Patent ID: 6640737
Filing Date: 2003-11-04
Classification: B63B

Abstract:
A retractable multi-hull watercraft comprising:(a) a horizontal central cabin structure having a roof with port and starboard edges, a plurality of walls, and a floor structure with an underside track system; the underside track system comprising a plurality of parallel, spaced-apart and athwartly disposed tracks attached end-wise to an outer surrounding frame; (b) port and starboard longitudinally extending parallel retractable hulls, each hull having an outboard side and an inboard side; (c) each hull outboard side comprising an upwardly extending hull wall; each hull wall having a top-end hinge row and a bottom-end hinge row, the top-end hinge row pivotally attached close to the respective one of said edges of said cabin structure roof, the bottom-end hinge row pivotally attached close to said hull outboard side; (d) each hull further having an inboard guiding means for rolling or sliding on said underside track system, whereby each outboard side hull wall swings from said top-end hinge row pivoting close to said edge of the roof while each hull inboard side is guided on said underside track system for retraction under said cabin structure thus enabling said hulls to carry the weight of said cabin structure whether said hulls are extended or retracted, the outboard side hull wall being always held upright.