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US 4,021,873 AGranted
Circular watercraft
OwnerJoseph S. Francoisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circular watercraft has a buoyant, generally toroidal hull supporting a rigid deck with an outer periphery in substantial conformance with the perimeter of the hull. The deck has an opening located above the central opening of the hull to permit placement of power means to drive and steer the watercraft. The hull can be an inflated structure such as an inner tube. A stabilizer assembly connected to the hull and deck lends horizontal and vertical stability to the craft. Reserve floatation can be provided by an auxiliary torodial pontoon nested within the central opening of the hull but normally located above the water line.
Claims15
A watercraft including:
- a hull comprising a first buoyant toroidal pontoon having flexible side walls and a central opening open to the water when the watercraft is situated in a body of water;
- a rigid deck secured to the top of the first pontoon;
- a second buoyant toroidal pontoon for auxiliary buoyancy having flexible side walls, a central opening, and a normal outside diameter slightly larger than the normal diameter of the central opening of the first pontoon, said second pontoon being frictionally nested within the central opening of the first pontoon adjacent to and beneath the deck in position normally out of the water when the watercraft is in a body of water and under normal loading conditions and coming into buoyant engagement with the water under abnormal loading conditions tending to lower the deck towards the water.
A watercraft including:
- a hull comprising a first buoyant toroidal pontoon having a central opening;
- a deck secured to the top of the first pontoon;
- a second pontoon for auxiliary buoyancy nested within the central opening of the first pontoon adjacent the deck in position normally out of the water when the watercraft is in a body of water and under normal loading conditions whereby under abnormal loading conditions tending to lower the deck towards the water, the second pontoon comes into buoyant engagement with the water;
- a stabilizer assembly fastened to the rear of said deck and engageable with the water to stabilize the hull when the hull is located in a body of water, said stabilizer assembly including a vertical stabilizer and a pair of generally horizontal stabilizers, one of said horizontal stabilizers being located on each side of the vertical stabilizer;
- said stabilizer assembly being pivotally assembled to said hull for pivotal movement in a vertical plane and including a pair of buoyant floats, one of said floats being secured on top of each of the horizontal stabilizers.
2 more elements
A watercraft including:
- a buoyant pontoon type hull with flexible, inflatable side walls and a central opening open to the water when the watercraft is situated in a body of water;
- a rigid horizontal deck secured to the top of the hull;
- said deck having an opening located over the central opening of the hull so to be open to the water when the watercraft is situated in a body of water, a motor mount on the deck located adjacent the opening in the deck for mounting an outboard motor to drive the watercraft, an outboard motor mounted on the motor mount and having a shaft extended through the opening in the deck and the central opening in the hull to the water;
- seat means secured to the deck proximate the outboard motor for use by a watercraft operator;
- a stabilizer assembly pivotally assembled to the deck and engageable with water in trailing relationship to said hull when the hull is located in a body of water;
- said stabilizer assembly including horizontal stabilizing means and vertical stabilizing means.
3 more elements
A watercraft including:
- a buoyant pontoon type hull with flexible, inflatable side walls and a central opening;
- a rigid horizontal deck secured to the top of the hull;
- a stabilizer assembly pivotally assembled to the deck and engageable with water in trailing relationship to said hull when the hull is located in a body of water;
- said stabilizer assembly including horizontal stabilizing means and vertical stabilizing means;
- and
- floatation units secured to the horizontal stabilizing means.
3 more elements
A watercraft including:
- a buoyant pontoon type hull with flexible, inflatable side walls and a central opening;
- a rigid horizontal deck secured to the top of the hull;
- a stabilizer assembly pivotally assembled to the deck and engageable with water in trailing relationship to said hull when the hull is located in a body of water;
- said stabilizer assembly including horizontal stabilizing means and vertical stabilizing means;
- and
- a hold-down assembly to bias the stabilizer assembly in engagement with water including an elongate flexible line secured to the deck proximate the central opening of the hull, extending under a portion of the hull, and attached at the opposite end to the stabilizer assembly.
3 more elements
A watercraft including:
- a buoyant, pontoon type hull including a first toroidal pontoon with flexible, inflatable side walls and a central opening, a second toroidal pontoon having flexible side walls located within the central opening of the first pontoon in frictional engagement with the side walls thereof in position normally out of the water when the watercraft is in a body of water and under normal loading conditions whereby under abnormal loading conditions tending to lower the deck towards the water, the second pontoon comes into buoyant engagement with the water;
- a rigid horizontal deck secured to the top of the hull;
- a stabilizer assembly pivotally assembled to the deck and engageable with water in trailing relationship to said hull when the hull is located in a body of water;
- said stabilizer assembly including a vertical stabilizer, a pair of generally horizontal stabilizers, one of said horizontal stabilizers being located on each side of the vertical stabilizer, a generally horizontal bar secured to the top of the vertical stabilizer at one end and pivotally assembled to the deck at the other end for pivotal movement in a vertical plane.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.