An inflatable shuttle boat including a seat tube, a pair of exterior buoyancy tubes, and a pair of foot support tubes. The seat tube has an elongate, cylindrical outer surface that is centrally located and extends from a front end to an aft end, the seat tube sized for single-file, straddled seating of a plurality of riders on top of the cylindrical outer surface. The pair of exterior buoyancy tubes have an elongate shape providing exterior sides of the inflatable shuttle boat, each of the pair of exterior buoyancy tubes having a larger diameter and height than the seat tube and extend in a parallel disposition to the seat tube at right and left sides. The pair of foot support tubes have elongate shapes extending adjacent and parallel to the seat tube in coupled engagement between the pair of exterior buoyancy tubes and the seat tube.

A stabilized flotation platform that is used for supporting supplies for those enjoying time in the water. The uniqueness is the stability provided by its construction such that materials contained on or in the device do not spill into the water.

A portable expandable device with a contracting mechanism which allows for many forms of recreational products and structures to be expanded, reinforced in the expanded shape, and then contracted easily to regain its portable form. The expansion means is exercised by the use of at least one of the following, resiliently extending, unfolding, inflating, as to become an expanding form which can then be easily retracted to the redeployed form. The retraction mechanism reverses the expansion process utilizing a mechanism which sequentially exerts the forces needed in the proper locations in order to ensure proper contraction. Disclosed embodiments utilized supplemental structural reinforcement of the expanded form through the use of joints, releasable interlocks, latching mechanisms, air bladders, to ensure the form is stable and usable. The objective being a stable structure with a rapid and easy deployment and a supplemental retraction means as to be easily transportable.

A portable expandable device with a contracting mechanism which allows for many forms of recreational products and structures to be expanded, reinforced in the expanded shape, and then contracted easily to regain its portable form. The expansion means is exercised by the use of at least one of the following, resiliently extending, unfolding, inflating, as to become an expanding form which can then be easily retracted to the redeployed form. The retraction mechanism reverses the expansion process utilizing a mechanism which sequentially exerts the forces needed in the proper locations in order to ensure proper contraction. Disclosed embodiments utilized supplemental structural reinforcement of the expanded form through the use of joints, releasable interlocks, latching mechanisms, air bladders, to ensure the form is stable and usable. The objective being a stable structure with a rapid and easy deployment and a supplemental retraction means as to be easily transportable.

Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds.

The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO.sub.2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations.

CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.

Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds.

The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO.sub.2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations.

CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.

Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds. The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO.sub.2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations. CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.

Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds. The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO.sub.2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations. CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.

Manually propelled water skis support a person skiing on water. The water ski includes a base having a binding on an upper surface and stationary propulsion structures with uniform height on the bottom surface. The propulsion structures include a rearward facing and vertical propulsion surface and a forward facing and sloped surface such that drag is greater when the water ski is moved rearwardly. The propulsion surface may be arcuate, V-shape, U-shaped, or other shaped in a horizontal plane and may also be circularly concave in a vertical plane. Buoyancy structures may be secured to the upper surface of the base forward and rearward of the binding. Water ski poles including elliptically- or cylindrically-shaped floats at the bottom ends may be used to provide a synergistic increase in waterskiing speed. Straps on the base near the binding may be used to secure the water ski poles to the base in order to form an outrigger.

An inflatable product is provided, comprising: an inflatable chamber defined by a chamber wall; a tensioning member disposed in the inflatable chamber; and a connecting member disposed in the inflatable chamber. The connecting member includes a covering layer and a fiber layer disposed between the chamber wall and the covering layer. The tensioning member is sewn to the connecting member, and the connecting member is connected to the chamber wall.