Knock-down boat assembly

A boat construction adapted to be transformed from a disassembled state to an assembled watercraft capable of buoyant navigation, comprising:

• a hull assembly adapted to be disposed in a first disposition in which said hull assembly is collapsed and folded into a storage configuration, and transformable into a second disposition in which said hull assembly is deployed as a water-displacing hull;
• frame means comprised of disassemblable frame components adapted to be disposed in a knock-down state and adapted to be assembled within said water-displacing hull to support said water-displacing hull;
• and,
• deck means secured to said hull assembly and disposed to enclose upper portions of said water-displacing hull;
• said hull assembly including a pair of hull panels having confronting curved longitudinal edges, and first means for joining said hull panels continuously along said longitudinal edges;
• said frame means including at least a pair of cam-action frame assemblies adapted to be received within said water-displacing hull and to extend transversely to said hull panels and define a rigid structure therebetween.

A boat construction adapted to be transformed from a disassembled state to an assembled watercraft capable of buoyant navigation, comprising:

• a hull assembly adapted to be disposed in a first disposition in which said hull assembly is collapsed and folded into a storage configuration, and transformable into a second disposition in which said hull assembly is deployed as a water-displacing hull;
• frame means comprised of disassemblable frame components adapted to be disposed in a knock-down state and adapted to be assembled within said water-displacing hull to support said water-displacing hull;
• and,
• deck means secured to said hull assembly and disposed to enclose upper portions of said water-displacing hull;
• said hull assembly including a pair of hull panels having confronting curved longitudinal edges, and first means for joining said hull panels continuously along said longitudinal edges;
• panel stiffener means secured to said hull panels for increasing the stiffness and rigidity of selected portions of said hull panels;
• said panel stiffener means including a welt secured permanently to a surface of one of said hull panels and extending in a first direction, a bore extending through said welt in said first direction, and a stiffener member removably secured in said bore.

A boat construction adapted to be transformed from a disassembled state to an assembled watercraft capable of buoyant navigation, comprising:

• a hull assembly adapted to be disposed in a first disposition in which said hull assembly is collapsed and folded into a storage configuration, and transformable into a second disposition in which said hull assembly is deployed as a water-displacing hull;
• frame means comprised of disassemblable frame components adapted to be disposed in a knock-down state and adapted to be assembled within said water-displacing hull to support said water-displacing hull;
• and,
• deck means secured to said hull assembly and disposed to enclose upper portions of said water-displacing hull;
• said hull assembly including a pair of hull panels having confronting curved longitudinal edges, and first means for joining said hull panels continuously along said longitudinal edges;
• said hull panels including opposed gunwale edges and a bow end and a stern end;
• said deck means including a flexible, collapsible deck cover spanning the distance between said gunwale edges and secured permanently thereto, said deck cover extending from said bow end to said stern end;
• further including at least one deck access opening extending generally longitudinally in said deck cover to permit installation of said frame means, and closure means for closing said deck access opening in sealed, leakproof fashion.

A boat construction adapted to be transformed from a disassembled state to an assembled watercraft capable of buoyant navigation, comprising:

• a hull assembly adapted to be disposed in a first disposition in which said hull assembly is collapsed and folded into a storage configuration, and transformable into a second disposition in which said hull assembly is deployed as a water-displacing hull;
• frame means comprised of disassemblable frame components adapted to be disposed in a knock-down state and adapted to be assembled within said water-displacing hull to support said water-displacing hull;
• and,
• deck means secured to said hull assembly and disposed to enclose upper portions of said water-displacing hull;
• said hull assembly including a pair of hull panels having confronting curved longitudinal edges, and first means for joining said hull panels continuously along said longitudinal edges;
• said hull panels including opposed gunwale edges and a bow end and a stern end, said deck means including a form-retaining deck panel spanning the distance between said gunwale edges and extending from said bow end to said stern end;
• means for releasably joining said deck panel to said gunwale edges of said hull panels;
• said deck panel including laterally opposed, longitudinally extending edges, and said means for releasably joining secures said longitudinally extending edges to said gunwale edges;
• said means for releasably joining including a seal welt joined permanently to one of said longitudinally extending edges.

A panel stiffening assembly for selectively increasing the rigidity and stiffness of selected portions of a flexible panel, comprising:

• a plurality of paired brackets secured to a surface of the flexible panel and extending in a first direction in a generally linear arrangement, and a substantially rigid stiffener member adapted to be slidably engaged by said paired brackets;
• said stiffener member including at least one side portion extending in said first direction, said paired bracket members adapted to capture therebetween said at least one side portion in slidable fashion;
• said stiffener member including a medial web member joined to said at least one side portion and extending in said first direction;
• said stiffener member including another side portion joined to said web member in parallel, spaced apart relationship to said at least one portion;
• said another side portion comprising a curved panel member having opposed edges, said opposed edges impinging on said surface of said flexible panel.

A sealed zipper closure for an opening having laterally opposed sides, comprising:

• a pair of seal welts, each secured to one of said laterally opposed sides;
• said pair of seal welts including complementary, mating surfaces adapted to be releasably engaged in sealing fashion, said mating surfaces extending longitudinally on said pair of seal welts in confronting, opposed relationship;
• zipper means joined to said seal welts to releasably engage and disengage said mating surfaces of said pair of seal welts;
• said zipper means including a zipper having laterally opposed, paired sides, each of said zipper sides being secured to one of said pair of seal welts, and a zipper car slidably secured to said paired sides;
• said mating surfaces of said seal welts comprising a pair of arcuate, concave channels extending longitudinally, said mating surfaces adapted to be brought into impingement whereby said channels define a longitudinally extending closed chamber.

A boat construction adapted to be transformed from a disassembled state to an assembled watercraft capable of buoyant navigation, comprising:

• a hull assembly adapted to be disposed in a first disposition in which said hull assembly is collapsed and folded into a storage configuration, and transformable into a second disposition in which said hull assembly is deployed as a water-displacing hull;
• frame means comprised of disassemblable frame components adapted to be disposed in a knock-down state and adapted to be assembled within said water-displacing hull to support said water-displacing hull;
• and,
• deck means secured to said hull assembly and disposed to enclose upper portions of said water-displacing hull;
• said hull assembly including a pair of hull panels having confronting curved longitudinal edges, and first means for joining said hull panels continuously along said longitudinal edges;
• said first means including a web portion extending between said curved longitudinal edges, said web portion being capable of bending about a vertex extending between said curved longitudinal edges of said hull panels whereby said hull panels may be moved angularly about said vertex between a knock-down position in which said hull panels are confronting and impinging, and an expanded position in which said hull panels diverge angularly from said vertex;
• said web portion further being capable of bending in a second angular direction that is generally transverse to said first angular direction, whereby said hull panels in said knock-down position are bendable about an axis generally transverse to said first angular direction, and said hull panels may be moved between said knock-down position in which said hull panels are confronting and impinging to a rolled configuration in which said impinging hull panels are bent in said second angular direction into a storage configuration.