US3207120A - Air foil boat - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 21, 1965 v R. VERDI 3,207,120

AIR FOIL BOAT Filed March 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ROBERT VERD/ R. VERDI 3,207,120

AIR FOIL BOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 21, 1965 Filed March 3, 1965 United States Patent 3,207,120 AIR FOIL BOAT Robert Verdi, 34 Carmine St., New York, N.Y. Filed Mar. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 436,728 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-665) My invention is directed toward air foil boats, i.e. boats having a fin or foil which exerts a lifting force on the boat when the boat is traveling in water whereby the hull of the boat is lifted out of the water.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved air foil boat characterized by the use of a stabilizer to maintain the boat at proper altitude when traveling at high speed.

Another object is to provide a new and improved air foil boat characterized by a rudder for controlling the direction which operates above the water line.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved air foil boat powered by an outboard motor wherein the motor is flexibly mounted in a well in the stern of the boat whereby as the hull rises, the motor remains in proper position relative to the water line to supply suitable driving power to the boat.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of my invention will now be described with reference both to this specification and to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially cut away side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut away top view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the well construction employed in my invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the well shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a boat having a shell having a relatively thick central portion tapering toward both the front (hull) 24 and the rear (stern) 26. The stem is provided with a vertical opening or well 12. A structure supporting an outboard motor 14 having a vertical shaft 16 supplying power to a horizontal screw 18 immersed in the water and rotated in a vertical plane is mounted in the well. This structure comprises a flat horizontal plate 20 upon which the bottom of motor 14 rests, plate 20 having an orifice 28 through which shaft 16 extends.

First and second vertical members 30 and 32 extend upward from opposite sides of plate 20. Each of members 30 and 32 has a top horizontal lip 34 and vertical slides 36 fitting into grooves in a flat horizontal flange 38. A vertical connecting rod 40 connects each flange 38 to another horizontal lip 42. Each lip 42 extends over the appropriate edge of a corresponding wall of the well to support the entire structure. A spring 44 is interposed between each lip 34 and flange 38.

Depending downward from each of members 30 and 32 is a vertical extension 46, these extensions being positioned in each side of the shell 10. The bottom of each extension is secured to a separate horizontal hollow pon toon 48, each pontoon extending in the same direction as the shell.

First and second curved elongated bars 50 and provided, one on each side of the shell. The front end 52 of each bar is pivotally secured to a corresponding side of the shell adjacent the front of the hull. The rear end 54 of each bar is shaped like a foot and is positioned outside of and at the rear of the corresponding pontoon.

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Each bar 50 at a point 56 intermediate the ends but adjacent the rear end is pivotally secured to the corresponding vertical extension 46 at a point just above the pontoon.

The midsection of shell 10 has a cockpit 58 in which an operator can sit. A vertical shaft 60 extends upward from the rear of the cockpit and supports the front portion of a flat somewhat inclined air foil 62. Foil 62 at a point 64 intermediate its ends is pivotally secured to a vertical extension fin 67 projecting upwards from the top surface of the shell.

A linkage 66 in the cockpit under the control of the operator permits shaft 60 to be raised or lowered to control the angle of inclination of the foil. The rear end of foil 62 is notched at 68 to support a vertical rudder 70 connected by cord 72 and pulleys 74 to the steering wheel 76 in the cockpit.

The invention functions in the following manner. When the motor is turned on and the boat begins to move, the air pressure on foil 62 causes the shell to move out of the water to an extent determined by the setting of linkage 66 and the inclination of foil 62. The direction of the boat is determined by the setting of the vertical rudder 70 as determined by the rotation of wheel 76. As the shell rises, bars 50 are pivoted so that ends 52 are raised out of the water and ends 54 are lowered in the water to help stabilize the boat and keep pontoons 48 in a horizontal position. These pontoons again assist in stabilization. The action of bars 50 and pontoons 48 pull the motor downward in the well against the action of springs 44 whereby the shell can rise and yet the screw 18 is held at a proper depth in the water to insure proper operation. As the boat slows to a stop, the operator controls the angle of inclination of the foil, ends 52 of bars 50 are lowered toward the water, ends 54 of bars 50 are raised in the water, and the springs 44 pull the motor upwards in the well, thus maintaining the screw in proper position.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. An air foil boat comprising a shell having a relatively thick midsection tapering to a pointed hull and a pointed stern, the stern having a vertical well, an outboard motor removably inserted in said well, said motor having a downwardly extending vertical shaft terminating in a horizontal screw, a pair of pontoons disposed on opposite sides of said shell and pointing in the same direction, a motor support structure in said well and interposed between the motor and the shell, said structure having a pair of vertical means, each means being secured to a corresponding pontoon, and an inclined flat air foil positioned above said shell and supported thereby.

2. A boat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said midsection has a cockpit, said cockpit having a vertical shaft supporting the front end of said foil, and means in said cockpit to raise and lower said shaft to raise and lower the front end of the foil.

3. A boat as set forth in claim 2 wherein said shell has a vertical fin extending upward therefrom behind the cockpit and extending in the some direction as the shell, the foil being pivotally secured to said fin at a point intermediate the ends of the coil.

4. A boat as set forth in claim 3 wherein said structure is spring mounted in said well whereby said motor when the shell is raised out of the water due to air foil action when the boat is moving can be lowered in said Well against the action of the springs.

5. A boat as set forth in claim 4 further including a pair of curved elongated bars extending on each side of the shell, the front end of each bar being pivotally secured to a corresponding side of the shell, each bar at a point intermediate its end but adjacent the rear end thereof being pivotally secured to a corresponding one of said vertical means.

6. A boat as set forth in claim 5 wherein the rear end of each bar extends outside of and at the rear of a corresponding pontoon.

7. A boat as set forth in claim 6 wherein each rear end 5 of each bar has the shape of a foot.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. AN AIR FOIL BOAT COMPRISING A SHELL HAVING A RELATIVELY THICK MIDSECTION TAPERING TO A POINTED HULL AND A POINTED STERN, THE STERN HAVING A VERTICAL WELL, AND OUTBOARD MOTOR REMOVABLE INSERTED IN SAID WELL, SAID MOTOR HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING VERTICAL SHAFT TERMINATING IN HORIZONTAL SCREW, A PAIR OF PONTOONS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SHELL AND POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, A MOTOR SUPPORT STRUCTURE IN SAID WELL AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE MOTOR AND THE SHELL, SAID STRUCTURE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICAL MEANS, EACH MANS BEING SECURED TO A CORRESPONDING PONTOON, AND AN INCLINED FLAT AIR FOIL POSITIONED ABOVE SAID SHELL AND SUPPORTED THEREBY.

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