This new art offers an improvement to conventional surfboards as well as any previous motorized surfboards. This application features a retractable propeller drive unit that is hoisted out of the water allowing the surfer to ride a wave without power or any dragging protrusions that detract from the surfboard's critical gliding ability when surfing waves. These Drive-N-Glide features are accomplished by having a brushless, waterproof, motor and prop drop into the water to power forward, then able to be hoisted above the planing water line by way of a waterproof servo allowing the surfboard to glide like a non-motorized one does. This application also features a retractable jet drive unit that is hoisted out of the water or dropped back in upon command. Also, there is a new stacked deck shape that allows for a five-inch plus surfboard thickness yet maintains thin rail sensitivity for turning performance plus a battery placement that levels out the weight bias caused by the aft motor placement. Also, this fine handling Drive-N-Glide surfboard can be operated by a handheld Bluetooth controlled trigger unit or the control means outlined in Derrah U.S. Pat. No. 9,718,521 B2 and Derrah U.S. Pat. No. 10,532,797 B2.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
. A surfboard having a body with top and bottom surfaces, wherein the body of the surfboard is configured to support a surfer lying in a prone position or standing on the top surface while moving forward, the surfboard defining a longitudinal axis and having a nose at the forward part of the surfboard and a tail at the aft part, also having two side fins and with foam and fiberglass construction the surfboard is configured to be electric powered and is equipped with at least one brushless outrunner motor that is operatively connected to at least two folding propeller blades that are contained within the shape of the surfboard tail where a hoisting frame is connected having a twin spar top with two pulley wheels that guide a line to a servo placed in the surfboard hull that lifts said brushless outrunner motor up and out of the water or drops it down to click into the run position below the planing waterline, wherein a different motor and a straight tube jet unit can be attached at the top of the jet housing with a carrier fin that connects to a traveler block that slides within the same said hoisting frame that hoists an outrunner prop setup wherein both drive units are capable of powering a surfboard forward, allowing a surfer to field and catch waves without paddling, wherein as soon as the wave is moving the surfboard forward, the surfer can push a button that enacts a power off sequence provided in a circuit board contained within the body of the surfboard, and configured to receive throttle commands as well as servo and linear actuator commands to lift either said drive unit out of the water, eliminating any dragging protrusions from disrupting water flow therefore enabling the surfboard to glide freely and the surfer to ride on the wave's power only, a retractable propeller drive motor that is configured to be pulled up past the planing waterline allowing the surfboard to glide, made possible by a servo with a large arm that pulls and lets out, wherein the motor and prop drops down into the water by its own weight then clicks into place by way of a hold down clip that can release by a vertical upward pull from a hoisting line that runs through three pulleys then ends at said servo arm, a surfboard top surface including a stacked deck which provides at least a five inch board thickness at a prone and standing area wherein triple layered side rails reveal that the first layer mimicks a two and a half inch thick fine handling non-powered surfboard, wherein the two stacked layers above it provide a spray file as well as necessary extra flotation without sacrificing thin rail sensitivity and turning performance, a retractable motor/jet drive unit that is configured to be pulled up past the planing waterline allowing the surfboard to glide, made possible by a servo with a large arm that pulls and lets out, wherein the motor/jet drive unit drops down into the water by its own weight then clicks into place by way of a hold down clip that can release by a vertical upward pull from a hoisting line that runs through three pulleys then ends at said servo arm.
Complete technical specification and implementation details from the patent document.
The present invention relates to electric powered surfboards.
Electric powered surfboards for the purpose of providing paddling assistance have come on to the market in recent years that claim to be able to maintain traditional surfing performance. These are jet drives that surf waves with the power on which is not traditional surfing. If these jet drive boards were to surf waves with the power off, the large jet tube intakes on the bottom surface of the surfboard will significantly restrict forward movement and thwart turning performance of any surfboard, especially short ones. These intake holes allow water to flow through them even when the power is off. Therefore this disruption of the planing hull makes the claim of “traditional surfing performance” impossible.
The present invention is different because it provides a way to shut off the motor and hoist it out of the way. The present invention is better because the motor is taken up past the planing water line and therefore allows a motorized surfboard to glide like a traditional non-powered surfboard when riding a wave with no disruption of the planing surface. Other considerations are the stacked deck shapes that can allow thin rail sensitivity on a surfboard that is 5 inches thick or more at the prone and standing area, and the mass centralization of onboard weight that makes the surfboard respond like a much lighter surfboard when in motion.
The present invention solves a few problems with open-holed jet boards and adds some new advantages over these boards and all existing prior art. The prior art referred to is Rott et al US 2011/0201238 A1 and Railey U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,178 B2 and Toyohara et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,913 and Derrah U.S. Pat. No. 9,718,521 B2 and Dusablon et al U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,105 B2.
shows a port side view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardwith motorin the up or glide position and the propellerfolded.
shows a port side see-through side view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboard in the up or glide position revealing the motorand folded propinside a hoistframewherein a servoarmis seen pulling a hoist linethat lifts the motorout past the planning water line.
shows a port side see-through view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardin the down or run position revealing the motorsubmerged in the water wherein the servoarmhas let out the hoist line. Also seen is the battery and control boxand the splayed-out prop.
shows a see-through top view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardrevealing the battery boxand the servo boxwith the motorand hoistplus a top view of the layered deck.
shows a bottom view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardwith both finsplus the motorand cowl. Also seen are the “T” slots in the hoist frameconnected to the side of the surfboard'sswallow tail shape opening.
shows an aft view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardwith the motorin the up or glide position with the propfolded.
shows a side view of the cowlcovered motorwith propinside the “T” slotted framedisconnected from the surfboardwith the prop folded.
shows an aft end view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardwith the motorin the down or run position showing the propsplayed-out. Also showing the motor carrier finat full extension.
shows a side view of the cowelcovered motorwith the propand hoistframedisconnected from the surfboardin the down or run position.
show a top view of the tail section of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardin the down or run position revealing the twin spar top of the motor hoistthat supports the pulley wheelsthat the hoisting linerides in. Also shown is the stacked decklayered rail shape.
shows a separated part view of theparts it takes to make up the traveler block.
shows a bottom view of the tail section of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboard in the run position wherein the “T” slots of the hoist frameare seen with the block faceson both sides of the “T” slotted frame.
shows an aft end view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardwith the motorand propin the run position noting the motor cablepulled down and runs into the surfboard'sbody.
shows an aft end view of the Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop surfboardin the glide position noting the motor cableis pushed up in an even loop.
shows a see-through side view of the Drive-N-Glide Jet-Drop surfboardwith the motorand jetin the up or glide position.
shows a see-through side view of the Drive-N-Glide Jet-Drop surfboardwith the motorand jetin the down or run position.
shows a side view of a motorand jethousing connected to the motor finand the rest of the hoisting components outlined inshown in the down or run position.
shows a side view of a motorand jet housingconnected to the motor carrier finand the rest of the hoisting components outline inshown in the up or glide position.
With this Out-Prop propelled surfboard surfers turn a historic corner to experience a new reality in modern surfing making it possible for a surfer to travel fast while standing up on a short board that would otherwise sink without a wave pushing it along. While standing, the surfer's overall height gives him increased visibility and the advantage to see sets of oncoming waves. Another advantage is the ability to quickly maneuver to a more desirable point of entry while standing, and power drive into a wave that is outside the pack of surfers sitting in the conventional takeoff area. Once the rider feels the wave is carrying him forward it's time to push the power off button. This starts the sequence to stop the impeller and hoist the motor and prop out of the water. Now that the board is gliding along motor off, like a conventional planning hull surfboard, the rider is able to drop in and surf the wave at will, doing all the moves an average surfer would normally perform on a short, high performance surfboard.
This Drive-N-Glide Out-Prop Surfboard can weigh up to two and a half times the weight of a conventional surfboard due to the motor, batteries and moving parts. These components are strategically placed between the surfer's front and rear foot and just aft of the widest point of the surfboard thereby centralizing the weight mass at the surfboard's balance point and contributing to the good handling characteristics.
The present invention formula to combine centralization of weight mass with the thin rails provided by the stacked deck and the retractable outrunner brushless motor and folding prop makes for the finest handling motorized surfboard ever developed, and the only one that really surfs. It is designed to surf waves with the motor and prop off and out with no protruding parts or open cavities to interrupt the flow of water across the hull's planning surface.
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December 25, 2025
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