Foldable Fin for Watersport Equipment

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/074,441 filed Dec. 2, 2022; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/285,941, filed Dec. 3, 2021, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present technology is directed generally to fins or skegs for watersport boards, such as paddle boards, kayaks, wakeboards, surfboards, and water skis, and other types of boards used in water sports, and more particularly to a fin that is not rigidly attached to the watersport board.

Watersport boards typically include a downwardly projecting fin situated on the rear bottom of the board that is used to aid steering and stability. However, when the user wishes to transport or store the board, the projecting fin makes doing so more difficult and requires more space. Stacking of boards is difficult or impossible, and the protruding fin can present a hazard. In the case of inflatable watersport boards, rolling and packing of the deflated board is difficult and often requires use of a fin that is shorter than desirable. In addition, the projecting fin can present a hazard when the board is not in the water.

The fin is typically fixedly attached to the watersport board, though some designs provide for complete removal of a fin from the board. Once disconnected and separated from the board, the removable fin may be easily lost, damaged, and/or the user may forget to take the removed fin along on the next trip when the board is intended to be used. Further, the removable fin has a risk of falling off in the water during use of the board. Also, reattaching the fin to the board may take more time and effort than desirable.

Like reference numerals have been used in the figures to identify like components.

Folding fins for water sports and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. The folding fins disclosed herein can be fixedly attached to various types of watersport equipment, such as paddle boards, kayaks, wakeboards, surfboards, and water skis, and/or other types of sporting equipment that typically includes a fin. Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology are described herein with reference to. The present technology, however, can be practiced without some of these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and techniques often associated watersport boards, and the like, have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the present technology. The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the disclosure. Certain terms can even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.

The accompanying Figures depict embodiments of the present technology and are not intended to be limiting of its scope. The sizes of various depicted elements are not necessarily drawn to scale, and these various elements can be arbitrarily enlarged to improve legibility. Component details can be abstracted in the Figures to exclude details such as position of components and certain precise connections between such components when such details are unnecessary for a complete understanding of how to make and use the present technology. Many of the details, dimensions, angles, and other features shown in the Figures are merely illustrative of particular embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments can have other details, dimensions, angles, and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present technology.

is a perspective view of a fin assemblyin a use position in accordance with embodiments of the present technology, andis an exploded view of the fin assemblyof. The fin assemblyincludes a foldable finand a support base(also referred to as a “fin box”) that can be permanently or removably attached to a watersport boardhaving a forward endA and a rearward endB. The support baseis shown attached to a bottom sideof the watersport boardat a rearward end portionof the watersport board. While the support baseis illustrated as attached to the surface of the watersport board, the support basemay be positioned within a recess (not shown) and/or opening in the bottom sideof the watersport board.

Referring to, the fin assemblycan include a positioning retainer member(also referred to as a “wedge”), a locking lever or member, and a fastener, which together form part of the support base. The fastenermay be a screw or other type fastener. The foldable finhas a fin portionrigidly attached to a fin base portionand projecting away from the fin base portion. When the fully assembled fin assemblyis attached to the watersport boardand the foldable finis in a use position, as shown in, the fin portionprojects away from (e.g., being substantially perpendicular to) the bottom sideof the watersport board. The fin assemblyis also shown in the use position in.

As shown in, the fin base portionhas a forward end base portionand a rearward end base portion, with a middle portionlocated between the forward and rearward end base portionsand. The fin base portionfurther includes a cylindrical forward bolt or pivot memberprojecting forward from the forward end base portionof the fin base portion, and a rearward bolt or pivot memberprojecting rearward from the rearward end base portionof the fin base portion. The forward and rearward pivot membersandare in axial alignment with a central axis of rotationfor the fin assembly.

As further shown in, the support basehas a mounting side portionin contact with the bottom sideof the watersport boardwhen attached thereto, and an outward projecting portionprojecting away from the bottom sideof the watersport boardand having an outward perimeter wall portionextending fully about the outward projecting portion. As viewed in the drawings, the outward projecting portionprojects upward, although when the watersport boardis in use in water, the outward projecting portionprojects downward into the water.

The outward projecting portionof the support basehas a forward end portionand a rearward end portion, with a middle portionextending therebetween. The outward projecting portionfurther includes a channel(also referred to as an “elongated slot”) extending along a longitudinal axis of the support basebetween and within the forward end portionand the rearward end portion, and along the middle portion, of the outward projecting portion. The channelfaces away from the mounting side portionof the support base, and also away from the bottom sideof the watersport board. The channelincludes a forward channel portionsized to receive the forward pivot memberof the fin base portion, and a rearward channel portionsized to receive the rearward pivot memberof the fin base portion, with a middle channel portionlocated and extending between the forward and rearward channel portionsand. The channelhas a bottom wallA running its full length. The fin assemblyis shown fully assembled with the forward pivot memberin the forward channel portionand the rearward pivot memberin the rearward channel portion, with the fin portionin the use position in. With the orientation shown in the drawings, the channelis upwardly opening except at its forward and rearward end portionsand, as will be described below.

Referring toand, the forward end portion of the forward channel portionincludes a forward recesswith a rearward opening in a rearward facing wallof the forward end portionof the outward projecting portion. The forward recessincludes an inward recess portionA and an outward recess portionB positioned forward of the inward recess portionA. When the fin portionis in the use position, the forward pivot memberis positioned in the forward channel portionand projects through the inward recess portionA and into the outward recess portionB, with the forward end of the forward pivot memberin engagement with a forward wallC of the outward recess portionB to limit forward movement of the forward pivot memberwithin the forward channel portionduring use of the watersport board. The outward recess portionB can have a partial cylindrical shape sized to snugly hold the forward pivot memberto limit its left and right movement and a wall portionlimiting movement of the forward pivot memberaway from the support baseduring use of the watersport board. When so positioned in the outward recess portionB, the forward pivot memberis held adjacent to the bottom wallA of the channel.

As shown in, the rearward end portion of the rearward channel portionincludes a rearward recesswith a forward opening in a forward facing wallof the rearward end portionof the outward projecting portion. When the fin portionis in the use position, the rearward pivot memberis positioned in the rearward channel portionand projects through the rearward recess. When so positioned in the rearward recess, the rearward pivot memberis held adjacent to the bottom wallA of the channelby the locking member, as will be described below.

Referring to, left and right lateral wall portionsandof the rearward recessextending rearward of the forward facing wall, each have a notchand, respectively, therein with a rearward open end, the notchesandbeing sized to rotatably retain a corresponding one of left and right pivot pinsand, respectively, of the locking member(see). The retainer memberis positioned in the rearward channel portionwithin the rearward recessand is removably held in position therein by the fastener(see the left side elevational, cross-sectional view of). Left and right forward edge wallsandof the retainer memberare positioned to block the rearward open ends of the notchesand, respectively, to retain the left and right pivot pinsandin the notchesand.

Referring to, the locking memberincludes a rearward end portionfor gripping/pressing by a user to selectively rotate the locking memberabout an axis of rotation of the left and right pivot pinsandin clockwise and counterclockwise directions relative to the rearward channel portion, as viewed in the drawings, and a forward end portionthat moves in the same rotational direction as the rearward end portionis moved. A rearward opening, laterally extending notch or grooveis provided in a rearward end faceof the rearward pivot member. In, the rearward end portionof the locking memberhas been rotated clockwise to position a forward endA of the forward end portionof the locking memberin a locked position within the grooveof the rearward end faceof the rearward pivot member. In this position, the forward end portionof the locking memberinhibits rearward movement of the rearward pivot memberand movement of the rearward pivot memberaway from the support baseduring use of the watersport board. The left and right lateral wall portionsandof the rearward recesslimit left and right movement of the rearward pivot memberduring use of the watersport board.

As shown in, outward projecting portionof the support baseincludes left and right side wall portionsand, respectfully, laterally spaced apart by a distance to receive (e.g., snuggly receive) the middle portionof the fin base portiontherebetween and provide lateral support to the fin base portionto assist in preventing lateral movement/rotation of the fin base, and hence the fin portion, during use of the watersport board. The middle portionof the fin base portionhas an inward edge wallthat is spaced outward away from the bottom wallA of the channel. The left and right side wall portionsandproject away from the bottom wallA of the channel, and each has an outward edge walllocated farther outward than the inward edge wallof the middle portionso that the left and right side wall portionsandoverlap with the middle portionof the fin base portionduring use of the watersport board. The left and right side wall portionsandlongitudinally extend along the channelwith forward endsA andA, respectively, located rearward of a rearward endA of the forward end base portionof the fin base portion, and with rearward endsB andB, respectively, located forward of a forward endA of the rearward end base portionof the fin base portion.

To facilitate transportation or storage the watersport board, the foldable fincan move to a folded position (also referred to as a “folded state”) with the fin portionadjacent to the bottom sideof the watersport board, while remaining securely attached to the support baseduring folding and when in the folded position.illustrate the fin assemblyin a folded state, with the foldable finpositioned fully to the side (e.g., being substantially parallel to the bottom sideof the watersport board. The design of the foldable finand the support baseeliminates the possibility of losing the fin portionsince the support baseremains securely attached to the watersport board, unlike with designs where the fin is fully disconnected from the watersport boardfor transport or storage and must be reattached before the next use of the watersport board.

The fin assemblyprovides a mechanism that allows a user to easily folding of the foldable fin. The first step includes moving the locking memberto a release position as shown in. As shown in, the first step is to rotate the rearward end portionof the locking membercounterclockwise, as viewed inand indicated by arrow “A”, to move the forward end portionof the locking membertoward the support basesufficiently to disengage the forward end portionfrom the rearward end faceof the rearward pivot memberand thereby withdraw the forward endA of the forward end portionfrom within the grooveof the rearward end faceof the rearward pivot member.

The second step includes moving the foldable finin a first longitudinally relative to the support baseas shown in. The first direction is illustrated by arrow “B” in. This includes moving (e.g., sliding) the fin base portionrearward within the channelas indicated by arrow “B” until the forward pivot memberis fully withdrawn from within the outward recess portionB of the forward recess. As is shown in, upon rearward movement of the fin base portionsufficient to fully withdraw the forward pivot memberfrom within the outward recess portionB, the rearward end faceof the rearward pivot memberwill engage the forward end portionof the locking memberwhich acts as a stop and prevents further rearward movement of the fin base portion. When so rearwardly moved the forward pivot memberis fully withdrawn from within the outward recess portionB but remains within the inward recess portionA of the forward recesswhich has a wall portion(see) limiting the extent of its movement away from the bottom wallA of the channel. The rearward movement of the fin base portionleaves the rearward pivot memberwithin the rearward recess, with a wall portionof the forward facing wall(see) limiting the extent of its movement of the rearward pivot memberaway from the bottom wallA of the channel. The rearward movement does not result in disconnection of the fin base portionfrom the support base.

The third step includes moving the foldable finaway from the support basealong a second direction of the support baseas shown in. The second direction as illustrated by arrow “C” inis different from the first direction as illustrated by arrow “B” in. Referring to, the third step is to move the fin base portionin a direction away from the bottom wallA of the channel(i.e., upward as viewed inand as indicated by arrow “C”), until the inward edge wallof the middle portionof the fin base portionis positioned farther away from the bottom wallA of the channelthan the outward edge wallsof the left and right side wall portionsand, or at least farther away than the one of the left and right side wall portionsandon the side of the outward projecting portionof the support baseto which the user wishes to fold the foldable fin. The inward edge wallof the middle portionshould be positioned away from the outward edge wallsufficient to prevent the side wall portionsandfrom interfering with folding over the foldable fin.

In this position, the forward pivot memberis fully withdrawn from within the outward recess portionB but still remains within the inward recess portionA of the forward recesswith its wall portionlimiting the extent of its movement away from the bottom wallA of the channel, and the rearward pivot memberis still within the rearward recesswith the wall portionof the forward facing walllimiting the extent of its movement of the rearward pivot memberaway from the bottom wallA of the channel. However, in this position the fin base portionis rotatably retained by the support base, but the movement does not result in disconnection of the fin base portionfrom the support base. As shown in, the movement in the direction of arrow “C” results in forming a gapbetween the bottom wallA of the channeland the forward end base portionof the fin base portion. A similar gap is formed between the bottom wallA of the channeland the rearward end base portionof the fin base portion.

The fourth step includes rotating the foldable finalong a rotation axis to place the fin portionin a folded position as shown in. The rotation axis is illustrated as a central axis of rotationin. Referring to, the fourth step is to rotate the foldable finclockwise or counterclockwise about the central axis of rotationof the forward and rearward pivot membersand, to place the foldable fininto the folded position with the fin portionadjacent to the bottom sideof the watersport boardwhen the fin assemblyis attached to the watersport board. Snap features (not shown) are included to releasably retain the foldable finin the folded position. In the illustrated embodiment, the foldable finmay be folded to the left past the outward edge wallof the left side wall portionor folded to the right past the outward edge wallof the right side wall portion. Folding to the right side is illustrated in the drawings, as indicated by arrow “D”. To facilitate the folding, the inward edge wallof the middle portioncan be positioned sufficiently away from the outward edge wallby the third step so that, during the rotation of the foldable finin the fourth step, there is sufficient clearance to prevent the side wall portionorfrom interfering with the folding of the foldable fin.

The outward recess portionB is sized and the wall portionthereof is positioned to permit at least the limited amount of movement of the forward pivot memberin the direction away from the bottom wallA sufficient to provide the needed clearance between the inward edge walland the outward edge wallto permit the folding action. Further, the device is sized and shaped to still prevent the forward pivot memberfrom being fully removed from the outward recess portionB and disconnected from the support baseduring the folding step or when the foldable finis fully folded. Similarly, the rearward recessis sized and the wall portionof the forward facing wallis positioned to permit at least the limited amount of movement of the rearward pivot memberin the direction away from the bottom wallA sufficient to provide the needed clearance between the inward edge walland the outward edge wallto permit the folding action, but still prevent the rearward pivot memberfrom being fully removed from the rearward recessand disconnected from the support baseduring the folding step or when the foldable finis fully folded.

To move the fin portionfrom its folded position to its use position, the four steps described above are essentially taken in reverse. The first step includes rotating the foldable finalong the rotation axis. The foldable finis rotated about the central axis of rotationof the forward and rearward pivot membersandsufficiently to place the foldable fininto an upright position. The second step includes moving the foldable fintoward the support base. The fin base portionis moved in a direction toward the bottom wallA of the channel(i.e., downward as viewed in the drawings and opposite to the direction as illustrated by arrow “C” in), to position the fin base portionwithin the channel. Next, the third step includes moving the foldable finlongitudinally relative to the support baseto place the fin portionin the use position. The fin base portionis moved forward within the channel(e.g., along a direction opposite to the direction as illustrated by arrow “B” in) until the forward pivot memberis in engagement with the forward wallC of the outward recess portionB to limit forward movement of the forward pivot memberwithin the forward channel portionduring use of the watersport board. Finally, the fourth step includes locking the fin portionin the use position by rotating the locking memberto a locked position. The rearward end portionof the locking memberis rotated clockwise as viewed in the drawings (e.g., opposite to a direction indicated by arrow “A” in) to move the forward end portionof the locking memberaway the support baseand position its forward endA within the grooveof the rearward end faceof the rearward pivot membersuch that the locking memberis in a locked position. The fin portionis thereby locked by the locking memberin the use position and ready for use to aid steering and stability of the watersport boardwhen ridden by a user.

Should it become desirable to remove the foldable finfrom the support basefor cleaning, repair or replacement, the user need only remove the fastenerthat holds the retainer memberin position within the rearward recessof the rearward channel portionand remove the retainer memberand the locking memberpivotally attached thereto. With the retainer memberand locking memberremoved, the forward end portionof the locking memberno longer inhibits rearward movement of the rearward pivot member, and the rearward pivot membermay be moved sufficiently rearward to move the forward pivot membersufficiently rearward to fully withdraw the forward pivot memberfrom within both the outward recess portionB and the inward recess portionA of the forward recess. Once so withdrawn, the inward recess portionA no longer limits the extent of movement of the forward pivot memberaway from the bottom wallA of the channeland the foldable fincan be disconnected from the support base. To reinstall the foldable fin, or a replacement foldable fin, the above-described process is repeated in reverse. While the foldable finmay be remove from the support baseas described, during normal use, transportation and storage, the foldable finstays attached to the support base, and hence to the watersport board, whether in the use position or the folded position.

The foldable finmay be made of a glass filled nylon, or any polymer, composite material, metal, foam, and/or wood, and can be rigid, have a high tensile strength, and/or be impact resistant. The support basemay be made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), any polymer or composite material, and/or from a material that is weldable and/or impact resistant. The locking membermay be made of an injected polymer, composite material, and/or metal.

The following examples are illustrative of several embodiments of the present technology.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present technology have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this technology and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this technology. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the technology is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to technologies containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

Conjunctive language, such as phrases of the form “at least one of A, B, and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” (i.e., the same phrase with or without the Oxford comma) unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either A or B or C, any nonempty subset of the set of A and B and C, or any set not contradicted by context or otherwise excluded that contains at least one A, at least one B, or at least one C. For instance, in the illustrative example of a set having three members, the conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, and, if not contradicted explicitly or by context, any set having {A}, {B}, and/or {C} as a subset (e.g., sets with multiple “A”). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C each to be present. Similarly, phrases such as “at least one of A, B, or C” and “at least one of A, B or C” refer to the same as “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, unless differing meaning is explicitly stated or clear from context.