EP4067222A1

EP4067222A1 - Motorized vessel and motorization unit of a vessel

Info

Publication number: EP4067222A1
Application number: EP22163118.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alfonso Peduto; Mitia Casalini
Original assignee: Mitek Srl
Current assignee: Mitek Srl
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2022-03-19
Publication date: 2022-10-05
Also published as: IT202100007994A1

Abstract

A watercraft or vessel (N) comprises a hull (S) and an engine unit (M), whose propulsion and steering body (1), equipped with an adjustable foot (2) supporting a propeller (3), is adapted to be mounted on a transom (4) of said hull (S), said body (1) being rotatably fixed around an axis (K) coaxial to the longitudinal axis (Z) of said hull (S) to move between an operative position (PO) with the said foot (2) immersed in the water below a line (L) of the waterline of the said hull (S), and an inactive position (PR) of the said body (1 ), in correspondence with which said body (1) is arranged with said foot (2) at least partially above said waterline (L); said body (1) comprises, or is directly connected to, an electric motor (M).

Description

The present invention relates to a motorized boat or vessel.
In particular, the present invention is advantageously used in the nautical sector, preferably for sport or pleasure watercraft, to which the following description will make explicit reference without losing its generality, in order to allow easy use of the vessel with safe hauling and launching operations, without interference from the drive unit with the lines of the hull and deck of the vessel.
In the recreational boating sector, boats are universally known and used, such as inflatable boats (with or without rigid hulls) or boats, of generally reduced dimensions, equipped with outboard motorization units applied and mounted on the stern mirrors of the boats themselves.
Currently, a known outboard motorization unit is of the type comprising an internal combustion engine (diesel or petrol) or an electric propulsion engine, which is fixed in a removable way, for example by means of suitable screw clamps, to the wall of the rigid transom of the vessel to carry out the propulsive advancement of the vessel at the same time defining a rotating rudder steering organ of the vessel itself.
This motor is normally provided mobile mounted around an axis transversal to the longitudinal axis of the vessel, to be moved between an operating position with its own rotatable foot equipped with a propulsive propeller, vertically immersed in the water below the waterline, at the in order to allow the subsequent advancement and controlled steering of the vessel, and an inactive raised position of rest, by manually rotating the engine itself parallel to the aforementioned transom and with the foot and propeller out of the water, usable and used during operations launching and hauling of the vessel, and / or in the phases of storage with maintenance of the same engine.
Due to the considerable weight of the aforementioned outboard motor, the manual assembly, disassembly, lifting and lowering of the same outboard motor to and from the aforementioned operating positions and inactive rest positions can very often be tiring and complicated, as well as not without dangers. for the safety of people.
The main purpose of the invention in question is therefore to eliminate the significant drawback described above.
In particular, an object of the present invention is that of realizing a motorized watercraft or vessel, preferably sport or pleasure watercraft, whose motorization unit is always installed, well fixed and at the same time is easy and quick to move in order to position the same motorization so as not to interfere with hull and deck lines.
Another purpose of the present invention is to create a motorization unit for a watercraft or vessel which, during the launching and hauling operations of the vessel itself, eliminates the possibility of causing harm to the safety of persons or damage to the vessel itself.
A further object of the present invention is that of realizing a motorization unit for boats which is not bulky.
The structural and functional characteristics of the invention in question and its advantages with respect to the known technique will become even more clear and evident from the claims below, and in particular from an examination of the following description, referring to the attached drawings, which show the schematization of a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the motorized vessel in question, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the vessel with propulsion body provided outboard;
Figure 2 is a schematic front view of an aft part of the vessel in Figure 1, in correspondence with an operative position of the propulsion body provided outboard;
Figure 3 is a schematic front view of an aft part of the vessel in Figure 1, in correspondence with an inactive position of the propulsion body provided outboard;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the outboard propulsion body with which the vessel in question is equipped, in correspondence with the operating position of Figure 2 and in various possible steering orientations of the vessel itself.

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 4, N globally and schematically indicates a generic vessel, boat or watercraft (in the non-limiting example shown, a rubber dinghy) provided with hull S and an engine unit M, a propulsion body 1 having a foot 2 and supporting a propeller 3 adapted to be fixed outboard on the rigid transom 4 of the hull S of the vessel N, in order to define a propulsion element and a vertically orientable (tilting) rudder for steering the same vessel N (Figure 4).
According to what is shown in Figures 1 and 4, the body 1 directly mounts a propulsion motor M1 also mounted outboard with respect to the vessel N, while according to a variant not shown, the body 1 is directly and mechanically connected to a propulsion motor which it is instead foreseen mounted inboard in the vessel N. According to what is illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the body 1 is mounted and fixed on the aforementioned transom 4 so that it is rotatable (arrows F in Figure 2) around a K axis coaxial to the longitudinal Z axis of the hull S of the vessel N and transversely with respect to the plane of the transom 4, to move, under the thrust of known actuator means and not shown or manually, between an operating position PO with its own foot 2 and relative propeller 3 immersed in the water below the waterline L (bottom line) of the hull S (Figures 1 and 2), in order to allow a controlled advancement and steering of the vessel N, and an inactive position at rest PR (Figure 3) of the body 1 of propulsion, in correspondence with which the body 1 itself is arranged with the aforementioned foot 2 and propeller 3 at least partially outside the water, i.e. at least partially above the aforementioned waterline L.
In the aforementioned position PR the propulsion body 1 is rotated substantially by 90 ° with respect to the body 1 in the operative position PO.
Preferably but not limitedly, the motor M1 is an electric motor mounted on a special fixing hole 5 present on the transom 4 so as to rotate around the aforementioned K axis with the aid of bearing means (not shown) applied to the hole 5.
In this way, the launching and hauling operations of the vessel N, and / or the storage phases with maintenance of the propulsion body 1 will be extremely easy, quick and safe, eliminating possible risks to the safety of people.

Claims

Watercraft or vessel (N) comprising a hull (S) and an engine unit (M), whose propulsion and steering body (1), equipped with an adjustable foot (2) supporting a propeller (3), is adapted to be mounted on a transom (4) of said hull (S), said body (1) being rotatably fixed around an axis (K) coaxial to the longitudinal axis (Z) of said hull (S) to move between an operative position (PO) with the said foot (2) immersed in the water below a line (L) of the waterline of the said hull (S), and an inactive position (PR) of the said body (1), in correspondence with which said body (1) is arranged with said foot (2) at least partially above said waterline (L); characterized in that said body (1) comprises, or is directly connected to, an electric motor (M).
Watercraft according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises actuator means suitable for moving said body (1) between said operative (PO) and inactive (PR) positions.
Watercraft as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said inactive position (PR) said body (1) is substantially rotated through 90° with respect to the body (1) into said operative position (PO).
Watercraft according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said body (1) comprises an electric motor (M) mounted outboard.
Watercraft according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said body (1) is directly connected to an electric motor (M) mounted inboard.
Watercraft according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said body (1) is provided mounted on a fixing hole (5) present on the said transom (4) to rotate around the aforementioned axis (K) through bearing means applied to said hole (5).
Outboard propulsion body (1) adapted to be mounted on a transom (4) of a watercraft (N) according to claim 1 or 4.
Drive unit (M) for a watercraft or vessel (N), characterized in that it comprises motor means (M1) and a propulsion and steering body (1) equipped with an adjustable foot (2) supporting a propeller (3), said body (1) being adapted to be mounted on a transom (4) of said vessel (N), and being fixed rotatably around an axis (K) coaxial to the longitudinal axis (Z) of said hull (S) to move said body (1) between an operating position (PO) with the said foot (2) immersed in the water below a line (L) of the waterline of the said vessel (N), and an inactive position (PR) of the said body (1), in correspondence with which said body (1) is arranged with said foot (2) at least partially above said waterline (L); characterized in that said motor means (M1) comprise an electric motor (M) mounted on said body (1) or connected directly to said body (1).