IP Library Granted Patent US 11,390,361
Granted Patent B2
US 11,390,361 · App. 17/029,893 · Granted Jul 19, 2022

Personal watercraft

Inventors: Toshio Araki (Akashi, JP); Yu Shibuta (Kobe, JP); Mayumi Takagi (Himeji, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
B63B34/10B63B11/00B63B2029/043
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,390,361
App. No.
17/029,893
Granted
Jul 19, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A personal watercraft includes: a watercraft body; a handle located above the watercraft body; a seat assembly including at least one straddle seat located rearward of the handle; and at least one mounting adjuster configured to mount the straddle seat on the watercraft body and allow the straddle seat to be positionable on the watercraft body in a plurality of mounting positions arranged in a front-rear direction.

Claims (37)

1. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body;

a handle located above the watercraft body;

a seat assembly comprising at least one straddle seat located rearward of the handle; and

at least one mounting adjuster configured to mount the straddle seat on the watercraft body and allow the straddle seat to be positionable on the watercraft body in a plurality of mounting positions arranged in a front-rear direction.

2. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the straddle seat comprises a hip support.

3. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the straddle seat is an operator seat on which at least an operator sits.

4. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the seat assembly comprises a front seat on which at least an operator sits and a rear seat independent of the front seat and located adjacent to and rearward of the front seat, and

the at least one straddle seat includes at least one of the front and rear seats.

5. The personal watercraft according to claim 4 , wherein

the at least one straddle seat includes the front seat and the rear seat,

the at least one mounting adjuster includes: a front mounting adjuster configured to allow the front seat to be mountable on the watercraft body in a plurality of front seat mounting positions arranged in the front-rear direction; and a rear mounting adjuster configured to allow the rear seat to be mountable on the watercraft body in a plurality of rear seat mounting positions arranged in the front-rear direction, and

the mounting position of the front seat and the mounting position of the rear seat are changeable independently of each other.

6. The personal watercraft according to claim 5 , wherein

the front seat comprises a front cushion and a front bottom plate located below the front cushion,

the rear seat comprises a rear cushion and a rear bottom plate located below the rear cushion,

combinations of the front seat mounting positions and the rear seat mounting positions include a first combination in which the front seat and the rear seat are maximally close to each other and at least one second combination other than the first mounting position,

the front and rear seats are spaced by a gap in the front-rear direction when mounted using the second combination, and

a rear end portion of the front cushion or a front end portion of the rear cushion is shaped to cover the gap between the front and rear seats mounted using the second combination.

7. The personal watercraft according to claim 4 , wherein the watercraft body comprises: a deck provided with an engine room opening overlapping both the front seat and the rear seat in plan view; and a closure panel mounted on the deck to close the engine room opening, the closure panel being located below and facing the front and rear seats.

8. The personal watercraft according to claim 7 , wherein the closure panel comprises: a panel body provided with an inspection opening; and an inspection cover mounted on the panel body to close the inspection opening, the inspection cover being removable to uncover the inspection opening.

9. The personal watercraft according to claim 7 , wherein

the closure panel comprises an upper surface, the upper surface comprising a top surface and a recess extending downward from the top surface, and

the mounting adjuster is located in a space defined by the recess.

10. The personal watercraft according to claim 9 , wherein

at least a portion of a bottom surface of the recess is a horizontal surface that extends in a horizontal direction when the personal watercraft is at rest on the water, and

an edge of the horizontal surface is smoothly continuous with the top surface.

11. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting adjuster comprises: a positioner configured to place the straddle seat on the watercraft body in a mounting position selected from the plurality of mounting positions arranged in the front-rear direction; and a lock configured to lock the straddle seat to the watercraft body.

12. The personal watercraft according to claim 11 , wherein

the positioner comprises: at least one positioning projection provided in one of the watercraft body and the straddle seat and projecting toward the other of the watercraft body and the seat; and at least one positioning hole provided in the other of the watercraft body and the straddle seat and opening toward the one of the watercraft body and the straddle seat,

the at least one positioning projection includes a plurality of positioning projections or the at least one positioning hole includes a plurality of positioning holes arranged in the front-rear direction, and

the lock comprises: an engagement receiving structure provided in the or each positioning projection; a plurality of engaging structures provided in the other of the watercraft body and the seat and associated with the positioning hole or holes; and a user operable structure operable to disengage the engaging structure from the engagement receiving structure.

13. The personal watercraft according to claim 12 , wherein the engaging structures and the user operable structure are provided in the straddle seat.

14. The personal watercraft according to claim 12 , wherein the user operable structure is connected to the engaging structures in such a manner as to transmit a drive force to the engaging structures and cause the engaging structures to move together.

15. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the straddle seat comprises a hand grip.

16. The personal watercraft according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one mounting adjuster includes a pair of mounting adjusters associated with the straddle seat comprising the hand grip, the pair of mounting adjusters being spaced apart from each other.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059630/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2020
From: ARAKI, TOSHIO; SHIBUTA, YU; TAKAGI, MAYUMI
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 053862/0637 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220089257A1 · Mar 24, 2022