FOLDABLE BOAT

Abstract: The present invention relates to a foldable and erectable boat, formed by four identical plane panels (1,2,3,4) in semirigid plastic material and with a shaped edge, which panels (1,2,3,4) are arranged in a longitudinal ordered adjoinment succession, so as to obtain two intermediate adjacent panels (2,3) and two outer or lateral panels (1,4), having a free edge. The two intermediate panels are adjacent and hingeably coupled to each other along one longitudinal edge thereof, while their other longitudinal edge is adjacent and hingeably coupled with a respective edge of an adjacent outer panel. Each panel is endowed with one or two grooves on both faces thereof, each groove extending parallel and proximate to one or both the longitudinal edges of the panel. The grooves proximate to the edges define an uninterrupted peripheral band or strip, which constitutes a portion joined to the panel by means of a double reduction in thickness, created by the grooves themselves. At the adjacent and coupled edges of two adjacent panels, the peripheral bands of the panels (1,2,3,4) themselves are fixed together, so as to form a sealing seam. Each panel is thus flexible or foldable with respect to the seam along the thinning or weakening represented by the grooves.

Description: The present invention relates to a foldable boat. Foldable boats are known in the art, obtained in other words by the hinge-like joint of a plurality of laminar elements or panels in at least moderately flexible plastic material, cut according to a suitably shaped contour. Such boats have the advantage of being extremely light, which is a feature common to all boats in plastic material, and additionally they are also extremely comfortable to transport and store since in their closed or folded condition they occupy an extremely small amount of room, practically that of the group of laminar elements composing the boat which, in folded condition, assume a planar attitude. Foldable boats of the kinds known, however, occasionally have limitations, due most of all to the fact that they require a remarkable effort for their erection or opening, and in the water they may not have an always satisfactory safety margin for performing some operations while standing still, such as the return of swimmers or frogmen on board, or the hauling up of persons during rescue operations from the stern, since the boats, being very light and not ballasted, may be subject to pitching up, with the risk of swamping water. Furthermore, the conventional hinge-like joints between the various panels which compose a foldable boat, besides being often too stiff, which entails a considerable effort for unfolding and opening out the boat, are also difficult to provide. From US-A-3482368 is known a foldable and erectable boat according to the first part of the appended Claim 1 and particularly comprising hinge-like joints with only one groove formed on the outer surface of the panels and having reduced flexibility and resistance to repeated bending. An aim of the present invention is to provide a foldable boat which is capable of eliminating or substantially reducing the above described disadvantages. Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable boat which may be erected, starting from its folded condition, in a simple and quick manner, and most of all without effort. Another object of the present invention is that said boat be endowed with a fully tried stability in water even in case a load has to be hauled on board. Not least object of the present invention is that said boat can be provided at competitive costs, to be advantageous also from an economical point of view. These and other objects which will better appear hereinafter are achieved, by a foldable and erectable boat, according to the appended Claim 1. Further features and advantages of the invention will better appear from the following detailed description of some currently preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limitative example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, where: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a boat according to the invention, in a fully folded condition, in which it appears as a stack of panels connected in a folding manner along the length; Fig. 2 is a view of the boat of Fig. 1 in a partial open or erected condition; Fig. 3 is a perspective view from the stern of the boat of Fig. 1 in an erected or completely open condition, and equipped with a motor supporting plate with a stabilizer fin; Fig. 4 is a lateral perspective view of the boat of Fig. 3 equipped with an outboard motor and with lateral stabilizers; Fig. 5 is a perspective view in an enlarged scale of the motor supporting plate seen from inside the boat; Fig. 6 is a view, in an enlarged scale with respect to Fig. 3, of a spacer seat seen from below and equipped with foldable resting legs; Fig. 7 is a detail view of an internal side of the boat of Fig. 3, where an abutment and supporting bracket is located for an end of a spacer seat such as the one of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an axonometric view in an enlarged scale of an edge machined with two opposite grooves of a panel for obtaining a boat according to the invention; Fig. 9 is a lateral perspective view of another embodiment of a boat according to the invention; Fig. 10 is a partial and slightly enlarged perspective view of a transverse intermediate section of another example of boat; Fig.11 is a perspective view, slightly from above and from the prow, of the boat of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a perspective view, slightly from above and from the stern, of the boat of Fig. 10; and Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a detail related to a prow point of a boat according to the invention. In the various figures of the drawings, identical or similar components have been referenced with the same reference numerals. With reference to Figs. 1 to 8, it will be noted that a boat according to the invention is composed of four panels 1, 2, 3 and 4, with a shaped contour (Fig. 1), so that each has a substantially rectilinear longitudinal edge 5 and the opposite longitudinal edge 6 endowed with a substantially rectilinear intermediate portion and two terminal portions curved towards the edge 5, as well as two transverse edge 7 and 8 with a very small length. Each panel is formed of at least moderately flexible material, as an example propylenic plastic material of adequate thickness, and is machined, proximate to the edges, by having it pass through a pair of milling cutters or shaping rollers, so that it is endowed with two opposite grooves, an internal one 9 and an outer one 10, provided on a respective face of each panel (Fig. 8). The presence of the grooves 9 and 10 defines a narrow border band or strip 12 and causes a reduction in the thickness of each panel, which will be slightly weakened, and therefore more flexible, along the grooves. The panels 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4 are joined to each other (e.g. heat-welded and/or glued and/or riveted and/or sewn) in the manner of a sealing seam at their adjacent border bands 12, which are thus rendered rigidly coupled to each other according to a reciprocal folding arrangement. Advantageously, on the outside of each joint or seam, a tubular body 13 is inserted, longitudinally fissured, which at its longitudinal edges or lips engages the outer groove 10 of each of the two panels joined together to form the joint and covers and simultaneously externally protects the seam composed of the bands 12, now rigidly coupled to each other, of the panels. Along the free edges 5 of the panels 1 and 4, the tubular body 13 engages in the two grooves 9 and 10 of the panels. The grooves 9 and 10 represent, as has been described, longitudinal weakening lines which allow two joined panels to hingeably flex elastically in the direction of moving apart from each other. This allows to erect the boat, as illustrated in Fig.2, by simply pushing apart the edges 5 of the lateral panels 1 and 4. The erection of the boat, besides originating elastic folds at the root of the joining seams, also causes a notable inward camber of the intermediate panels 2 and 3, so that the keel assumes a characteristic and advantageous gull-wing configuration (Figs. 3 and 10), fully to the advantage of the lateral stability of the boat. The keel flattens towards the stern to allow the water to flow better, while it tapers to the prow so that it assumes a deep-V configuration which ensures directional stability and excellent penetration in the water. Thanks to the non-rigid nature of the material in which the boat is provided, the same is slightly flexible in its entirety, which allows a good absorption and damping of the impact with the waves. The boat is held in erected position by one or more seats, generally indicated with the reference numeral 14 in Figs. 3 and 6. For this purpose, on the inside faces of the lateral panels 1 and 4 of the boat is applied a matching number of brackets 15, which in order to follow the weak elastic deformations of the sides of the boat are obtained from a single U-shaped channel with fins divided in three pairs of separate finlets or flaps 16. A pair of flaps, as an example the central one, has a central through hole for fixing the seat in position. As is shown in Fig. 6, each seat 14 is formed by a rigid shelf or beam 17 in wood or plastic material to the lower face of which is hingeably coupled an appendix or resting foot 18 suitable for abutting against the bottom of the boat at the joints between the intermediate panels 2 and 3. The foot 18 can be folded or turned over against the beam, since it is articulated with the shelf 17 by means of the hinge 19, so that is can occupy a small space when not in use, and allows for an easier transportation on vehicles. Advantageously, the shelf 17 in its lower face can be endowed with floatability reserves 20 which help make the boat unsinkable. At the prow, a rigid support 21 can be removably positioned, which can comprise a metal plate 23 endowed with two lateral fins 24 and 25 for anchoring, and one or two outboard facings 26 and 27 in wood or other material. The plate 23 is endowed with two holes 28 and 29 for fixing respectively to the panels 2 and 3 of the boat, while the fins 24 and 25 can be anchored one to panel 1 and the other to panel 4. The support 21 acts as a coupling plate for an outboard motor 30 as is shown in Fig. 4, or as a resting base for a rudder. On the outside of the stern, at the holes 28 and 29 of the plate 23 can also be fixed a stabilizing fin 31 (in broken lines in Fig. 3) which is intended to prevent an excessive pitching down of the stern and thus allows an optimum cruising attitude when employing motorized propulsion. At the prow a point 32 can be provided (Fig. 13) in wood or other light material, which at the point can rest on the free edge created by the convergence zones of the ends 7 of the panels, and on board it is supported by a tension element 34 which connects the two lateral panels 1 and 4 of the boat. This point, apart from defining a small shelter for holding objects at the prow, can act as a platform for diving into the water. Advantageously, on the outer sides of the boat two floaters 36 can be seen (Fig. 4), which extend from the prow to the stern and have, as an example, a semicircular cross section. The floaters 36 can be provided in a very light material or may be inflatable to give the boat a greater lateral stability, represent a notable floatability reserve, make safer the return aboard of a swimmer or a frogman, and ease possible rescue operations. The coupling of the floaters 36 can be provided, e.g., by a hook 37 on the prow which, as an example, is anchored to the tension element 34, on the stern by means of the hook 38 fixed to a coupling bolt of the motor plate 21, and two or three intermediate points 39 for fixing or hooking to the hull, as an example above the seats and/or by providing a hole in the side of the boat. The boat illustrated in Fig. 9 shows a stern extension 40 which acts as a rear extension of the underbody of the boat and can be provided in place of the fin 31. The extension 40 can be an inflatable body or be composed of a very light material, and can be advantageously associatable with the boat, as an example, at and along the stern ridges. The extension 40 is intended to extend the keel and therefore allows to increase the cruising speed of the boat, other things being equal. Figs. 10 to 12 show another embodiment of the boat according to the invention in which the seats 45 are composed of a body, inflatable and configured to rest against the internal walls of the hull, to which it is sealingly fixed in any appropriate manner, and to have an appendix or intermediate extension 46, which acts as a resting leg of the body of the seat against the bottom of the hull. The seats 45 are endowed with valve means 47 for being inflated by means of a pressurised fluid source, e.g. a bottle of compressed air or a pump. The seats 45 constitute, in this version of the boat, a means for the automatic erection of the boat, since by inflating the seats the boat, from a folded position, is automatically extended into the erected position for use. They furthermore represent a reserve of floatability such as to make the boat unsinkable. The seats 45, besides being provideable in numerous sections, can have a configuration which is different from the one illustrated in the drawings. For folding the boat after use, it is sufficient to deflate the seats 45 and, thanks to the resiliency of the panels 1, 2, 3 and 4, the boat return by itself to its folded condition. Fig. 11 also shows rowlock holders 48 for oars 49. A boat according to the present invention can in any case be endowed with a mast and a sail, as well as with lateral stabilizers and rudder, in any suitable way and without difficulty. A boat according to the present invention is very versatile, very light, practical to use and can be stored and transported in a very small amount of room, since it occupies an amount of room even smaller than that of a floating or surf board. The dimensions can be any according to the requirements.

Claims: Foldable and erectable boat comprising four identical plane panels (1, 2, 3 and 4) in semirigid material and with a shaped contour, arranged in an orderly longitudinal adjoinment succession, so as to have two adjacent intermediate panels (2, 3) and two outer or lateral panels (1, 4), the two intermediate panels (2, 3) being adjoining and hingeably coupled to each other along one longitudinal edge, while their other longitudinal edge is adjoining and hingeably coupled with a respective edge of an adjacent outer panel, each panel defining an inner face and an outer face and having a first groove (10) formed by cold rolling along said outer face, said groove (10) extending parallel and proximate to the longitudinal edge intended to couple with an edge of an adjacent panel, so as to define an uninterrupted peripheral band or strip (12) which delimits a portion of the panel by means of a single reduction in thickness at said first groove, at the adjacent and coupled edges the peripheral bands (12) of the panels being fixed together so as to form sealing seams, each panel being flexible or foldable with respect to the seam along said first groove (10), characterized in that each panel (1, 2, 3 and 4) further has a second groove (9) formed by cold rolling along said inner face and extending substantially parallel and opposite to said first groove (10) to provide enhanced flexibility of the panels by means of a double reduction in thickness at said grooves (9, 10) and improved resistance to breakage upon repeated bending by upsetting the material in correspondence of said grooves (9, 10). Boat according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one spacer seat (14,45) intended to engage the sides of the boat represented by said two outer or lateral panels (1,4) to keep the boat in erected position, said seat (14) being configured so as to have an intermediate transverse appendix (18) suitable for abutting against the joint of said two intermediate panels (2,3). Boat according to claim 2, characterized in that said transverse appendix (18) of the spacer seat (14) is foldable. Boat according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises two positioning brackets (15) for the or for each spacer seat (14), which are anchored to said outer or lateral panels (1,4) and limitedly deformable. Boat according to claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises means for its self-erection. Boat according to claim 5, characterized in that said self-erection means comprise at least one spacer seat (45) having an inflatable body and valve means (47) for inflating and deflating. Boat according to claim 6, characterized in that the or each seat (45) comprises an intermediate appendix (46) intended to rest, in operating conditions, on the bottom of the boat. Boat according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two lateral floaters (36) extending from prow to stern and removably associatable, at a respective sealing seam. Boat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a floating extension (40) at the stern. Boat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in erected position it is endowed with a hull having an outer gull-wing configuration, defined by peaks formed by the sealing seams and longitudinal troughs between the peaks defined by the camber of the panels. Boat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a stabilizing fin (31) at the stern with two flukes, which are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal vertical plane of the boat. Boat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is endowed with a prow point (32) supported by a tension element (34).

Inventors: DE BENI, CLAUDIO
Applicants: DE BENI, CLAUDIO
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B63B7
IPC codes: B63B7