Amphibious automobile with a sleek displacement hull in the substantial contour of a canoe

An amphibious automobile comprising:

• a displacement hull of a shape suitable to slice through the water;
• two moveable front wheels, attached to the hull and moveable between (i) down positions helping to support the hull above a surface of the earth for operation of the amphibious automobile on land, and, when the amphibious automobile is floating in the water, (ii) up positions where the into the water below the hull;
• and
• two skis each of which is attached to the hull and moveable between
• an up position both closely proximate to the displacement hull and so integrated into the shape thereof so as support and permit that the displacement hull should slice through the water,
• a down position extending downwards from the hull sufficiently and below the two moveable front wheels in their up positions;
• wherein the two skis in their down positions serve as two surfaces on which, along with a portion of the hull, the amphibious automobile may rise onto plane upon the surface of the water.

An amphibious automobile comprising:

• a displacement hull in the substantial shape of a canoe;
• four wheels, two front and two rear all located in positions outboard of the displacement hull, that raise and that lower;
• and
• two moveable skis, each movably attached to the displacement hull for moving between (i) a first, raised, position in line between a front and a rear wheel where clearance is provided for travel of the automobile on its lowered wheels on land and (ii) a second, forwardly-advanced, position underlying a raised front wheel where waves are at least partially deflected from at least a part of the raised front wheel during travel of the automobile through the water, and (iii) a third, downwards, position where the automobile planes upon the surface of the water.

An amphibious automobile comprising:

• a centrally located displacement hull body section, containing a passenger compartment and an engine and a steering wheel, that has and presents when floating in water the substantial hydrodynamic aspect of a canoe, having a length that is at least two and one-half times the beam at the water line;
• wheels located in positions outboard of the centrally located displacement hull body section:
• suspension elements and steering gear respectively linking the engine and steering wheel within the displacement hull body section to the wheels;
• and
• seals for enshrouding watertight the suspension elements and steering gear where they pass through the displacement hull body section en route to the wheels.

An amphibious automobile comprising:

• a body displacing water so as to form a displacement hull when the amphibious automobile is in water;
• front and rear wheels that may be raised and lowered relative to the body;
• and
• moveable skis behind the front wheels that move between a first, raised, position providing clearance to the ground for travel of the amphibious automobile on its wheels on land and a second, forward, position where curved tips of the skis arc under the front of the front wheels, serving to help to deflect such water under the front wheels as tends to impinge against the frontal surface of the front wheels during a forward passage of the amphibious automobile including its wheels through water.

A method of adjusting the lift of an amphibious automobile having

• a displacement hull, and
• four wheels,
• the method being directed to getting the amphibious automobile onto plane quickly and smoothly and to maintaining planning efficiently, the method comprising:
• starting the amphibious automobile from a stationary position whereat the hull assumes a substantially contiguous "U" shape that tends to cut through the water without forcing the amphibious automobile higher in the water with increasing speed though the water;
• and then
• as the amphibious automobile picks up speed in the water on its "U"-shape hull, raising the front wheels of the amphibious automobile and extending skis progressively downwards from the moving hull, which skis serve in their extension and their progressively increasing downwards extension as lifting surfaces tending to force the amphibious ever higher in the water with increasing speed through the water until, and finally
• as the skis are extend downwards while the amphibious automobile reaches sufficient forward speed, the amphibious automobile progressively goes onto plane on planing surfaces presented by (i) its two skis and (ii) an aft portion of its displacement hull.