Floating water feature attraction

Abstract

A floating water feature for use in a body of water is disclosed. The floating water feature includes at least one waterslide assembly having a flume defining a substantially descending path, and a ramp coupled to the flume at a terminating end. The ramp has a launch point, where a person is launched upward and outward into a body of water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floating water feature for use in a body of water, comprising:
 a floating platform comprising a float support assembly coupled to at least one float that is buoyant;   a main deck coupled to and positioned above the floating platform;   at least one elevated deck positioned above the main deck and coupled to at least one of the main deck and the floating platform, each of the at least one elevated deck connected to the main deck by a plurality of steps; and   at least one waterslide assembly, each waterslide assembly comprising:
 a flume having a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and further comprising a beginning end coupled to one of the at least one elevated decks and a longitudinal midline defining a substantially descending path from the beginning end to a terminating end that is closer to the floating platform than the beginning end; and 
 a ramp having an upper surface with an entrance and an exit, a longitudinal midline, and a launch point, wherein at least a majority of the entrance is coupled with at least a majority of the top surface of the flume at the terminating end and wherein the launch point is the point along an ascending portion of the longitudinal midline whose tangent forms the smallest obtuse angle with respect to a surface of the body of water. 
   
     
     
         2 . The floating water feature of  claim 1 , each of the at least one waterslide assembly further comprising a slide foundation comprising at least one brace coupled to the bottom surface of the flume. 
     
     
         3 . The floating water feature of  claim 2 , further comprising a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of beams coupling the slide foundation of each of the at least one waterslide assembly to the floating platform. 
     
     
         4 . The floating water feature of  claim 3 , wherein at least some of the plurality of beams of the slide support assembly are interconnected between the floating platform and the slide foundation of each of the at least one waterslide assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The floating water feature of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of beams of the slide support assembly are vertical, and are in a single line. 
     
     
         6 . The floating water feature of  claim 1 , wherein the flume and ramp of each of the at least one waterslide assembly is shaped such that a tangent of the top surface of the terminating end of the flume taken at the longitudinal midline is substantially parallel to a tangent of the entrance of the upper surface of the ramp taken at the longitudinal midline. 
     
     
         7 . The floating water feature of  claim 1  wherein, for each of the at least one waterslide assembly, the tangent of the ramp taken at the launch point forms a launch angle with respect to the surface of the body of water between 140 and 175 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The floating water feature of  claim 1  wherein, for each of the at least one waterslide assembly, the substantially descending path has an average angle between 35 and 40 degrees with respect to the surface of the body of water. 
     
     
         9 . The floating water feature of  claim 2  wherein, for each of the at least one waterslide assembly, the flume is modular and comprises a plurality of flume segments releasably coupled to each other and to the slide foundation. 
     
     
         10 . The floating water feature of  claim 3  wherein the couplings between the float support assembly and the at least one float, the couplings between the main deck and the floating platform, the couplings between each flume and the slide foundation, and the couplings between each ramp and the floating platform are all releasable couplings made through reusable couplers. 
     
     
         11 . The floating water feature of  claim 1  wherein, for at least one ramp, the launch point is at least two feet above a lowest point along the longitudinal midline of the upper surface of the ramp. 
     
     
         12 . The floating water feature of  claim 1  wherein the ramp of each of the at least one waterslide assembly is releasably coupled to the floating platform. 
     
     
         13 . A floating water feature for use in a body of water, comprising:
 at least one floating platform, each floating platform comprising a float support assembly coupled to at least one float that is buoyant;   at least one main deck coupled to and positioned above one of the at least one floating platforms;   at least one elevated deck positioned above and coupled to each of the at least one floating platforms, each of the at least one elevated deck connected to the main deck by a plurality of steps; and   at least one waterslide assembly, each waterslide assembly comprising:
 a flume having a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and further comprising a beginning end coupled to one of the at least one elevated decks and a longitudinal midline defining a substantially descending path from the beginning end to a terminating end that is closer to one of the at least one floating platforms than the beginning end; and 
 a ramp having an upper surface with an entrance and an exit, a longitudinal midline, and a launch point, wherein at least a majority of the entrance is coupled with at least a majority of the top surface of the flume at the terminating end and wherein the launch point is the point along an ascending portion of the longitudinal midline whose tangent forms the smallest obtuse angle with respect to a surface of the body of water. 
   
     
     
         14 . The floating water feature of  claim 13 , each of the at least one waterslide assembly further comprising a slide foundation comprising at least one brace coupled to the bottom surface of the flume. 
     
     
         15 . The floating water feature of  claim 14 , further comprising a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of beams coupling the slide foundation of each of the at least one waterslide assembly to at least one of the at least one floating platforms. 
     
     
         16 . The floating water feature of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one floating platform comprises at least a first, second, and third floating platform, the main deck coupled to the first floating platform, and further comprising a first elevated deck and a first waterslide assembly, wherein the slide support assembly of the first waterslide assembly comprises at least a first beam coupling the slide foundation to the first floating platform and a second beam coupling the slide foundation to the third floating platform, wherein the ramp of the first waterslide assembly is releasably coupled to the second floating platform, and wherein the first, second, and third floating platforms are coupled to each other proximate the surface of the body of water via a framework. 
     
     
         17 . The floating water feature of  claim 13  wherein, for each of the at least one waterslide assembly, the longitudinal midline of the flume combined with the longitudinal midline of the ramp is between 5 and 30 meters long. 
     
     
         18 . A floating water feature for use in a body of water, comprising:
 a floating platform comprising a float support assembly coupled to at least three high-density polyethylene pontoons that are buoyant;   a main deck coupled to and positioned above the floating platform;   at least a first and second elevated deck, each positioned above and coupled to the floating platform, each of the at least two elevated decks connected to the main deck by a plurality of steps;   at least a first, second, and third waterslide assembly, each waterslide assembly comprising:
 a flume having a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and further comprising a beginning end coupled to one of the at least two elevated decks and a longitudinal midline defining a substantially descending path from the beginning end to a terminating end that is closer to the floating platform than the beginning end; 
 a slide foundation comprising at least one brace coupled to the bottom surface of the flume; and 
 a ramp having an upper surface with an entrance and an exit, a longitudinal midline, and a launch point, wherein at least a majority of the entrance is coupled with at least a majority of the top surface of the flume at the terminating end and wherein the launch point is the point along an ascending portion of the longitudinal midline whose tangent forms the smallest obtuse angle with respect to a surface of the body of water, the flume and ramp shaped such that a tangent of the top surface of the terminating end of the flume taken at the longitudinal midline is substantially parallel to a tangent of the entrance of the upper surface of the ramp taken at the longitudinal midline; and 
   a slide support assembly comprising a plurality of beams coupling the slide foundation of each of the at least one waterslide assemblies to the floating platform;   wherein the first waterslide assembly is coupled to the first elevated deck, and the second and third waterslide assemblies are coupled to the second elevated deck.   
     
     
         19 . The floating water feature of  claim 18 , wherein the ramp of each of the at least three waterslide assemblies is releasably coupled to the floating platform 
     
     
         20 . The floating water feature of  claim 18 , wherein the first elevated deck is between 2 and 10 meters above the main deck, the second elevated deck is between 2 and 8 meters above the first elevated deck, and each of the at least two elevated decks is at least 1.2 square meters in area. 
     
     
         21 . The floating water feature of  claim 18 , wherein each ramp of the at least three waterslide assemblies is composed of steel having an upper surface composed of the same material as the top surface of the flume.