Collapsible canoe skin

An improved collapsible canoe having a frame covered by a composite skin, the frame having,

• a pair of gunwales,
• a series of ribs, each rib being connected at each end to one of the gunwales,
• a series of longitudinal stringers which are supported by the ribs, and
• thwarts which stabilize the gunwales,
• the composite skin having,
• a bottom panel of a polymer-coated fabric,
• a pair of polymer-coated side panels attached to the bottom panel, and
• a pair of gunwale sleeves, each attached to one of the side panels, the gunwale sleeves engaging the gunwales of the frame,
• the improvement wherein the bottom panel comprises:
• a bottom fabric substrate having a first side and a second side;
• a bottom polymer coating on said first side of said bottom fabric substrate, said second side of said bottom fabric substrate being uncoated;
• and
• a foam pad attached to said uncoated second side of said bottom fabric substrate.

An improved collapsible canoe having a frame covered by a composite skin, the frame having,

• a pair of gunwales,
• a series of ribs, each rib being connected at each end to one of the gunwales,
• a series of longitudinal stringers which are supported by the ribs, and
• thwarts which stabilize the gunwales,
• the composite skin having,
• a pair of polymer-coated gunwale sleeves which engage the gunwales of the frame,
• a pair of polymer-coated side panels, each extending downwardly from one of the gunwale sleeves, and
• a bottom panel of a polymer-coated fabric attached to the pair of side panels,
• the improvement comprising:
• a pair of side flotation compartments which can be attached to the composite skin, each of said pair of side flotation compartments having,
• a flotation chamber sleeve which is positionable between one of the side panels and the frame;
• and
• a plurality of flotation chambers, each of which is configured to be independently slidably inserted into said flotation chamber sleeve and can be inflated to tension the composite skin with respect to the frame.

An improved collapsible canoe having a frame covered by a composite skin, the frame having,

• a pair of gunwales,
• a series of ribs, each rib being connected at each end to one of the gunwales,
• a series of longitudinal stringers which are supported by the ribs, and
• thwarts which stabilize the gunwales,
• the composite skin having,
• a bottom panel of a polymer-coated fabric,
• a pair of polymer-coated side panels attached to the bottom panel, and
• a pair of gunwale sleeves, each attached to one of the side panels, the gunwale sleeves engaging the gunwales of the frame,
• the improvement wherein the bottom panel comprises:
• a bottom fabric substrate having a first side and a second side;
• a bottom polymer coating on said first side of said bottom fabric substrate;
• and
• at least one rub strip, said at least one rub strip being provided by a strip of polymer film bonded to the bottom panel so as to be positioned on an area of said polymercoated first side which covers a corresponding at least one of the stringers of the frame.