end. Paddleboards are commonly formed from a foam material and generally have a unitary structure with a planar upper surface. In use, the user is positioned lying, kneeling, or standing on the upper surface of the paddleboard, propelling the paddleboard forward with their arms or with a paddle.
Both kayaking and paddleboarding are becoming increasingly popular as recreational activities. While a variety of kayak and paddleboard designs exist in the art today, most of these watercraft are geared towards a particular use and cannot be used flexibly or interchangeably. For example, most kayaks having hollow interiors and could not support the weight of a user standing on the top decking, whereas most paddleboards cannot accommodate a user comfortably sitting on the top surface and paddling with a conventional kayak technique with a two-bladed paddle. Accordingly, a user who wishes to kayak and paddleboard is forced to purchase both a kayak and a paddleboard depending on what activity they wish to engage in. Retrofit kits and conversion kits offer some abilities to use watercraft devices interchangeably. However, these kits are an added expense and commonly require lengthy setup time.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.