U.S. patent application number 10/047428 was filed with the patent office on 2002-07-25 for rigid hull inflatable boat with foam insert.
This patent application is currently assigned to Safe Boats International, L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Hansen, William M..
Application Number | 20020096101 10/047428 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22992905 |
Filed Date | 2002-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020096101 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hansen, William M. |
July 25, 2002 |
Rigid hull inflatable boat with foam insert
Abstract
A boat with an inflatable collar mounted on the sides of the
hull. The inflatable collar extends outwardly from the sides of the
hull so that it contacts and displaces an increasing volume of
water as the boat lists. The inflatable collar is partially filled
with foam, and the foam inserts are sized so that the boat retains
a sufficient righting moment for its intended purpose even when the
inflatable collar has lost its water and airtight integrity. The
foam inserts may also be sized to provide the boat with sufficient
buoyancy to ensure that the boat will float even if filled with
water or capsized.
Inventors: |
Hansen, William M.; (Port
Orchard, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHRISTENSEN, O'CONNOR, JOHNSON, KINDNESS, PLLC
1420 FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 2800
SEATTLE
WA
98101-2347
US
|
Assignee: |
Safe Boats International,
L.L.C.
|
Family ID: |
22992905 |
Appl. No.: |
10/047428 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60261350 |
Jan 12, 2001 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
114/345 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63B 7/082 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
114/345 |
International
Class: |
B63B 007/00 |
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A foam and air stabilized watercraft for use on a body of water,
the watercraft comprising: (a) a rigid hull with a bow, stem,
bottom and two sides; (b) foam and air stabilizers mounted on the
exterior of said hull and extending along at least some portion of
each of said sides from said transom to said bow, said foam and air
stabilizers extending outward from said sides, said foam and air
stabilizers further comprising one or more water and air tight
bladders partially filled with pliable closed cell foam.
2. The watercraft of claim 1, further comprising a pliable
protective material covering the exterior surface of the water and
air tight bladders.
3. The watercraft of claim 2, further comprising a zipper in the
pliable protective material.
4. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the foam is a closed cell
polypropylene or polyethylene foam.
5. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the water and air tight
bladders further comprise one or more internal fabric panels
holding the foam in place within said water and air tight
bladders.
6. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the water and air tight
bladders further include one or more air valves in the skin of said
bladders, permitting the inflation and deflation of said
bladders.
7. The watercraft of claim 2, further comprising one or more lipped
channels mounted to the sides of the hull, one ore more flaps of
the pliable protective material extending from the pliable
protective cover, said flaps wrapped around solid rods, said flaps
and rods sized for insertion into and retention by said lipped
channels.
8. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hull is a mono-hull.
9. The watercraft of claim 8, further comprising two or more lower
flanges extending outwardly from the sides of the hull below the
foam and air stabilizers.
10. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the foam and air stabilizers
are mounted above the static waterline.
11. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hull is a planing hull
and the foam and air stabilizers are mounted so said stabilizers
are in contact with the water when said hull is stationary, and out
of the water when said hull is planing.
12. A foam and air stabilized watercraft for use on a body of
water, the watercraft comprising: (a) a multi-hull hull with a bow
end, stern end, and two outwardmost sides; (b) foam and air
stabilizers mounted on said outwardmost sides and extending along
at least some portion of each of said outwardmost sides from said
stem end to said bow end, said foam and air stabilizers extending
outward from said outwardmost sides, said foam and air stabilizers
further comprising at one or more water and air tight bladders
partially filled with pliable closed cell foam.
13. The watercraft of claim 13, further comprising a pliable
protective material covering the exterior surface of the water and
air tight bladders.
14. The watercraft of claim 14, further comprising a zipper in the
pliable protective material.
15. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein the foam is a closed cell
polypropylene or polyethylene foam.
16. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein the water and air tight
bladders further comprise one or more internal fabric panels
holding the foam in place within said water and air tight
bladders.
17. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein the water and air tight
bladders further include one or more air valves in the skin of said
bladders, permitting the inflation and deflation of said
bladders.
18. The watercraft of claim 13, further comprising one or more
lipped channels mounted to the outwardmost sides of the hull, one
or more flaps of the pliable protective material extending from the
pliable protective cover, said flaps wrapped around solid rods,
said flaps and rods sized for insertion into and retention by said
lipped channels.
19. The watercraft of claim 13, further comprising two or more
lower flanges extending outwardly from the outwardmost sides of the
hull below the foam and air stabilizers.
20. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein the foam and air
stabilizers are mounted above the static waterline.
21. The watercraft of claim 13, wherein the hull is a planing hull
and the foam and air stabilizers are mounted so said stabilizers
are in contact with the water when said hull is stationary, and out
of the water when said hull is planing.
22. A foam and air stabilized watercraft for use on a body of
water, the watercraft comprising: (a) a rigid hull with a bow,
stem, bottom, two sides, and lipped channels mounted to said sides
of said hull; (b) foam and air stabilizers mounted on the exterior
of said hull and extending along at least some portion of each of
said sides from said transom to said bow, said foam and air
stabilizers extending outward from said sides, said foam and air
stabilizers further comprising one or more water and air tight
bladders partially filled with closed cell polypropylene or
polyethylene foam, one or more internal fabric panels holding said
foam in place within said water and air tight bladders, a pliable
protective material covering the exterior surface of said water and
air tight bladders, a zipper in said pliable protective material,
one or more air valves in the skin of said air and water tight
bladders, one or more flaps of said pliable protective material
extending from said pliable protective material covering the
exterior surface of said water and air tight bladders, said flaps
wrapped around solid rods, said flaps sized for insertion into and
retention by said lipped channel; and (c) two or more lower flanges
extending outward from each of said two sides below said foam and
air stabilizers.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/261,350, filed Jan. 12, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to boats that are stabilized
with buoyant stabilizing members. Specifically, the present
invention relates to boats that have rigid hulls and inflatable
collar with a foam insert stabilizing member attached to the sides
of the hulls and extending substantially around the perimeter of
the hull.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is very important to design smaller boats with flotation
devices in the hull to ensure that the boat remains floating in
case substantial water gets into the boat or the boat capsizes.
Additionally, flotation devices provide the boat with added
buoyancy, thus increasing carrying capacity and safety. The
installation of flotation devices is especially important in the
case of small boats which are designed for operation on rough
waters, such as in the case of rescue boats.
[0004] Many prior art boat designs incorporate foam devices within
the hull of the boat, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,865 (Woolworth).
Typically, the foam flotation members are incorporated directly
within the hull structure itself. These boat designs are generally
safer than designs which do not incorporate flotation devices
within the hull.
[0005] Other prior art boat designs use inflatable cylinders to
form the sides of the boat, as in the case of Zodiac.RTM. boats.
The inflatable cylinders provide a high degree of stability to the
boat but result in a loss of performance. Generally, prior art
inflatable boat designs use inflatable cylinders as the sides of
the boat and either a flexible floorboard or a rigid floorboard
formed of wood or fiberglass. In operation, the cylinders serve as
the running surface for the boat and remain in contact with the
surface of the water; thus, a substantial wetted surface area and a
significant amount of drag are created. This design also results in
a very poor ride due to the fact that the boat tends to skip or
bounce over the top of the waves. In addition, the inflatable
cylinders are easily damaged and must constantly be inspected for
tears, leaks, etc. Another disadvantage to inflatable boats is that
typically the interior of the boat is very small, thus leaving
little room for carrying equipment or passengers.
[0006] Another prior art design is a boat stabilized through the
use of outboard foam stabilizing members. Generally, such prior art
designs use a rigid, planing hull having a transom and a pair of
curved sides extending forwardly from the transom to form the bow
of the watercraft. The sides and bottom of the hull are joined to
form a chine. Foam stabilizers for stabilizing the watercraft are
mounted on the sides of the hull above the chine and extend from
the transom along the length of the hull to the bow. The
stabilizers extend outwardly from the sides of the hull so that
they contact and displace an increasing volume of water as the boat
lists. A disadvantage of such foam stabilized boats is that the
foam stabilizers are harder than the prior art inflatable boats
with inflatable cylinders at the sides.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides a safe, stable, high
performance boat while reducing the disadvantages of prior art
designs. The present invention's use of a rigid, planing boat hull
combined with exterior inflatable collar partially filled with foam
results in these advantages without the disadvantages of typical
inflatable boat designs. Furthermore, the inflatable collar is
substantially out of contact with the surface of the water when the
boat is at cruising speed. This decreases the wetted surface area
of the boat when compared to inflatable boat designs, thus
increasing performance. An auxiliary planing strake can also be
provided for use as a running surface when a sharp turn is
performed at high speed.
[0008] The present invention allows the inflatable collar to be
mounted to the sides of the boat hull in such a way that water
pressure at high speeds does not force the inflatable collar away
from the boat hull, thus preventing damage to the boat hull or
inflatable collar. Furthermore, the inflatable collar is mounted to
the hull without holes being formed in the sides of the boat, thus
ensuring that mounting the inflatable collar on the hull does not
create a possibility of leaks into the interior of the boat.
[0009] An embodiment of an inflatable collar with foam inserts
watercraft includes a rigid, planing hull having a transom and a
pair of curved sides extending forwardly from the transom to form
the bow of the watercraft. The sides and the bottom of the are hull
joined to form a chine. A single continuous inflatable collar with
foam inserts for stabilizing the watercraft is mounted on the sides
of the hull above the chine and extends continuously from the
transom along the length of the hull to the bow and back to the
transom along the opposite side of the hull. The inflatable collar
extends outwardly from the sides of the hull so that it contacts
and displaces an increasing volume of water as the boat lists. This
stabilizes the boat by increasing the righting moment of the hull.
The watercraft may include a flange that extends outwardly from the
sides of the hull. The flange is adapted to extend below the
inflatable collar to ensure that water does not flow between the
inflatable collar and the sides of the hull.
[0010] The above and other features of the invention, including
various novel details of construction and accommodation of parts,
will now be more particularly described with reference to the
accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the particular
device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration
only, and not as a limitation of the invention. Principles and
features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous
embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same
become better understood by reference to the following detailed
description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of a watercraft stabilized by
an inflatable collar partially filled with foam inserts;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the inflatable collar
with foam insert of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of
the inflatable collar with foam inserts; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a third embodiment of
the inflatable collar with foam inserts.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a fourth embodiment of
the inflatable collar with foam inserts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a watercraft1
stabilized by an inflatable collar 20 partially filled with foam
inserts 21 is disclosed. In the first embodiment disclosed, the
watercraft 1 includes a rigid hull 2 and single inflatable collar
20 located on both sides of the hull. The rigid hull 2 may be
formed of aluminum, fiberglass, Kevlar.RTM., or any other suitable
material that can withstand the harsh and corrosive environment
encountered by boat hulls. In the embodiment shown, the hull 2 is
designed to be a high performance boat hull. The hull 2 includes a
transom 3 which defines the stem of the boat, two sides 6 extending
forward from the stem and curving toward each other to define the
bow 8 of the boat hull, and a bottom 9. In the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2, the sides 6 are joined to the bottom 7 of the boat
and to the sides 4 of the transom 3 such that hard chines 10 are
formed at the intersection between the sides 6 and the bottom 9 of
the boat 1. A hard chine is formed when two discrete surfaces meet
at an angle as opposed to a soft chine where the chine is part of a
gradually curving surface, such as the surface of a number of
sailboat hulls. In the embodiment shown, auxiliary planing strakes
11 extends outwardly and downwardly from the bottom 9 of the hull 2
near chines 10. The outward most edges 12 of the auxiliary planing
strakes 11 curves downwardly. Auxiliary planing strakes 11
downwardly deflects water or debris thrown off by the bottom 9 of
the hull 2 as the boat 1 moves through the water, thereby
protecting the inflatable collar 20 from damage. In order to
increase safety, while gaining unique performance advantages, an
inflatable collar 20 with foam inserts 21 is mounted to the sides 6
of the hull 2 above the chines 10. Mounting the inflatable collar
20 above the chines 10 as opposed to at or below the chines creates
a number of advantages as explained below. The inflatable collar 20
extends from a point rearward of the transom 3 forward along one of
the sides 6 of the hull 2 to the bow 8 of the boat and then extends
rearward along the opposite side of the hull, as is best shown in
FIG. 1. The inflatable collar 20 may include rear extensions 22
which extend rearwardly beyond the transom 3 in order to provide
additional lift in head and following seas, thus increasing the
stability of the boat 1. Although it could be advantageous to
extend the inflatable collar 20 beyond the transom 3, it will be
understood that it is not a required aspect of the present
invention to do so.
[0018] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the inflatable collar 20
is substantially cylindrical in cross section. Other embodiments of
the collar 20 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The inflatable collar 20
includes a unitary outer cover 23, attachment mechanism 24, and
multiple air bladders 25 contained within the outer cover. The
attachment mechanism 24 for the inflatable collar 20 includes upper
26 and lower 27 extruded attachment fittings attached to each side
6 of the hull 2. In an embodiment, the extruded attachment fittings
26 and 27 are made of aluminum, but may be formed of fiberglass,
Kevlar.RTM., or any other suitable material that can withstand the
harsh and corrosive environment encountered by boat hulls. In an
embodiment of the invention in which the hull 2 and extruded
attachment fittings 26 and 27 are aluminum or another metal, the
extruded attachment fittings are attached by welding. Suitable
attachment techniques are known to those skilled in the art with
respect to non-metal hulls or extruded attachment fittings. Each
extruded attachment fitting 26 and 27 runs continuously from the
transom 3 to a point several inches from the stem of the bow 8. In
the embodiment shown, the upper extruded attachment fittings 26 on
each side 6 of the hull 2 are mounted so that their upper surface
28 is flush with the tops 13 of the sides 6 of the boat, while the
lower extruded attachment fittings 27 are mounted several inches
above the chine 10. The extruded attachment fittings 26 and 27
include lipped channels 29 as shown in FIG. 3. The ends of the
lipped channels 29 at the transom 3 are permanently blocked off,
while the ends of the lipped channels near the bow are blocked by
any suitable removable fitting.
[0019] The outer cover 23 is made of polyurethane or any other
flexible material that can withstand the harsh and corrosive
environment encountered by boat hulls. The outer cover 23 of the
inflatable collar 20 includes flaps 30 of material disposed on the
inward side of the inflatable collar. The flaps 30 are wrapped
around ultra high molecular polyethylene rods 31 and the
combination of rod and flap material are sized to slide in the end
of the extruded attachment fittings 26 and 27 but are too large to
pull through the open sides of the lipped channels 29. The
inflatable collar 20 may be placed on the hull 2 by removing the
removable fitting blocking the forward end of the lipped channels
29, sliding the rods 31 and attached flap 30 material down the
length of the lipped channels, and closing the forward end of the
channel by replacing the removable fitting.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 4, the inflatable collar 20 and flaps 30
can be sized and positioned so that when the collar is inflated, it
protrudes above the gunwales 14, providing a wide and comfortable
sitting location. The inflatable collar 20 and flaps 30 can also be
sized and positioned so that the collar is in contact with the
water when the vessel is not underway, or positioned so that the
collar is not in contact with the water when the vessel is not
underway.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the inflatable collar 20 is further
fitted with one or more internal air bladders 25. The internal air
bladders 25 are made of any air and water tight flexible material
that can withstand the harsh and corrosive environment encountered
by boat hulls, such as polyurethane. Each internal air bladder 25
further includes a resealable air valve 32 which can be used for
inflating or deflating the air bladder. Each internal air bladder
25 is further fitted with a foam insert 21 so that the inflatable
collar 20 retains some capacity to displace water in the event that
the internal air bladders 25 lose air and water-tight integrity. In
the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the foam insert 21 is held in
position within the internal air bladder 25 by a panel 33 of the
material used to form the air bladder. The outer cover 23
optionally includes zipper 34, which can be opened to permit the
easy removal and/or replacement of the air bladders 25. Removal of
the air bladders 25 reduces the width of the boat 1, permitting
easier over the road transport. As another alternative, air
bladders 25 can be drained of air through resealable air valve 32
to also reduce the width of the boat 1, whether or not the outer
cover 23 is fitted with zipper 34.
[0022] The reserve buoyancy foam insert 21 can be formed of any
suitable buoyant foam which can withstand the harsh environment
encountered by a high speed watercraft, including normal docking
and moorage bumping. It is also advantageous that the foam insert
21 be formed from a foam that does not absorb water, has some
memory and is low in density. In the preferred embodiment shown, a
closed cell polypropylene or polyethylene foam having a density of
1.7 pounds per cubic foot is used to form the foam insert 21. In
view of currently available foam, it is believed that an optimum
range of densities is from approximately 1-3 pounds per cubic foot.
Advances in technology, may result in lower density foam that can
be employed in the invention. The foam insert 21 in the current
embodiment is sized to displace one-half to two-thirds of the
volume of water displaced by an intact internal air bladder 25.
However, the foam insert 21 can be sized to provide any fraction of
displacement relative to an intact internal air bladder 25, but
should be sized so that the boat 1 retains a sufficient righting
moment for its intended purpose even when the internal air bladders
have lost their water and airtight integrity. The foam inserts 21
may also be sized to provide the boat 1 with sufficient buoyancy to
ensure that the boat will float even if filled with water or
capsized.
[0023] Placing the inflatable air collar 20 above the chine 10 of
the hull 2 also creates performance advantages. The use of a rigid
planing hull 2 in the present invention allows the inflatable
collar 20 to be lifted substantially out of contact with the
surface of the water during high speed operation. This greatly
reduces the wetted surface area and therefore the drag of the boat
1. Furthermore, the foam insert 21 allows the boat 1 to retain a
high degree of stability in the event the air bladders 25 lose
water and airtight integrity. The illustrative embodiment is also
ideally suited for use in locations where the boat 1 may come into
contact with other objects. In those circumstances, the inflatable
collar 20 will deform without damaging the object that has been
struck or injuring any persons that have been struck.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment is shown wherein the
hull 2 is a catamaran. In the embodiment shown, the inflatable air
collar 20 is mounted to the outward most side of each hull sponson
15 above the static waterline 16. As with he inflatable air collar
20 mounted to the mono-hull, the collar can otherwise have any of
the embodiments described above.
[0025] It is understood that the present invention is by no means
limited to the particular construction herein disclosed and/or
shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or
equivalents within the scope of the disclosure.
* * * * *