GB2612566A

GB2612566A - Boats

Info

Publication number: GB2612566A
Application number: GB2008891.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Fitton Stuart
Original assignee: Westmann Engineering Ltd
Current assignee: Westmann Engineering Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-15
Filing date: 2020-06-15
Publication date: 2023-05-10
Also published as: GB202008891D0

Abstract

A boat 10 comprising a substantially rigid central portion 18 connected by a hinge mechanism 28, 30 to a sponson 14 located laterally outward. The sponson can move between first and second positions, and a locking means 46 can secure the sponson in at least the first position. When in the second position, the sponson is located at least partially within the central portion. The central portion may form an enclosure for the sponson and may comprise GRP, sheet metal and a double-skin configuration with a hollow or filled buoyancy tank between the skins. The hinge mechanism may comprise an elongate, rigid pintle 28 extending along the side of the central portion through a connector 34 with a through-hole. A free end of the connector may affix to the sponson. The locking means may comprise a locking pin (36, Figure 6) parallel to the pintle, wherein the connector has a through-hole (38) that aligns with the locking pin. The sponson may be axially displaceable on the pintle, and locked in the first position by rotating it to the first position, aligning the locking pin with the through-hole, and axially displacing the connector rearwardly.

Description

BOATS

This invention relates to boats.

There are many types of boat available on the market, such as rigid-hulled boats, inflatable boats and rigid inflatable boats (RIBs). Each has their advantages and disadvantages For example, a rigid boat generally offers superior handling and stiffness, albeit having a fixed size. An inflatable boat has somewhat compromised handling characteristics, but can fold flat when not in use. A RIB offers a hybrid solution, namely some of the improved characteristics of a rigid hulled portion, combined with the additional buoyancy and collapsibility afforded by the inflatable portion connected to it.

Inflatable boats and RIBS can be used in a variety of applications, but they are particularly suited to use as tenders, in the main due to the integral fendering provided by their inflatable gunwales. The inflatable gunwales not only provide cushioning against impacts, for example when coming alongside a larger vessel, but also provide a reasonably comfortable seating area and buoyancy round the perimeter of the boat, which improves its stability.

When used as a tender, an inflatable boat or RIB can be housed within a "garage" located at the transom of a larger vessel; it can be suspended on davits over the stern of the boat; or it can be packed down and stored on deck. In all cases, when the inflatable boat or RIB is not in use, compactness and ease of storage are key. Furthermore, rapid deployability is also of importance because if a complicated and/or time-consuming inflation/assembly procedure is required each time the boat needs to be used, this can be inconvenient.

A need therefore exists for an improved type of boat, which offers advantages in terms of seaworthiness/handling, as well as compactness of storage when not in use. This invention aims to provide such a solution.

It is known to provide a semi-rigid inflatable boat or "S-RIB", such as described in EP3160835 [BWM Ribs, 3 May 2017], which comprises a rigid-hulled portion, an inflatable hull portion and a drop-stitch inflatable portion. The drop-stitch inflatable portion, when inflated, forms a rigid structure, which increases the overall dimensions of the "rigid" hulled portion. This enables an S-RIB to be packed down much smaller, when not in use, than a conventional RIB. The S-RIB, however, is packed-down by deflation, and deployed by re-inflation, which can be a time-consuming process. Therefore, whilst the S-RIB has the advantage of being extremely compact when not in use, the ease of deployment and stow-away could contraindicate frequent deployment/stowage cycles.

This invention aims to provide a solution by a foldable system as set out in the appended independent claim or claims. Preferred and/or optional features are set forth in the appended dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a boat comprising a substantially rigid central portion and a sponson portion located laterally outwardly, in use, of the central portion; the central portion being connected to the sponson portion by a hinge mechanism whereby the sponson is moveable between first and second positions; and locking means for locking the sponson in at least the first position, wherein when in the first position, the sponson is located laterally outwardly of the central portion; and when in the second position, the sponson is located at least partially within the central portion.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing, that a boat in accordance with the invention has two (or more) possible configurations. The first position is a deployed/in-use position whereby the sponsons are located outwardly of the central portion, in which the lateral dimension of the boat is relatively greater; and the second position is one in which the sponsons are at least partially folded into the central portion so as to reduce the lateral dimension of the boat.

When the sponsons are moved to the second position, i.e. inside the central portion, the central portion forms an enclosure or "box", which makes stowing the boat in this configuration much simpler.

The central portion suitably has a substantially rigid structure, and this can be achieved by manufacturing the central portion from GRP, or sheet metal. Preferably, the central portion has a double-skin configuration forming a hollow or filled buoyancy tank between the skins. This particular configuration suitably renders the central portion more rigid, as well as "unsinkable", i.e. even when completely filled with water, it is still able to float. This particular features are advantageous from a safety/seaworthiness perspective.

The sponsons are hingedly connected to the central portion by any suitable means. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a pintle, i.e. a tube or rod, extends down either side of the central portion. A connector, comprising a through-hole, suitably locates around the pintle by the pintle extending through the through-hole. This enables the connector to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the pintle between the said first and second positions. A free end of each connector is suitably affixed to the sponson, which means that the sponson is able to rotate, about the axis of the pintle, between the said first and second positions.

The invention also comprises locking means for locking the sponsons in the first position. In one possible embodiment of the invention, there is a locking pin provided, which runs substantially parallel to the aforesaid pintle, and one or more of the connectors has a through-hole that aligns with the locking pin. By such means, by axially displacing the connector relative to the pintle, the locking pin can be engaged with the locking pin through-hole when the connector is moved in a first direction (i.e. rearwardly), but disengaged from the locking pin by axially sliding it an opposite direction (i.e. forwards). Therefore, the sponsons can be locked in the first position by rotating them to the first position, aligning the locking pin with the locking pin through-hole, and axially displacing the connector rearwardly so as to lock it in position. Further locking means may be provided for preventing or inhibiting axial displacement of the sponson relative to the pintle. In certain embodiments of the invention, this can be achieved by providing a U-shaped piece, which connects the sponsons on opposite sides of the boat together when in the first position.

The aforesaid configuration requires somewhat careful alignment of the locking pin through-hole with the locking pin axis during the locking procedure. This can be facilitated by providing a guide means, such as a conical cup on the locking pin through-hole so as to centralise/guide the locking pin into engagement with the said through-hole during the locking procedure.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking pin is non-straight. Most preferably, the locking pin has a part-helical configuration, which starts with a first portion located laterally outwardly of the pintle, which corresponds to the sponson being in the first and/or locked-out position, but which corkscrews around the pintle such that as the sponson is displaced axially forwards, the locking pin through-hole follows the part-helical locking pin's path/locus thus rotating the sponson into the second position. A further linear part of the locking pin may be provided forwardly of the part-helical part. The dimensions of the part-helical part of the locking pin can be selected to suit the desired configuration, although the length of the part-helix is suitably between 100 and 200 millimetres in length, and the rotation angle is suitably somewhere between 80 and 180 degrees. By appropriately designing the form/configuration of the locking pin, the sponsons can be made to follow the locking pin's locus and thus automatically move between the first and second positions (i.e. laterally outwardly of the boat or stowed inboard of the central portion) simply by axially displacing them relative to the central portion.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sponsons are enclosed structures, that is to say having a hollow interior body, which is sealed from all directions. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the sponsons are fabricated as inflatable tubes, somewhat akin a conventional inflatable boat or RIB.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a further bow part, perhaps in the form of a U-shaped tube, is provided, which extends between the front ends of the sponsons and wraps around the bow of the boat. The front/bow portion could be divided into two sub-portions, which fix together by some suitable means, and which attach to the boat itself.

Most preferably, affixing the front portion onto the boat causes the sponsons to be locked in the first position, and removing the front portion from the boat enables the sponsons to be moved from the first position to the second position.

In certain embodiments of the invention, each inflatable tube has a substantially planar end face, which is reinforced, for example, by a disc of plywood, plastics, GRP, etc. Connection means is suitably provided between mating tube ends, which enables them to be connected together. Suitable connection means may include mechanical fasteners, clips, hook-and-loop connectors, complimentary magnets and metal plates, etc. Preferably also, a gasket is provided around one end of one tube to engage with an adjacent tube thereby forming a seal or gap-spanning closure between the tube ends. This may mitigate spray when the boat is driven through the water. In certain embodiments of the invention, the gasket or connecting ring also provides a mechanical connection between the various tubes.

Preferred embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are schematic side, top perspective and bottom perspective views of a boat in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in an in-use configuration; Figure 4 is a schematic, perspective view of the boat of Figures 1, 2 and 3 in a stowed configuration; and Figures 4-10 are a sequence of schematic views showing how the boat is transformed from its in-use configuration to its stowed configuration.

Referring to Figures 1-3 of the drawings, a boat 10 in accordance with the invention is shown, which has a rigid central portion 12, which is surrounded, on three sides, by inflatable tubes. The inflatable tubes comprise a pair of lateral sponsons 14 and a pair of half-C-shaped tube portions 16, which together form a generally U-shaped bow portion. The bow portion 16 is removable and its two pieces 16 can be separated to be stowed inside the boat, when it is not in use. The side sponsons 14 can be moved from an outboard position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, to an inboard position as shown in Figure 4.

The rigid central portion 12 is shown as a double-skinned hull, which provides sufficient buoyancy such that the boat 10 will float even if the interior 18 of the hull is completely filled with water. A transom 22 provides a suitable location for an outboard motor, if desired. It can be seen, from Figure 1 in particular, that a flat front end wall 24 of the side sponson substantially abuts with the flat rear end wall 26 of each bow portion 16. The flat end walls 24, 26 comprise rigid inserts inside them, which provides for a neat mating junction between the abutting or closely spaced-apart tubes 14, 16. Although not visible in the drawings, a mechanical connection is provided between the front wall 24 of the side tube 14 and the rear wall 26 of the bow tube 16. This could be a hook, clip, hook and loop fasteners, magnets or any other suitable means. By locking the bow tube 16 to the side sponson 14, movement of the side sponson 141s inhibited.

In Figures 1-3 of the drawings, the side sponsons 14 are shown in the first, lock-out position, that is to say being located outboard of the central portion 12 of the boat 10. In order to permit movement of the side sponsons into the interior 18 of the central portion 12, a pintle 28 in the form of a tube or rod is provided, which extends along the side edge of the central portion 12. The pintle 28 is secured to the central portion 12 by brackets or clevises 30.

As can be seen from the drawings, each of the side sponsons 14 are connected to the boat 10 by way of a mounting plate 32, which is welded, stitched or otherwise bonded to the surface of the tube 14. This holds a connector 34, which has a through hole through which the pintle 28 extends.

This enables the side sponson 14 to be pivoted about the axis of the pintle between the first, locked-out position shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and the second position, as shown in Figure 4. In the second position, the side sponsons 14 are at least partially housed within the interior 18 of the central portion 12, meaning that the central portion 12 effectively forms a "box" or enclosure for the boat 10. The boat can be stowed as shown in Figure 4, or it could be "turned turtle" and placed upside down so that the underside of the central portion 12 serves to shed rainwater and keep the interior 18 dry and protected from the elements.

Although not shown for simplicity in the drawings, the mounting plate 32 may be elongate and form a bridge between several connectors 34. This configuration may be advantageous where the sponson 14 is formed as an inflatable tube, which would benefit from the additional support afforded by an elongate mounting plate 32 and the ability to rigidly fix the relative positions of two or more connectors 34. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the connectors 34 may comprise a tube portion, which surrounds the pintle 28, as opposed to being plate-like with a through hole for receiving the pintle 28 (as shown in the drawings). The use of tube portions of particular lengths can also be used to limit the extent of lateral sliding of the sponson 14 relative to the central portion 12, as explained below.

As can be seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, the bow portion 16 can be nestled in the interior 18 of the central portion 12 and this obviates the need to deflate any of the tubes 14, 16 to achieve the compact, packed-down configuration shown in Figure 4.

The sequence of Figures 5-10 shows how the boat can be moved between two positions, and starting from the packed-down position shown in Figure 4, the bow tubes 16 are first removed from the interior 18 of the central portion 12 and the side sponson 14 is rotated, about the axis of the pintle 18 by virtue of its mounting brackets 34 rotating about the axis of their through-holes, which are coaxial with the pintle.

Turning now to Figure 6, it can be seen that the rear mounting bracket 30 comprises a locking pin 36, that engages with a locking pin through-hole 38 of the rearmost bracket 34. By sliding 40 the sponson 14 forwards along the pintle 28, the rear bracket 34 clears the locking pin and enables the side sponson 14 to be fully rotated 42 into the locked-out configuration. In this position, it can be seen that the locking pin 36 now aligns with the through-hole 38, as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings. As can be seen in Figure 8 of the drawings, when the side sponson 14 is slid axially rearwardly 44, the locking pin 36 engages with the locking pin through-hole 38 thus preventing rotation of the side sponson 14 in the opposite direction to arrow 42.

It will also be noted from Figures 5-8 of the drawings, that the front mounting bracket 30 and the front support bracket 34 each have a through-hole 46 that align when the side sponson 14 is moved to the locked-out position shown in Figures 7-10. In some embodiments of the invention, the locking pin arrangement 36 described in relation to the rearward bracket could be provided forward as well, but some means is needed to prevent the side sponson 14 from sliding forwards and becoming disengaged in use. To accomplish this, an embodiment of the invention sees the bow portions 16 each being provided with a rearwardly-extending supplementary locking pin 46, which is again secured to each tube by a mounting plate 48. The position and orientation of the supplementary locking pin 46 is such that when the two bow parts are connected together to form the U-shape shown in Figure 9, they can be slid rearwardly so as to bring the rear, flat-face of each bow tube into abutment with the flat forehead surface 24 of each of the side sponsons 14. As can be seen in Figure 10 of the drawings, when the bow tube 16 is slid into position, the rear surface 26 of the bow tube 16 abuts, and connects to the forward face 24 of the side sponson 14; and at the same time, the supplementary locking pin 46 slides through the two through-holes 46 to secure the bow tube 16 to the side sponsons 14, as well as further locking the side sponson 14 into the first, locked-out configuration.

The advantage of this particular configuration is that not only does the bow tube 16 provide additional fendering/buoyancy around the front of the vessel, it also makes it similar to a conventional RIB boat, the connection of the rear and forward faces 26, 24 inhibits movement of the side tubes 14 into the stow position, and in addition, the locking pin provides further securement.

To further secure the side sponsons 14 against forward sliding, it can be seen, in particular, from Figure 9 of the drawings, that each bow portion 14 comprises a hooked part 48, which catches over the bow edge 50 of the central portion 12 of the boat 10. The engagement of the hooks 48 with the bow 50 of the central portion 12 further inhibits axial sliding of the side sponsons 14 along their respective pintles 28.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention solves one or more of the aforesaid problems, and provides an alternative and/or improved type of semi-rigid inflatable boat. It will be apparent from the foregoing that the illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary of one particular embodiment, which is not, in any event drawn to scale or representative necessarily of an actual boat in accordance with the invention. Other shapes or configurations could easily be envisaged and do not detract from the scope of protection, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A boat comprising a substantially rigid central portion and a sponson portion located laterally outwardly, in use, of the central portion; the central portion being connected to the sponson portion by a hinge mechanism whereby the sponson is moveable between first and second positions; and locking means for locking the sponson in at least the first position, wherein when in the first position, the sponson is located laterally outwardly of the central portion; and when in the second position, the sponson is located at least partially within the central portion.
2. The boat of claim 1, wherein when the sponson is moved to the second position, the central portion forms an enclosure for the sponson.
3. The boat of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein central portion has a substantially rigid structure.
4. The boat of claim 2, wherein the substantially rigid structure comprises any one or more of: manufacturing the central portion from GRP; manufacturing the central portion from sheet metal; and the central portion comprising a double-skin configuration having a hollow or filled buoyancy tank between the skins.
5. The boat of any preceding claim, wherein the sponson is hingedly connected to the central portion by a pintle extending along a side of the central portion, and a connector comprising a through-hole which locates around the pintle by the pintle extending through the through-hole.
6. The boat of claim 5, wherein the through hole comprises the bore of a tube forming part of the connector, the pintle extending through the bore.
7. The boat of claims or claim 6, wherein a free end of the or each connector is affixed to the sponson.
8. The boat of claim 7, comprising a plurality of connectors, and wherein the connectors are rigidly interconnected by an elongate member, which is affixed to the sponson.
9. The boat of any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the locking means for locking the sponson in the first position comprises a locking pin that is substantially parallel to the pintle, and one or more of the connectors having a through-hole that aligns with the locking pin.
10. The boat of any of claims 5 to 9, wherein the sponson is axially displaceable on the pintle.
11. The boat of any of claims 5 to 10, wherein the extent of axial displacement is limited by the axial length of the tube.
12. The boat of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the locking pin is engaged with the locking pin through-hole when the connector is moved rearwardly, but disengaged from the locking pin when the connector is moved forwards.
13. The boat of claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the sponson is lockable in the first position by rotating it to the first position, aligning the locking pin with the locking pin through-hole, and axially displacing the connector rearwardly so as to lock it in position.
14. The boat of any of claims 10 to 13, wherein comprising further locking means for preventing or inhibiting axial displacement of the sponson relative to the pintle.
15. The boat of claim 14, wherein the further locking means comprises a U-shaped piece, which connects sponsons on opposite sides of the boat together when they are each in the first position.
16. The boat of any of claims 9 to 15, further comprising a conical cup on the locking pin through-hole for centralising the locking pin relative to the locking pin through-hole.
17. The boat of any of claims 9 to 16, wherein locking pin comprises a part-helical configuration, which starts with a first portion whose relationship to the pintle corresponds to the sponson being in the first and/or locked-out position, but which corkscrews around the pintle such that as the sponson is displaced axially forwards, the locking pin through-hole follows the part-helical locking pin's path/locus thus rotating the sponson into the second position.
18. The boat of claim 17, further comprising a substantially linear part of the locking pin located forwardly of the part-helical part.
19. The boat of any preceding claim, wherein the sponson comprises an enclosed structure.
20. The boat of any preceding claim, wherein sponson comprises an inflatable tube.
21. The boat of any preceding claim, further comprising a bow part comprising a generally U-shaped part whose free ends align with the forward ends of the sponsons.
22. The boat of claim 21, wherein the bow portion comprises two sub-portions.
23. The boat of claim 21 or claim 22, further comprising means for affixing the sponson to the bow part.
24. The boat of claim 23, wherein the means for affixing locks the sponson in the first position.