US20130065463A1

US20130065463A1 - Paddleboard

Info

Publication number: US20130065463A1
Application number: US13/228,639
Authority: US
Inventors: Windsor Chou; John Martin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-09-09
Filing date: 2011-09-09
Publication date: 2013-03-14

Abstract

A paddleboard includes a hollow paddleboard body made of plastics by rotational forming and having an enclosed chamber defined in between opposing top wall and said bottom wall thereof and inflated with air, and a plurality of hollow posts connected between the opposing top wall and bottom wall of the hollow paddleboard body. Each hollow post has a bottom close end connected to the bottom wall of the hollow paddleboard body, and a top open end connected to the top wall of the hollow paddleboard body and exposed to the atmosphere.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recreational water boards and more particularly to a paddleboard, which is inflatable and has hollow posts arranged therein to reinforce the structural strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
A paddleboard is a water recreational board that can be paddled by hand, ridden on the waves or towed behind a power boat. Conventionally, paddleboards are made in the same way as the fabrication of a surfboard, generally comprising a polyurethane base member trimmed by labor or by a CNC lathe, an epoxy resin or glass fiber cover layer surrounding the polyurethane base, and a design bonded to or printed on the surface of the epoxy resin or glass fiber cover layer after the epoxy resin or glass fiber cover layer is polished. This design of paddleboard has the drawbacks of low structural strength and high manufacturing cost, and may be broken easily when the player applies a pressure to the paddleboard through the legs.
In order to enhance the structural strength for carrying the weight of a heavy user, the thickness of the paddleboard may be increased. However, increasing the thickness of the paddleboard relatively increases its weight and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a paddleboard, which has the characteristics of light weight and high structural strength and inflatability, and allows the user to stand up on it positively and comfortably.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a paddleboard comprises a hollow paddleboard body made of plastics by rotational forming and having an enclosed chamber defined in between opposing top wall and said bottom wall thereof and inflated with air, and a plurality of hollow posts connected between the opposing top wall and bottom wall of the hollow paddleboard body. Each hollow post has a bottom close end connected to the bottom wall of the hollow paddleboard body, and a top open end connected to the top wall of the hollow paddleboard body and exposed to the atmosphere.
Further, an anti-slip pad is bonded to the top wall of the hollow paddleboard body. Preferably, the anti-slip pad is prepared by EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a paddleboard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational assembly view of the paddleboard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side, in an enlarged scale, of a part of the paddleboard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing illustrating an alternate form of the paddleboard in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1˜3, a paddleboard in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a hollow paddleboard body 1 made of plastics by rotational molding, and an anti-slip pad 15 bonded to the top wall 11 of the hollow paddleboard body 1.
The hollow paddleboard body 1 has an enclosed chamber 14 defined therein and inflated with air, and a plurality of hollow posts 13 connected between the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 12. Each hollow post 13 has the bottom end thereof closed and formed integral with the bottom wall 12 of the hollow paddleboard body 1 and a top end provided with a top opening 132 that is exposed to the outside of the top wall 11 of the hollow paddleboard body 1 and kept in communication with the inside space 131 of the respective hollow post 13. Further, the anti-slip pad 15 is prepared by, for example, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate). Thus, the user can stand up on the anti-slip pad 15 positively and comfortably when playing the water game. As the hollow paddleboard body 1 is inflated with air, the weight of the paddleboard is minimized and its buoyancy is maximized.
Further, the hollow posts 13 can be arranged subject to any of a variety of patterns. FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate form of the arrangement of the hollow posts 13.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A paddleboard, comprising:

a hollow paddleboard body made of plastics by rotational forming, said hollow paddleboard body comprising opposing top wall and bottom wall and an enclosed chamber defined in between said top wall and said bottom wall; and

a plurality of hollow posts connected between the opposing top wall and bottom wall of said hollow paddleboard body.

2. The paddleboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enclosed chamber is inflated with air.

3. The paddleboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said hollow post has a bottom close end formed connected to the bottom wall of said hollow paddleboard body and a top open end connected to the top wall of said hollow paddleboard body and exposed to the atmosphere.

4. The paddleboard as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an anti-slip pad bonded to the top wall of said hollow paddleboard body.

5. The paddleboard as claimed in claim 4, wherein said anti-slip pad is prepared by EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate).

6. The paddleboard as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hollow posts are arranged in said enclosed chamber subject to a predetermined pattern.