Resilient mount for interchangeable foil

摘要

A mounting assembly for a removable foil improves acceleration, maneuverability, and control of craft such as boats or rideable boards (surfboards, sailboards, and the like) and also reduces repetitive stress exerted on the hull by foil bending and torsion. An off-center ball-and-cup joint in the mounting allows the foil to yaw and roll within a limited range in response to changes in lateral fluid pressure. A resilient pad in the mounting then exerts a restoring force to return the foil to a neutral orientation as the lateral pressure equilibrates. An elastically deformable cushion on the base of the foil may contribute to the resilient adaptation while excluding ambient water from the mounting. Optionally, the entire assembly may be mounted in a translation cage that allows adjustment of the foil's longitudinal position. Variations on removable foils, and cushions for the bases of foils, have thickened trailing ends to reduce turbulence.

主权项

1. An interchangeable foil system, comprising:
a removable foil comprising a tab protruding from a base, and a foil mounting assembly, comprising: a sleeve having a ball on an outer surface and a receptacle configured to receive the tab, a retainer extending within the receptacle and engage-able with the tab, a socket containing the sleeve and the retainer in a chamber and seating the ball rotatably in a cup, a resilient pad between the sleeve and an inner wall of the chamber, and a lid confining the sleeve, the retainer, and the pad within the socket and having a slot through which the tab may enter the receptacle, where the tab is inserted through the slot into the receptacle in an insertion direction, where the retainer retains the tab in the receptacle until the tab is pulled in a direction opposite the insertion direction with at least a minimum removal force, where a lateral pressure on the foil when the tab is in the receptacle causes the sleeve to yaw and roll in the chamber as the ball rotates in the cup, and where the pad exerts a restoring force to return the sleeve to a neutral orientation as the lateral pressure subsides.