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US-12617502-B2 - Fender for watercraft

US12617502B2US 12617502 B2US12617502 B2US 12617502B2US-12617502-B2

Abstract

A fender for a watercraft having a watercraft body. The watercraft body defines an aperture. The fender has: a fender body; an anchor distinct from the fender body, the anchor being configured to be inserted in the aperture defined in the watercraft body and for selectively connecting the fender to the watercraft body; and a link distinct from the fender body and from the anchor, the link connecting the fender body to the anchor. The fender body is made from a flexible material. The anchor is made from a rigid material. The link is made from a resilient material. A watercraft having the fender is also disclosed.

Inventors

  • Marc-Andre L'HEUREUX
  • Abdelkarim MESKINE
  • Mathieu HAMEL-GAGNON

Assignees

  • BOMBARDIER RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20231031

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A fender for a watercraft having a watercraft body, the watercraft body defining an aperture, the fender comprising: a fender body made from a flexible material; an anchor distinct from the fender body, the anchor being configured to be inserted in the aperture defined in the watercraft body and for selectively connecting the fender to the watercraft body, the anchor being made from a rigid material; and a link distinct from the fender body and from the anchor, the link connecting the fender body to the anchor, the link being made from a resilient material.
  2. 2 . The fender of claim 1 , wherein the fender body is made from a flexible foam.
  3. 3 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein: the rigid material is stiffer than the resilient material; and the resilient material is stiffer than the flexible foam.
  4. 4 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein the flexible foam is a closed-cell foam.
  5. 5 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein the flexible foam is an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam.
  6. 6 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein the flexible foam is a cross-linked foam.
  7. 7 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein the resilient material is rubber.
  8. 8 . The fender of claim 2 , wherein the rigid material is plastic.
  9. 9 . The fender of claim 1 , wherein the link extends through the fender body.
  10. 10 . The fender of claim 9 , wherein: the fender body defines a passage; the link has a link body extending in the passage; the link body has a first end connected to the anchor; the link has a flange abutting the fender body; the flange is connected to a second end of the link body, the second end of the link body being opposite the first end of the link body; and a portion of the fender body defining the passage is disposed between the anchor and the flange.
  11. 11 . The fender of claim 1 , wherein the anchor comprises: an anchor body configured to be received in the aperture of the watercraft body; and a lock movably connected to the anchor body, the lock having a locked position for connecting the anchor to the watercraft body, and the lock having an unlocked position for permitting removal of the anchor body from the aperture in the watercraft body and for permitting insertion of the anchor body in the aperture in the watercraft body.
  12. 12 . The fender of claim 11 , wherein: the lock has a lever for moving the lock between the locked position and the unlocked position; and the fender body defines an access aperture providing access to the lever.
  13. 13 . The fender of claim 12 , wherein: the lock has at least one cam connected to and movable with the lever; and the anchor body is disposed between the lever and the at least one cam.
  14. 14 . The fender of claim 1 , wherein the fender body has a generally C-shaped cross-section.
  15. 15 . The fender of claim 14 , wherein: the fender body has: a middle portion; an upper portion extending upward and in a first direction laterally from a top of the middle portion; and a lower portion extending downward in the first direction laterally from a bottom of the middle portion; the upper portion extends over the anchor; and the lower portion extends under the anchor.
  16. 16 . The fender of claim 1 , wherein: the rigid material has a greater hardness than the resilient material; and the resilient material has a greater hardness than the flexible material.
  17. 17 . A watercraft comprising: a watercraft body, the watercraft body defining an aperture; and a fender selectively connected to the watercraft body, the fender comprising: a fender body made from a flexible material; an anchor distinct from the fender body, the anchor being inserted in the aperture defined in the watercraft body and selectively connecting the fender to the watercraft body, the anchor being made from a rigid material; and a link distinct from the fender body and from the anchor, the link connecting the fender body to the anchor, the link being made from a resilient material.
  18. 18 . The watercraft of claim 17 , wherein: the fender body abuts the watercraft body; the link is in tension; and the fender body is at least partially compressed by the link against the watercraft body.
  19. 19 . The watercraft of claim 17 , wherein the fender body is made from a flexible foam.
  20. 20 . The watercraft of claim 17 , wherein: the fender body defines a passage; the link has a link body extending in the passage; the link body has a first end connected to the anchor; the link has a flange abutting the fender body; the flange is connected to a second end of the link body, the second end of the link body being opposite the first end of the link body; and a portion of the fender body defining the passage is disposed between the watercraft body and the flange.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE None TECHNICAL FIELD The present technology relates to fenders for watercraft and to watercraft having fenders. BACKGROUND Fenders are used on all kinds of watercraft to protect the hull and/or deck from damage caused by collisions, such as collisions with a dock or another boat when the watercraft is at rest. Some fenders are permanently installed on the watercraft. Usually, however, the fenders are only deployed when needed. A personal watercraft (PWC) is typically provided with two fenders that are kept in the storage compartment of the PWC until needed. Prior to arriving at a dock, the fenders are taken out and installed along the side facing the dock, usually one in the front portion and one at the rear portion of the PWC. When the PWC leaves the dock, the fenders are removed and once again stowed away. On a boat or larger watercraft, fenders are typically suspended over the side of the hull from a railing or another structure. A rope or strap is commonly used to attach the fender to the structure from which it is suspended. On the other hand, the options for attaching fenders to smaller watercraft, such as a PWC, are limited because of their compact dimensions and construction. For PWCs in particular, fenders are sometimes tied to a tow eye at the vessel's rear. In the front portion of a PWC, a fender is sometimes retained by closing the hatch down on a strap or rope attached to the fender. Fenders that are not attached securely tend to detach and sometimes fall into the water and float away, thus requiring replacement and leading to inconvenience and expense for the riders. It would therefore be desirable to have fenders that can be easily, reliably and securely attached to a small watercraft, such as a PWC. Some fenders are shaped to conform to the exterior surface of a particular PWC and are therefore not usable with other PWCs. It would be desirable to have versatile fenders that can be used with a wide range of PWCs. SUMMARY It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least some of the inconveniences present in the prior art. According to one aspect of the present technology, there is provided a fender for a watercraft having a watercraft body. The watercraft body defines an aperture. The fender has: a fender body made from a flexible material; an anchor distinct from the fender body, the anchor being configured to be inserted in the aperture defined in the watercraft body and for selectively connecting the fender to the watercraft body, the anchor being made from a rigid material; and a link distinct from the fender body and from the anchor, the link connecting the fender body to the anchor, the link being made from a resilient material. In some embodiments, the fender body is made from a flexible foam. In some embodiments, the rigid material is stiffer than the resilient material; and the resilient material is stiffer than the flexible foam. In some embodiments, the flexible foam is a closed-cell foam. In some embodiments, the flexible foam is an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. In some embodiments, the flexible foam is a cross-linked foam. In some embodiments, the resilient material is rubber. In some embodiments, the rigid material is plastic. In some embodiments, the link extends through the fender body. In some embodiments, the fender body defines a passage. The link has a link body extending in the passage. The link body has a first end connected to the anchor. The link has a flange abutting the fender body. The flange is connected to a second end of the link body. The second end of the link body is opposite the first end of the link body. A portion of the fender body defining the passage is disposed between the anchor and the flange. In some embodiments, the anchor has: an anchor body configured to be received in the aperture of the watercraft body; and a lock movably connected to the anchor body. The lock has a locked position for connecting the anchor to the watercraft body. The lock has an unlocked position for permitting removal of the anchor body from the aperture in the watercraft body and for permitting insertion of the anchor body in the aperture in the watercraft body. In some embodiments, the lock has a lever for moving the lock between the locked position and the unlocked position. The fender body defines an access aperture providing access to the lever. In some embodiments, the lock has at least one cam connected to and movable with the lever. The anchor body is disposed between the lever and the at least one cam. In some embodiments, the fender body has a generally C-shaped cross-section. In some embodiments, the fender body has: a middle portion; an upper portion extending upward and in a first direction laterally from a top of the middle portion; and a lower portion extending downward in the first direction laterally from a bottom of the middle portion. The upper portion extends over the anchor. The lower portion extends under the anchor. In