Hybrid kayak and canoe self-propelled watercraft

Abstract

A self-propelled watercraft including a buoyant hull having a bow, a stern opposite the bow, and a gunwale extending in a curved, substantially planar, and spaced apart path around the hull from the bow to the stern, the hull having an open deck separated by bulkheads defining a plurality of open cavities, a cockpit formed from projections of the hull in one of the open cavities and a seat formed from the hull in the cockpit providing a seating surface.

1 . A self-propelled watercraft comprising:
 an elongated buoyant hull having two side walls that join at a bow, a stern, and a keel on an underside of the watercraft, the sidewalls terminating as gunwales a spaced apart distance from the keel;   an open deck separated by bulkheads into a plurality of open cavities;   a cockpit formed in one of the open cavities from projections of the hull; and   a seat formed from the hull in the cockpit having a substantially horizontal seating surface set at a height below the gunwales where at least a portion of a user's ribs lie below the gunwales when seated.   
   
   
       2 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the cockpit includes a substantially vertical support surface extending from a distal end of the seating surface. 
   
   
       3 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 2 , wherein the cockpit includes a backrest pivotally mounted to the substantially vertical support surface of the seat. 
   
   
       4 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 3 , wherein the cockpit includes a backrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the backrest and the hull, the backrest adjustment mechanism being configured to pivot the backrest between a first position and a second position. 
   
   
       5 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the cockpit includes a footrest operatively connected to the hull. 
   
   
       6 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 5 , wherein the cockpit includes a footrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the footrest and the hull, the footrest adjustment mechanism being configured to move the footrest between a first and a second position. 
   
   
       7 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the cockpit includes a hatch extending into the hull. 
   
   
       8 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the hull includes a storage area in one of the open cavities adjacent to the cockpit. 
   
   
       9 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the hull has a length, a width, and a height, where the width is substantially between 1.7 and 1.9 times the height and the length is substantially between 8.5 and 10.0 times the height. 
   
   
       10 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the hull includes an exterior surface having multiple chines. 
   
   
       11 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the keel includes a central portion on an exterior of the hull that is substantially flat with elongate grooves that define channels extending in a direction substantially parallel to an imaginary line running from the bow to the stern of the watercraft, the grooves widening as they extend away from their midpoints. 
   
   
       12 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the keel is substantially V-shaped near the bow and near the stern. 
   
   
       13 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the bulkhead nearest the bow is curved in the middle to compliment the bottom of a hull of an other watercraft for stacking the other watercraft on top of the self-propelled watercraft. 
   
   
       14 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 1 , wherein the bulkhead nearest the bow is curved in the middle to compliment the bottom of the hull of an identical self-propelled watercraft for stacking the watercraft on top of one another. 
   
   
       15 . A self-propelled watercraft comprising:
 a buoyant hull having a bow, a stern opposite the bow, and a gunwale extending in a curved, substantially planar, and spaced apart path around the hull from the bow to the stern, the hull having an open deck separated by bulkheads defining a plurality of open cavities;   a cockpit formed from projections of the hull in one of the open cavities; and   a seat formed from the hull in the cockpit providing a seating surface.   
   
   
       16 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 15 , wherein the seat is positioned below the gunwale a distance where at least a portion of a user's ribs lie below the gunwale when the user is seated on the seat. 
   
   
       17 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 15 , wherein the cockpit includes:
 a backrest pivotally mounted to the seat; and   a backrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the backrest and the hull, the backrest adjustment mechanism being configured to pivot the backrest between a first position and a second position.   
   
   
       18 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 15 , wherein the cockpit includes:
 a footrest operatively connected to the hull; and   a footrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the footrest and the hull, the footrest adjustment mechanism being configured to move the footrest between a first and a second position.   
   
   
       19 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 15 , wherein the bulkhead nearest the bow is curved in the middle to compliment the bottom of a hull of an other watercraft for stacking the other watercraft on top of the self-propelled watercraft. 
   
   
       20 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 19 , wherein the bulkhead nearest the bow is curved in the middle to compliment the bottom of the hull of an identical self-propelled watercraft for stacking the watercraft on top of one another. 
   
   
       21 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 15 , wherein the hull includes a bottom on an exterior of the hull, the bottom having:
 a central portion that is substantially flat in the center with elongate grooves that define channels extending in a direction substantially parallel to an imaginary line running from the bow to the stern of the watercraft, the grooves widening as they extend away from their midpoints; and   terminal portions flanking the central portion that are substantially V-shaped.   
   
   
       22 . A self-propelled watercraft comprising:
 a buoyant hull having an open deck and bulkheads defining a plurality of open cavities, the hull being bounded by an edge extending around the hull in a substantially horizontal plane; and   wherein one or more of the bulkheads are configured to receive the hull of an other watercraft in a complimentary stacking arrangement.   
   
   
       23 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 22 , wherein the bulkhead is curved in the middle to compliment the hull of the other watercraft. 
   
   
       24 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more bulkheads are configured to receive the hull of an identical watercraft in a complimentary stacking arrangement. 
   
   
       25 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 22 , wherein one of the plurality of open cavities includes:
 a seat mounted below the edge;   a backrest pivotally mounted to the seat; and   a backrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the backrest and the hull, the backrest adjustment mechanism being configured to pivot the backrest between a first position and a second position.   
   
   
       26 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 25 , wherein the seat is positioned below the edge a distance where at least a portion of a user's ribs lie below the edge when the user is seated on the seat. 
   
   
       27 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 22 , wherein one of the plurality of open cavities includes:
 a footrest operatively connected to the hull; and   a footrest adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the footrest and the hull, the footrest adjustment mechanism being configured to move the footrest between a first and a second position.   
   
   
       28 . The self-propelled watercraft of  claim 22 , wherein the hull includes a bottom on an exterior of the hull, the bottom having:
 a central portion that is substantially flat in the center with elongate grooves that define channels extending in a direction substantially parallel to an imaginary line running from the bow to the stern of the watercraft, the grooves widening as they extend away from their midpoints; and   terminal portions flanking the central portion that are substantially V-shaped.