Boat bottom construction

A boat hull including upstanding longitudinal opposite sides, a bottom extending between and interconnecting said opposite sides and including inner and outer surfaces, a combined floor and bottom reinforcing and floatation assembly, said assembly including a generally horizontal, elongated, stiff and corrugated panel disposed longitudinally within said hull between said sides, said corrugated panel including elongated laterally spaced apart upstanding flanges extending longitudinally of said panel and having upper and lower margins, alternate pairs of upper margins being interconnected by integral bight portions extending therebetween and alternate pairs of lower margins being interconnected by integral web portions extending therebetween, longitudinally spaced portions of said web portions being cut away, said lower margins and the remaining web portions conforming to the contour of and abutting against the underlying inner surface portions of said bottom, said lower margins and web portions being bonded to said inner surface, a rigid floor disposed over and secured to said bight portions, and rigid foam floatation at least substantially filling substantially all of the voids defined between said upstanding flanges, bight portions and inner surface and between said upstanding flanges, inner surface and floor, said foam floatation having adherent properties and also serving to bond said floor, said upstanding flanges and remaining web portions and inner surface exposed therebetween together and to further bond said bight portions, upstanding flanges and inner surfaces together, the rigidity of said foam floatation also serving to reinforce said upstanding flanges relative to each other and to said bottom and also serving to reinforce said bottom relative to said floor.

In combination with a boat hull including upstanding longitudinal opposite sides and a bottom extending between and interconnecting lower margins of said sides and including inner and outer surfaces, the method of providing a floor in said hull spaced above said bottom and with said floor and bottom reinforced relative to each other, said method comprising:

• A. Providing a horizontal, elongated corrugated panel including elongated, laterally spaced upstanding flanges extending longitudinally of said panel and having upper and lower margins with alternate pairs of laterally adjacent upper margins interconnected by integral bight portions extending therebetween and alternate pairs of laterally spaced lower margins interconnected by integral web portions extending therebetween and at least major portions of said lower margins and web portions contoured to conform to and abut against underlying inner surface portions of said bottom when said panel is positioned lengthwise in said bottom, said corrugated panel defining alternating laterally adjacent upwardly and downwardly opening channels,
• B. Positioning said corrugated panel lengthwise in said hull with major portions of said lower margins and web portions abutted against underlying inner surface portions of said bottom.
• C. Sealingly anchoring said major portions of said lower margins and web portions to said inner surface,
• D. Providing a rigid horizontal floor panel,
• E. Positioning said rigid floor panel in said hull in supported engagement from said bight portions,
• F. Sealingly anchoring said floor panel to said bight portions;
• and
• G. Injecting expandable foam floatation into said upwardly opening channels and said downwardly opening channels with the foam floatation being of a type to establish, when expanded structural reinforcing between said bottom and floor panel as well as structural reinforcing between adjacent upstanding flanges of said corrugated panel against deflection relative to each other.

A boat hull including upstanding longitudinal opposite sides, a bottom including inner and outer surfaces extending between and interconnecting said opposite sides, a corrugated panel including generally parallel, horizontal and laterally spaced apart upstanding flanges including upper and lower margins interconnected by upper and lower generally horizontal web and bight portions, respectively, extending between and formed integrally with said upper and lower margins, said panel being disposed within said hull with said corrugations extending longitudinally of said hull and said lower bight portions abutted against and bonded to said inner surface, a floor panel positioned within said hull and downwardly abutted against, supported from and bonded to said upper web portions, said floor panel including opposite side longitudinal margins bonded to said opposite sides, said corrugated panel defining, between pairs of adjacent upstanding flanges disposed between adjacent upper web portions, upwardly opening channels closed at their upper extremities by said floor panel and downwardly opening channels defined between pairs of adjacent upstanding flanges disposed between laterally adjacent lower bight portions with said downwardly opening channels closed by said bottom, and foamed-in foam floatation at least substantially filling said channels with said foam floatation comprising a rigid foam floatation and having adherent properties, whereby said foam floatation defines reinforcement between said upright flanges to resist deformation thereof, reinforcement between said floor panel and said bottom to resist deformation thereof and with said foam floatation also serving to bond the upper horizontal web portions of said corrugated panel to said bottom and the lower bight portions of said corrugated panel to said floor panel.