High performance water vehicle

A high performance marine vehicle comprising

• the combination of:
• a central elongated body extending substantially the full length of said vehicle;
• said marine vehicle having a distributed mass so that the center of gravity is well forward of said vehicle's aerodynamic center of lift;
• a frontal float carried on said body at the bow of said marine body and a pair of side floats separated by the aft end of said marine vehicle;
• a wing-like structure cantilevered outwardly from an upper stern portion of said body in spatial relationship to the surface of said water and said side floats downwardly depending from the terminating ends of said wing-like structure;
• hydroski surfaces carried on the underside of each of said floats and being angularly disposed with respect to the surface of the water so that as vehicle speed increases, said marine vehicle will gradually climb upwardly;
• aft rearwardly tapering planing surfaces on each of said hydroski surfaces constituting a reduced wetted area for supporting said marine vehicle at maximum speed and said rearwardly tapered planing surfaces being well aft of the stern of said body;
• propulsion means operably carried in said body for powering said marine vehicle at high speed;
• said propulsion means is of the jet thrust type and a substantial amount of said mass is comprised of fuel for said propulsion means;
• and
• at least one tank forward of said center of gravity for holding said fuel constituting said substantial amount of said mass.

In a high performance marine vehicle, the

• combination comprising:
• an elongated hull;
• frontal float means carried on the forward end of said hull;
• side float means carried on the aft end of said hull;
• connecting structure securing said side float means to said hull in fixed spaced apart relationship
• ski means carried on the underside of each of said frontal and side float means constituting a three-point suspension supporting said marine vehicle in its transitory and high speed planing modes of operation;
• said ski means having approximately the same angle of incidence and including planing surfaces on each of said ski means;
• hydrodynamic directional control means operably carried on said front and side float means for providing directional steering and stabilization;
• aerodynamic directional control means operably carried on said hull and said connecting structure for providing aerodynamic directional steering and stabilization;
• propulsion means operably carried on said hull of the jet thrust type and a substantial amount of mass is comprised of fuel for said propulsion means;
• and
• at least one tank forward of said center of gravity for holding said fuel constituting said substantial amount of said mass.