Foam plastic boat and method of manufacturing same

In a process for manufacturing a boat of extruded polyethylene foam planks, a method of forming a hull comprising:

• a) heating a pair of said planks and folding them longitudinally so that the folded halves are bent approximately 60°,
• b) while still hot, assigning one half to be the bottom and bending a desired proportion of each half inwardly from at least one end while maintaining the bottom on a flat surface and allowing the bent planks to cool,
• c) making a cut through each folded plank perpendicular to the bottom to form a half hull having a cut edge, and
• d) heating the cut edges of said half hulls until molten, aligning said hull halves and pressing them together to create a completed hull.

A method of producing a boat from planks of extruded polyethylene foam plastic having a skin on their surfaces, comprising the steps of:

• a) heating a pair of polyethylene foam plastic planks to about 240° F. and folding them longitudinally so that the folded halves are at an included angle of approximately 120°,
• b) assigning one half of each folded plank to be the bottom and, while still hot, bending a desired proportion of each half inwardly from each end, while maintaining the bottom on a flat surface and allowing the bent planks to cool to room temperature,
• c) making a longitudinal cut through each folded plank perpendicular to the bottom to form a half hull,
• d) heating the cut edges of said hull halves until molten, aligning said hull halves and pressing them together to create a completed hull,
• e) forming a plurality of stabilizers from said plank by cutting a desired length and width from an edge of said plank having skin,
• f) forming a plurality of handles from said plank, by cutting a desired length and width from an edge of said plank having skin,
• g) forming a keel and tail fin member from said plank,
• h) heat bonding said stabilizers, said handles and said keel and tail fin member to said hull, and
• i) coating unskinned surfaces of said boat with rubberized paint and heating said paint to assure a bond to said boat.

A boat formed of polyethylene foam plastic planks having a skin on their surfaces, said boat comprising:

• a hull formed of a plurality of said planks formed as hull halves and bonded together,
• stabilizers cut from said foam plastic planks and heat bonded to the outside of said hull,
• carrying handles cut from said foam plastic planks and bonded to the center of the inside walls of said hull,
• a keel and tail fin member cut from said planks and heat bonded to the bottom and to the joined rear edge of said hull.