Ships – Displacement-type hull – Having specific bottom
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-10
2001-04-17
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Ships
Displacement-type hull
Having specific bottom
C114S061260, C114S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216622
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to high performance boat hull structures. In particular, it pertains to an advanced hull structure which improves upon the handling characteristics of a V-bottom hull by combining V-bottom characteristics with those of a flat bottom planing hull combined with the speed and acceleration characteristics of a tunnel hull boat with a further improvement of substantially flat progressive lift surfaces with multiple tunnel and multiple reverse deadrise hydrochines providing surfaces upon which the hull predominantly rides at higher speeds, while providing lower speed running surfaces for mid speed optimal performance. These advanced features may be further combined with forced and natural air movement along the hull-water interface to provide added lift and control at low and high speeds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tunnel hull boats are designed to trap air underneath the boat hull as the boat moves through water, thereby compressing the air and lifting the boat above the water line defined by the boat's natural buoyancy. The effect of lifting the boat decreases the boat's resistance through the water and allows for faster acceleration and greater boat speeds.
Conventional tunnel hull designs have inherently sacrificed handling characteristics for higher speed performance. In particular, the same hull design that has allowed for lifting the hull out of the water has inhibited banking of the boat when turned, and contributes to porpoising (up and down oscillation of the bow) while turning. Moreover, performance of conventional tunnel hull boats is load sensitive and sea state dependent. That is to say, heavy loads detract from the air capturing and speed enhancing ability of tunnel hull boats, and, as compared to the more traditional V-bottom hull boat, tunnel hull boats are less stable in choppy water. V-bottom displacement hull boats inherently and inefficiently displace water outwardly in spray and excersive wake.
A high performance boat that combines the speed and acceleration advantages of the tunnel hull with the handling characteristics and stability of the traditional V-bottom hull and certain of the ride characteristics of a sled or flat bottomed hull would provide decided advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improved boat hull in accordance with the present invention incorporates progressional lift, multiple tunnel, multiple reverse deadrise hydrochines, spoon bow, and spray knocker attributes in a modified V-hull wherein the positioning and configuration of the multiple hydrosponsons successfully utilizes side defected spray and wake to enhance lift, thereby combining the high performance capabilities of the tunnel hull with the handling and stability characteristics of the traditional V-bottom hull. An objective of this invention is to provide for predetermined variable geometry of the hull-water interface for various velocities of the boat through the water. The hull design is carried out in such a manner as to result in a faster, more stable and efficient hull when operated under a variety of speeds, sea conditions and weight loading and distribution. The hull in accordance with the present invention includes a substantially V-shaped center hull portion, and one or more opposed pairs of narrow mid-hull sponsons having a substantially horizontally disposed running surface thereon which provides a part of the lift at high speeds, and a pair of outer hydrosponsons that depend downwardly from the gunwales to an outer low-speed a running surface which also functions as a splash shield at higher speeds. Running surfaces on the bottom of each mid-hull sponson and the pair of outer hydrosponsons may be positioned at a substantially horizontal attitude varying up to about 10 degrees from the horizontal as desired to modify the ride, a harsher ride being obtained at near horizontal disposition of the running surfaces with a softer ride obtained with a higher angulation of the surfaces. The above described positioning of the sponson running surfaces allows for controlled banking of the boat when turned, yet provides an adequate air trap for tunnel hull performance. The narrow width of the running surface on the sponsons and the angulation of the running surfaces are engineered to provide the required stability and ride characteristics with a substantial decrease in the wetted surface area of the overall hull during high speed operation. Locatized air injection may add to the desirable operational characteristics of this hull by modifying the wetted area and decreasing the friction of the hull traversing the water while providing added lift and control.
The hull designed according to the teachings of this invention exhibits increased structural strength, especially due to the continuous longitudinal beam structure of the sponsons extending along most of the length of the boat hull, and a wider than conventional beam providing better stability with lowered power requirements to obtain the same speed and performance. Lower speeds provide planing of the hull and a softer ride is achieved due to the multiple tunnel structure with running surfaces designed to provide optimum lift. The wider hull with hydrosponsons along a large portion of the hull results in less draft for shallow water operation, while having a higher weight capacity as compared to conventional hull designs. At higher speeds the hull of this invention performs with greater stability, exhibiting a flatter, more stable turning ability with higher speeds attainable in turns. Finally, the hull described herein utilizes side-directed spray and wake to enhance lift thereby enhancing efficiency and exhibiting significantly less wake than conventional boat hulls.
Very large hull structures for cargo and navy vessels may be advantageously designed using a multiplicity of parallel sponsons with running surfaces thereon to define many tunnels positioned across the width of the large hull.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4708085 (1987-11-01), Blee
patent: 5339761 (1994-08-01), Huang
patent: 5452676 (1995-09-01), Fiore
Kirkham John R.
Lindstrom Albert K.
Avila Stephen
Garrison David L.
Garrison & Associates PS
N.P.M. Holdings, Inc.
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