Patent ID: 6571725
Filing Date: 2003-06-03
Classification: B63B,Y02T

Abstract:
A water craft apparatus floated in a body of water, the water craft apparatus comprising: an elongated hull supporting therein, a turbine propulsion drive positioned amidships, the turbine propulsion drive adapted for ingesting water at a turbine water intake and for ejecting the water, with high velocity, at a turbine water outlet; a plurality of water suction apertures arranged along both a starboard and a port portions of an exterior surface of the elongated hull, the suction apertures in communication, through an intake manifold, with the turbine propulsion drive at the turbine water intake for delivering the water from the body of water to the turbine; a plurality of aperture doors hingably mounted at the exterior surface of the elongated hull, each one of the plurality of aperture doors movable between an open attitude spaced outwardly from the one of the water suction apertures enabling admittance of the water into the intake manifold, and a closed attitude positioned for sealing the one of the water suction apertures, the apertures spanning a longitudinal distance along the hull, the longitudinal distance exceeding a horizontal length of a wave cycle of the body of water; and a means for reactively hingably moving any one of the aperture doors into the closed attitude when a surface level of the body of water is detected, by a means for water level detection, a part of the means for reactively hingably moving, to be below the any one aperture.