Surface effect watercraft having airfoil-augmented lift

An air-driven multi-hulled watercraft adapted to travel above the surface of a body of water in close proximity to said water surface, said watercraft having a vertical center plane of symmetry disposed upon a longitudinal axis extending between front and rear extremities of the watercraft, and further comprising:

• a) at least two identical elongated hulls equally spaced apart in parallel relationship about said plane of symmetry and adapted to buoyantly support said watercraft when at rest upon said water surface,
• b) deck structure disposed between and secured to said hulls and defining with said hulls and water surface a channel through which air is compressively funneled with forward travel of said watercraft,
• c) a bridge component incorporated into said deck structure and bounded in part by upper and lower surfaces and leading and trailing extremities, said bridge component having an airplane wing airfoil configuration such that air which flows past said airfoil produces a low pressure zone at said upper surface,
• d) an elongated fuselage centered within said deck structure and extending between forward and rearward extremities,
• e) air-moving propulsion means associated with said deck structure behind said fuselage and having a thrust axis disposed above the upper surface of said bridge component,
• f) elevons movably attached to the trailing extremity of said bridge component for elevational control of the front extremity of the watercraft, and
• g) rudder means associated with the rear extremity of said watercraft for providing steering control of the watercraft when airborne and also when floating upon the water surface, whereby
• h) forward motion produced by said propulsion means causes said watercraft to become airborne above the surface of a body of water by virtue of both the aerodynamic surface effect produced by air passage through said channel and by the lifting effect produced by the airfoil-shaped bridge component, said watercraft having stability in said airborne state by virtue of the controlling effects of said elevons and rudder means and the location of said thrust axis.