Ships – Boats – boat component – or attachment – Collapsible
Patent
1991-04-08
1993-02-09
Sotelo, Jesus D.
Ships
Boats, boat component, or attachment
Collapsible
B63B 700
Patent
active
051845652
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to boats.
Large sea-going boats and yachts have to carry smaller boats for life saving purposes and also to function as tenders for running between the vessel and the shore. Unfortunately the requirements of a lifeboat and those of a tender are such that it is generally necessary to have two separate boats. For example, inflatable craft are popular for lifeboats as they are `unsinkable` due to the buoyancy of the inflated tanks, but they suffer a major disadvantage as tenders because due to their low draught they are easily blown off course. Thus it is commonplace for a vessel to carry inflatable lifeboats and separate dinghies as tenders. This is both expensive and requires greater space for storage than if a single craft can function as both lifeboat and tender. Space may be saved by having a collapsible tender.
The present invention is directed towards providing a collapsible craft and in preferred embodiments to craft that may function as a lifeboat or a tender.
Accordingly the invention provides a collapsible boat comprising at least one pair of longitudinally hingedly interconnected base panels the outer longitudinal edges of which are respectively hinged to side panels, the direction and extent of the hinged rotation of the panels being such that when the boat is erected the side and base panels hinge open to their maximum extent and to collapse the boat alternate hinges rotate in opposite senses so that the base panels fold inwardly of the side panels in a zig zag formation, and in which at least the side panels are attached to vented compartments which admit and retain air when the boat is erected to constitute buoyancy tanks.
The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in a partially collapsed configuration;
FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 fully collapsed;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 fully erected;
FIGS. 4a and 4b show alternative embodiments of buoyancy tank seats;
FIGS. 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b and 7 show schematic sectional views of alternative embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 8 shows hinge structures;
FIG. 9 shows an alternative tubular construction;
FIG. 10 shows a boat assembly of complementary units;
FIGS. 11a, 11b and 11c show a modification of the invention;
FIGS. 12a and 12b illustrate schematically a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 13 illustrates schematically an automatic erecting mechanism for use with this invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the invention is shown in perspective view from above in a partly collapsed configuration. The vessel comprises a pair of side panels 1 which may be made of wood or plastics material. Each side panel has a flexible bow section 1a which enables the panel to lay flat when the boat is completely collapsed and to curve inwardly as the boat is erected. The flexibility may be provided by the inherent property of the material or be enabled by techniques such as selective thinning, segmentation or provision of lines of weakness in the bend axis, for example by scoring across the grain of a wooden board if the grain is longitudinal of the boat length. Laminated structures such as 3-ply (marine ply) wood may be used: to aid flexibility the laminations may be left free in the bow section, and/or the bow section may be formed with the outer ply grain vertical and joined to side panels with the outer ply grain longitudinal.
At the stern of the vessel the side boards 1 are interconnected by a stern board or transom 2 which is hingedly connected at its base to respective sections 3 and 4 of the floor of the boat, hingedly connected to the side boards, and also has three hinges 5, 6 and 7 to permit folding as the boat is collapsed. The floor of the boat comprises two sections 3 and 4 which are hinged together at their mutual joint along the longitudinal centre line of the boat and are also hingedly connected to the transom as mentioned above and to
REFERENCES:
patent: 1895380 (1933-01-01), Elling
patent: 2504256 (1950-04-01), Dittrich
patent: 2994891 (1961-08-01), Przybylski
patent: 4282616 (1981-08-01), Battershill
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