Catamaran air cushion water vehicle

Catamaran air cushion water vehicle comprising:

• two spaced apart floats each having a bottom and a top and which extend parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the water vehicle and which have a float region (115) therebetween which is submerged during travel in a first displacement mode and defines a first displacement travel waterline (WL0), wherein the cross-sectional widths of the floats increase from the bottom thereof to the top thereof and a deck structure having a top and a bottom rigidly connecting said floats together at the tops thereof;
• resilient skirts which are arranged at a stem and at a stern between the floats, said skirts extending at least approximately to the water surface and, together with the floats, bound an air space between a base of the deck structure and the water surface;
• main propulsion units and drive propulsion means arranged in the stern region of the floats and which are driven by said main propulsion units;
• and
• fans which blow air sucked in from outside the bounded air space into the bounded air space beneath the bottom of the deck structure in order to lift the water vehicle from travel in the first displacement mode to travel in a second air cushion mode on a second air cushion travel waterline (WL1);
• the floats (111) each having above said first displacement travel waterline (WL0) a hull section (112) having an upper end region and which has a width increasing inwardly of the vehicle in a step-like manner, at least along a substantial portion of the total length of said floats (111) with said hull sections (112) having accommodated therein the main propulsion units (114) and the deck structure (113) being attached to upper end regions of the hull sections (112).