CA2632354A1 - Interlocking platform boats - Google Patents

Abstract

Platform boats intended to be used for motorized boating and for forming-up with adjacent similar boats to form a continuous and contiguous mat of boats for socializing, fishing etc. The adjacent boats interlock and form an array of such boats all interlocked with one another. The boats may be shaped m planform as hexagons or other polygons but are preferably regular polygons which interlock without leaving gaps between adjacent boats. Each boat has a center well in which is mounted a motor. The motor may be rotated 360 degrees for driving the boat in a corresponding direction about a 360 degree range of motion. A pair of rudders is mounted on opposite sides of the center well to provide for directional stability, both in the manner of a keel, and for steering. When used as a keel, the rudders are elevated up into a channel so as to lock them in-line. The rudders may also be lifted entirely up into the channel to store the rudders when not in use. When fully lowered the rudders may be used for steering the boat.

Claims (20)

1. a water craft comprising:

a hull having a gunwale substantially continuously therearound defining a regular polygon in shape around said gunwale, said gunwale having at least first, second, and third sides contiguous to one another, said hull having retractably mounted thereto an oppositely disposed pair of elongate substantially horizontally extending first and second rudders each independently rotatably mounted to said hull by a corresponding substantially parallel spaced apart pair of substantially vertical steering shafts, said shafts defining therebetween a keel line along a lowermost portion of said hull, said rudders rigidly mounted to lowermost ends of said shafts so as to lie along said keel line when said rudders are co-linearly aligned, wherein rotation of one or both of said shafts pivots one or both of said rudders correspondingly, Wherein upper ends of said shafts extend upwardly along and are mounted to a rigid steering tower rigidly mounted substantially centrally in a footwell cavity defined by said hull, said steering tower having a central hollow core, said hollow core hollow between a lower-most opening in said hull between said lowermost ends of said shafts and an upper opening in said tower adapted for rotatable mounting into an operative position of a motor thereto so as to operatively position a throttle and steering control of the motor above said tower and a lowermost propulsion end of the motor below said tower and hull.

2. The watercraft of claim 1 wherein said shafts are vertically displaceable relative to said tower between a stowed position wherein said rudders are snugged up against said hull in a fixed orientation aligned along said keel line, and a lowered position clear of said hull for free-steering of said rudders relative to said hull.

3. The watercraft of claim 2 wherein said hull further comprises a channel formed m said hull along said keel line, and wherein said rudders in said stowed position mate at least partially into said channel for fixing said fixed orientation along said keel line.

4. The watercraft of claim 3 wherein said shafts are telescopically mounted in said tower.

5. The watercraft of claim 4 wherein said shafts further comprise rudder steering handles on said upper ends of said shafts for steering of said rudders.

6. The watercraft of claim 5 wherein said hollow core is a waterwell when said hull is floating in a body of water whereby the water in said core rises to a level in said core substantially equal to a waterline of said hull.

7. The watercraft of claim 6 wherein the motor is mountable in the upper end of said tower by a collar assembly mounted to said tower for rotatably supporting the motor in said core so as to depend downwardly from said collar assembly to engage the propulsion end of the motor into the water below said hull.

8. The watercraft of claim 7 wherein collar assembly is releasably mountable onto the motor and adapted so as to provide for selectively raising and lowering the motor relative to said collar assembly.

9. The watercraft of claim 7 further comprising gunwale mounts mountable to said gunwales for mounting said hull alongside another watercraft.

10. The watercraft of claim 9 wherein said another watercraft is substantially identical to said watercraft and said gunwale mounts mount said watercraft closely adjacent said another watercraft.

11. The watercraft of claim 10 wherein said gunwale mounts are planar members mountable along one side thereof to said gunwales of said watercraft and mountable at an opposite side thereof to the corresponding gunwales of said another watercraft.

12. The watercraft of claim 11 wherein said planar members are resilient.

13. The watercraft of claim 9 further comprising rails releasably mounted to said gunwales, wherein said rails are mounted to said gunwales by means of anchors mounted in said gunwales.

14. The watercraft of claim 12 wherein said gunwale mounts are mountable to said anchors by anchor means, once said rails have been de-mounted from said anchors.

15. The watercraft of claim 10 wherein said polygon is a hexagon.

16. The watercraft of claim 7 further comprising at least one seat mounted around a corresponding portion of an inner circumference of said gunwales.

17. The watercraft of claim 16 further comprising a footwell between said at least one seat and said tower.

18. The watercraft of claim 17 wherein said at least one seat is a plurality of seats extending substantially entirely around said inner circumference of said gunwales.

19. The watercraft of claim 17 further comprising at least one storage compartment under a corresponding said at least one seat.

20. The watercraft of claim 7 wherein said tower and said collar assembly are adapted to allow 360 degree rotation of the motor relative to said tower for selectively urging said hull in any direction over the surface of the body of water.