EP0837816A1

EP0837816A1 - Transport vessel

Info

Publication number: EP0837816A1
Application number: EP96922064A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Voitto Kuokkanen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-07-07
Filing date: 1996-07-05
Publication date: 1998-04-29
Also published as: FI953366A; FI953366A0; WO1997002982A1; AU6307596A; FI101615B1; FI101615B

Abstract

A transport vessel (1) comprising pontoons (2, 3, 6) that are attached to each other with flexible fastening means, and a loading platform (4). The vessel (1) is moved with motors (9). The loading platform (4) is arranged to pivot like a seesaw, guided by the weight of the load, with respect to a horizontal axis situated at a distance from the ends of the loading platform (4). With the loading platform arrangement described herein, the vessel (1) can be loaded easily, and due to its flexible structure the vessel can be beached on several different kinds of shores and it moves smoothly for example at rough sea.

Description

Transport vessel

The invention relates to a transport vessel which comprises at least two pontoons and at least one motor for moving the vessel.

It is difficult to use the present vessels that are intended for moving on water to transport for example a caravan due to the problems in loading, among other things. The loading requires a separate loading platform or a crane. Also, for example a boat must be loaded from the quay since the draft of the boat is so great that the loading cannot be performed from land. Further, for example a boat that would be capable of transporting a caravan should also be large, and the motor required for moving the boat should be high- powered. The use of the present vessels for example on shallow and/or uneven shores as well as on sloping and/or soft shores is very difficult.

US patent 4,048,685 discloses a houseboat that is trailed on the highway. The houseboat comprises two side pontoons that are mounted on the cabin of the vessel by a mechanism so that the pontoons can be moved from the road position to a water position. This vessel is not suitable for transporting for example a separate caravan, since it constitutes a single unit that is therefore also heavy, clumsy and expensive. Further, due to its inflexible structure the unit is also heavy to move in waves, wherefore the motor that moves it must be high-powered, and the strain caused by the waves on the boat structure is also great.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vessel with which for example caravans and other loads provided with wheels, rollers or the like can be transported on water easily and with low total costs. The vessel according to the invention is characterized in that the pontoons are attached to each other with flexible fastening means, and that the vessel comprises a loading platform that is arranged to pivot around a horizontal axis situated at a distance from the ends of the loading platform.

The essential idea of the invention is that the vessel consists of pontoons that are attached to each other in such a way that they can move flexibly with respect to each other. Further, the idea is that the vessel comprises a loading platform that is arranged to pivot like a seesaw, guided by the weight of the load, with respect to a horizontal axis situated at a distance from the ends of the loading platform. Further, the idea of the preferred embodiment is that the vessel can be dismantled into separate components.

The invention has the advantage that the vessel according to the invention enables movement in shallow waters, and due to the large bottom of the vessel, the draft does not change greatly as the weight of the load in the vessel increases. Further, the vessel does not require a separate quay for loading, but the loading can be performed for example from a shallow shore. Another advantage is that due to its flexible structure the vessel can also be beached on shallow, uneven, sloping and soft shores, and when it moves at rough sea the vessel follows the waves so that the required motor power is low and the strains imposed on the vessel are not great. Also, the preferred embodiment has the advantage that the vessel is easy to maintain and store in parts and to transport on the highway without special transportation vehicles, and the vessel can be assembled near the place of launching. The invention will be described in greater detail in the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a vessel according to the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the vessel of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a side pontoon of the vessel according to the invention,

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main shaft of the vessel according to the invention,

Figure 5 is a rear view of a back pontoon in the vessel according to the invention, and

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the back pontoon of Figure 5. Figure 1 shows schematically a side view of a vessel 1 according to the invention. The vessel 1 comprises side pontoons 2, and a push pontoon 3 and a loading platform 4 placed between the side pontoons. The parts of the vessel are attached to each other by means of a first main shaft 5a and a second main shaft 5b. The loading platform 4 is attached pivotably to the first main shaft 5a, so that the main shaft 5a acts as a hinge of the loading platform 4 around which hinge the platform 4 can pivot like a seesaw. Below the loading platform 4 there is a pontoon 6 for the loading platform. Normally when moving on water, the pontoon 6 for the loading platform is not substantially on water, but during loading as the front part of the loading platform 4 turns down, the pontoon 6 for the loading platform is lowered to the water level and thus acts as additional support for the loading platform 4. The parts of the loading platform 4 and the pontoon 6 for the loading platform that are not visible from the outside are indicated in Figure 1 by broken lines. At the front of the loading platform 4 there are driving ramps 7 that can be turned and placed in front of the loading platform 4 to facilitate the loading of the vessel 1. Below the side pontoons 2 there are keel beams 8 that protect the vessel 1 from bottom contact and improve the directional stability of the vessel. Keel beams 8 refer to different changeable wearing parts that can be made of one or more wooden beams, sheets or any other material suitable for the purpose. At the back of the push pontoon 3 there are motors 9 that in Figure 1 are outboard motors. A board canvas 10 is attached by means of bars 11 to rest on the side pontoons 2. The board canvas 10 is partly pervious to wind and therefore it diminishes the effect of temporary gusts of wind on the vessel 1. The board canvas 10 should also be resistant to solar radiation and be waterproof so that it would prevent splashing water from wetting the vessel. Further, Figure 1 shows schematically a caravan 12 as an example of a load to be transported on the vessel. The caravan 12 should be naturally fastened tightly to the vessel 1. The fastening can be realized for example from three points, i.e. from the tyres and the tow bar.

Figure 2 is a top view of the vessel of Figure 1. The reference numerals in Figure 2 correspond to those in Figure 1. The first main shaft acting as a hinge of the loading platform 4 is positioned eccentrically with respect to the loading platform 4. Therefore when the loading platform 4 is empty for example during loading before the load has been moved to the vessel 1, the front of the loading platform 4 sinks down. The load, for example a caravan 12, can then be easily pushed onto the loading platform 4. When the load is pushed towards the rear of the loading platform 4 and the centre of gravity of the load moves over the first main shaft 5a, the rear of the loading platform 4 starts sinking and correspondingly the front of the loading platform 4 rises. Therefore the position of the loading platform 4 can be controlled by the movement of the load to be loaded. The length of the loading platform 4 is such that when a load, e.g. a caravan 12, is fastened to the vessel, it presses the rear of the loading platform 4 downwards, whereupon due to the weight of the load the loading platform 4 remains in the sloping position shown in Figure 1 with the front edge of the loading platform 4 pointing upwards. The loading platform 4 is locked in place with a locking device 13 for the loading platform that may be in its simplest form for example a lock pin. By means of the locking device 13, the loading platform 4 can be secured in the position shown in Figure 1, if desired, even when it is empty. The outmost parts of the loading platform 4, on which for example the wheels of the caravan 12 move, may be made of for instance aluminum. Between these parts there is a medium sheet 14 for the loading platform that may be made for example of plywood. On the upper surface of the push pontoon 3 there is a surface sheet 15 for the push pontoon. The medium sheet 14 of the loading platform and the surface sheet 15 of the push pontoon are placed in such a way that their upper surfaces are substantially on the same level as the upper surface of the side pontoons 2, whereupon the deck of the vessel 1 is substantially even. The first main shaft 5a and the second main shaft 5b connect the different parts of the vessel 1 in such a way that they can move flexibly with respect to each other. The different parts of the vessel can then move in different ways along the waves for example at rough sea so that the push force of the motors does not have to be as great as when pushing an inflexible vessel, and forces acting on a flexible vessel are smaller than those imposed on a rigid vessel. The push pontoon 3 is attached to the side pontoons 2 with a locking device 16 for the push pontoons, and due to this device the push pontoon can move flexibly with respect to the side pontoons 2. The motors 9 are synchronized with each other and the vessel 1 is steered via the motors by means of a steering device 17. The steering device 17 is connected to the motors 9 by cables 18 so that the steering device 17 can be moved to the desired point of steering. The steering device 17 can be attached for example by means of an instant fastener to a bar, the edge of a table or to some other similar point. For the sake of clarity, Figure 2 does not show a caravan 12 or a board canvas 10.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a side pontoon 2. The outer surface of the side pontoon 2 is formed by a first sheet metal 19a, a second sheet metal 19b and a plywood board 20 provided on the upper surface of the side pontoon 2. The sheet metals 19a and 19b are attached to the plywood board 20 by bolts 21. The sheet metals 19a and 19b are interconnected in such a way that their lower ends are placed between two keel beams 8, and the keel beams 8 are pressed against each other by beam bolts 22. The side pontoon 2 is filled with closed-cell foam 23 so that the pontoon will not sink even if for example its outer surface would tear.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first main shaft 5a. It must- be noted that the second main shaft 5b also has a similar cross-section. The main shaft 5a comprises a casing 24 made of for example aluminum and having a preferably square cross-section. The cross-section of the casing 24 can also have some other shape, if required, for example quadrangular, round, elliptic, triangular or U-shaped. The cross- sectional shape of the casing 24 can be used to affect the flexible properties. Inside the casing 24 there is a shaft tube 25 made of for example steel and having a round cross-section. Between the shaft tube 25 and the casing 24 there is an elastic element 26. The shaft tube 25 is filled with closed-cell foam 23 in order to diminish disturbing vibrations and structure-borne sounds. At the end of the main shaft 5a outside the side pontoons 2 there is a bottom plate 27. The bottom plate 27 and therefore also the main shaft 5a are fastened in place for example with a lock pin 28 and a spring pin 29. The casing 24 and the elastic element 26 do not run along the entire length of the main shaft 5a, but a section of them is first situated at the side pontoons 2, after which there is an empty space, which is again followed by sections of the casing and the elastic element at the sides of the loading platform 4 in such a way that at the medium sheet 14 of the loading platform there is no casing 24 and no elastic element 26. There is again an empty space between the loading platform 4 and the second side pontoon 2, and at the second side pontoon 2 there are again sections of the casing 24 and the elastic element 26. The shaft tube 25 runs along the entire length of the main shaft 5a. As the shaft tube 25 bends, the elastic element 26 moves towards the corner of the casing 24. Due to the clearance between the side pontoons 2 and the loading platform 4, the side pontoons 2 and the loading platform 4 can move in any direction with respect to each other. At the ends of the elastic elements 26 there are for example cotters that prevent the elastic elements 26 from moving in the direction of the shaft tube 25. The term 'elastic element¹ refers in this application to a part that is made of a flexible material, such as suitable rubber, plastic or a material combination, and that may be formed of a suitable sheet, manufactured by spraying, or that may be a tubular or any other type of elastic part suitable for the purpose. The side pontoons 2 can be easily detached from one another and from the loading platform 4 and the push pontoon 3 by opening the spring pins 29 and by removing the lock pins 28 and then pulling the side pontoons 2 away from the main shafts 5a and 5b. The shaft tubes 25 of the main shafts 5a and 5b are also separately detachable so that the vessel 1 can be easily maintained, stored and transported in parts normally on the road, and also easily and rapidly assembled near the place of launching. The side pontoons 2 are preferably identical and symmetrical, so that it does not matter which pontoon is placed on the right and which on the left side.

Figure 5 is a rear view of a push pontoon 3. The push pontoon 3 comprises a pontoon part 30 and a surface part 15 of the push pontoon. The structure of the pontoon part 30 is basically similar to that of the side pontoon 2. Therefore the push pontoon 3 is also practically unsinkable. The pontoon part 30 is shaped in such a way that its centre section comprises a ridge that is higher than the rest of the pontoon part. Motors 9, which are not shown in Figure 5, are placed on each side of the ridge. This ridge guides the flow of water through the motor propellers. The ridge should be so high that the propellers of the motors 9 are not situated substantially below the ridge and not at least below the keel beams 8, so that in case of a possible bottom contact the first part to touch the bottom would be the keel beams 8 and not the propellers of the motor 9.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the push pontoon 3. The pontoon part 30 is shaped in such a way that it tapers off towards the front, so that the resistance it causes would be as small as possible. The surface sheet 15 for the push pontoon is fastened on the pontoon part 30 so that the upper surface of the push pontoon 3 would be even and there would be no dangerous openings on the deck of the vessel 1.

The drawings and the description related thereto are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. The details of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore the vessel 1 may comprise different means facilitating the loading and unloading of the vessel, such as winch and crane arrangements. Further, in addition to transporting caravans, the vessel 1 can also be used for other kinds of transportation and for other functions.

Claims

1. A transport vessel (1) comprising at least two pontoons (2, 3, 6), a loading platform (4) and at least one motor (9) for moving the vessel (1), c h a r¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the pontoons (2, 3, 6) are attached to each other with flexible fastening means, and that the loading platform (4) is arranged to pivot around a horizontal axis situated at a distance from the ends of the loading platform (4) .

2. A vessel according to claim 1, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the parts of the vessel (1) can be detached into separate components.

3. A vessel according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the loading platform (4) is placed eccentrically with respect to the horizontal axis, and that the vessel (1) comprises locking means (13) for locking the loading platform (4) in a desired position.

4. A vessel according to claim 3, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the loading platform (4) is placed with respect to the horizontal axis in such a way that when the loading platform (4) is not loaded and the locking means (13) is open, the loading platform (4) is in ^"a sloping position with the front edge downwards, and that the loading platform (4) is designed in such a way that when it is loaded the weight of the load presses the rear edge of the loading platform (4) downwards so that the loading platform (4) is in a sloping position with the front edge upwards.

5. A vessel according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the flexible fastening means comprise a first main shaft (5a) and a second main shaft (5b) , which main shafts (5a, 5b) comprise a round shaft tube (25) of the same length as the shafts, the shaft tube comprising on a section of its circumference elastic elements (26) , and outside the elastic elements (26) at the same point there are casings (24) .

6. A vessel according to claim 5, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the loading platform (4) is arranged to pivot around the first main shaft (5a) .

7. A vessel according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that below the loading platform (4) there is a pontoon (6) for the loading platform.

8. A vessel according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that below the side pontoons (2) there is a keel beam (8) .