GB2226282A - Watercraft - Google Patents

Abstract

A watercraft has a rigid inner hull 1 and an inflatable outer portion 2 extending around the sides and bow of the hull. The inflatable portion is romovably secured in recesses extending along the sides of the hull. The craft combines the ruggedness of a rigid-hulled boat with the stability of an inflatable. <IMAGE>

Description

WATERCRAFT TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to small lightweight watercraft.

BACKGROUND Such small craft generally tend to fall into one of two distinct groups. Firstly, there are the essentially rigid-hulled craft formed of fibreglass for example.

Whilst this form of construction is relatively rugged they suffer from one well recognised danger, namely that they are very unstable on the water and are easily overturned.

The second group are the so-called inflatables.

Although these are far more stable than the rigid hulled craft they are generally less rugged and do not inspire confidence in unaccustomed users. Even those provided with rigid floors would not prevent the users from having to enter the water if the main inflatable portion should become badly damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a watercraft comprising a rigid inner hull having a bottom wall and an upstanding wall comprising bow, side and stern portions, and an inflatable outer portion surrounding the bow and side wall portions of the inner hull and arranged for contact with the water in use.

The craft of the present invention combines the ruggedness and reliability of a rigid-hulled craft with the stability of an inflatable.

The side wall portions of the hull are preferably recessed to receive and positively locate the inflatable portion.

The inflatable portion may have a substantially Vshaped bow whereas the bow wall portion of the rigid hull extends substantially transversely of the craft rearwardly of the bow of the inflatable portion. Such an arrangement allows the length of the craft to be reduced for ease of transportation, storage and handling. Where this facility is not requirred however the bow of the hull may be recessed to receive the inflatable portion in a similar manner to the side walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from the stern end of a watercraft of the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the inner hull of the craft looking at the underside of the hull from the bow end, Figure 3 is a detail of one arrangement for fixing the inflatable portion of the craft to the inner hull, Figure 4 is a detail of a further such fixing arrangement, Figure 5 is a perspective view from the bow end of another watercraft of the invention, Figure 6 is a cut-away perspective view from the stern end of the craft of Fig. 5, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the inner hull of the same craft looking at the underside of the hull from the bow end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The craft comprises a rigid inner hull 1 and an inflatable outer portion 2. The craft is substantially symmetrical about a front-rear axis.

The inner hull comprises a floor 4 from which are upstanding two side walls 5 and 6 which are slightly curved inwardly towards the front or bow end. The front ends of these side walls are joined by a transverse and substantially straight bow wall 7 which is also upstanding from the floor 4. Similarly, the rear ends of the side walls are joined by an upstanding stern wall 8 which is substantially parallel to the bow wall 7. The bow and/or the stern walls may alternatively be slightly curved or shaped in a shallow V if desired. The side walls 5 and 6 each have a respective arcuate recess 9 and 10, best shown in Fig.

2, which extends along the entire length of the hull.

The hull 1 also has seating provision in the form of a central bulkhead 12 extending rearwardly form the bow wall 7, and two seats 14 and 15 secured to the bow wall on either side of the bulkhead.

The hull 1 is formed of inner and outer shells of resin-impregnated glass fibre for example. These may be joined together around the upper edge of the side walls 5, 6 and the bow and stern walls 7, 8. A cavity formed between the two shells is filled by injection with a self-setting foam, e.g. polyurethane or polystyrene.

The inflatable portion 2 is formed of a flexible envelope of non-porous material, which may be internally sub-divided into several separately inflatable air compartments. This portion comprises two tubular side portions 17 and 18 located in the side recesses 9, 10 of the hull. These side portions lead gently into a bow portion 20 which is substantially Vshaped in plan view. There is thus a substantially triangular gap formed between the bow portion 20 of the inflatable portion and the bow wall 7 of the inner hull, and this may contain a flexible floor web 21 secured to the inflatable portion.

The outer portion 2 may be secured to the hull 1 by an adhesive, but it is preferred that the inflatable portion is removably secured to the hull for ease of replacement in the event of damage for example. This may be achieved as shown in Fig. 3. Two spaced longitudinally extending sleeves 23, 24 are sown or otherwise secured to each of the side portions 17 and 18 of the inflatable part, to each receive an aluminium or wooden batten 25, 26. These battens are then secured by screws or bolts 27 to the hull.

An alternative method of fixing the inflatable portion 2 to the hull 1 is shown in Fig. 4. Instead of the sleeves 23, 24 of Fig. 3, each side portion 17, 18 is secured to two narrow webs 30, to which are in turn secured, e.g. by rivets, a series of hooks 31 spaced along the length of the hull. These are engageable with a corresponding series of bar portions 32 which are located in the gaps of castellated attachment strips 33 that extend along the upper and lower edges of the side recesses 9 and 10. The open mouths 35 of the hooks preferably face away from the other row of hooks on the same side of the hull. Thus, the hooks can only be engaged with or disengaged from the bars 32 with the outer portion deflated allowing the hooks to be rotated to position A. Hence, the hull and the inflatable portion cannot become detached from each other whilst the outer portion is inflated.However, if the outer portion should become damaged the deflated outer portion can easily be detached from the hull for replacement or repair. The hooks, bar portions and the castellated strips 33 may be of metal, nylon or other synthetic material, or a combination of such materials.

The craft is very stable in the water yet has a very rugged feel to the users. Should the inflatable portion become damaged for any reason the rigid hull will still remain afloat, and indeed, will itself form a self-contained rigid boat that can easily be rowed or motor-driven. Furthermore, although the overall length of the craft may be around 12 feet with the outer part inflated, the length of the craft can be reduced to about half that by deflating the outer part so that the craft is easily transported using a small vehicle.

The craft of Fig.s 5 to 7 again comprises a rigid hull 41 and an inflatable outer portion 42.

The hull 41 comprises a number of lightweight metal sections 43 (e.g. six) which are welded or otherwise secured together in end-to-end relation to form the side and bow walls of the hull. Each section 43 comprises an arcuate wall portion 44, best shown in Fig. 7, and an inwardly extending top wall portion 45.

The sections 43 connect to form a continuous recess 46 extending around the sides and bow of the hull, and the top walls 45 similarly co-operate to form a seat 47. A bottom wall 48 is secured to the sections 43. This bottom wall is also of lightweight metal and is of Vsection with a shallower angle towards the stern. A substantially flat lightweight metal stern wall 49 is secured to the bottom wall 48 and wall sections 43.

A rigid floor 50 is mounted above the bottom wall 48 and is sealed to the inside of the wall sections 43 to form a watertight buoyancy compartment 51, best shown in Fig. 6.

The inflatable portion 42 is again formed of a flexible non-porous envelope, which may be internally subdivided into several separately inflatable air compartments. The inflatable portion is located in the recess 46, this time with no gap between the envelope and the bow of the hull 41. The envelope may again be secured to the hull as described above.

The craft is very rugged and stable, and again, the inner hull can be used as a boat in its own right.

Claims (11)

1. A watercraft comprising a rigid inner hull having a bottom wall and an upstanding wall comprising bow, side and stern portions, and an inflatable outer portion surrounding the bow and side wall portions of the inner hull and arranged for contact with the water in use.

2. A watercraft according to Claim 1, in which the side wall portions of the hull are recessed to receive and positively locate the inflatable portion.

3. A watercraft according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the inflatable portion has a substantially Vshaped bow whereas the bow wall portion of the rigid hull extends substantially transversely of the craft rearwardly of the bow of the inflatable portion.

4. A watercraft according to Claim 2, in which the bow of the hull is recessed to receive and positively locate the inflatable portion.

5. A watercraft according to any preceding claim, in which the inflatable portion is releasably secured to the hull.

6. A watercraft according to Claim 5, in which the inflatable portion is secured to the hull by a series of hook elements.

7. A watercraft according to Claim 6, in which the hook elements engage a series of bar elements.

8. A watercraft according to Claim 7, in which the hook elements are secured to the inflatable portion and the bar elements are secured to the hull.

9. A watercraft according to Claim 6, 7 or 8 as appended to Claim 2, in which there are two rows of hook elements extending along the upper and lower edges of the side wall recesses in which the inflatable portion is received.

10. A watercraft according to Claim 9, in which the mouths of the upper and lower rows of hooks are directed away from each other.

11. A watercraft substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.