Patent Publication Number: US-7895962-B2

Title: Sectional boat

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of boats having two joinable hull sections, where each section is independently floatable, and in particular to a sectional boat having an improved transom coupler. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,362 to Avidiya, it is known to form a boat from two or more independent hull sections which are fastened together at their transoms, each section being independently buoyant. See also, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,629 to Kleyh et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,346 to Updyke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,876 to Levine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,587 to Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,203 to Lewis, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,167 to Hart, U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,769 to Lingeman, all of which describe interlocking boat transoms of one form or another. Such hull sections have abutting transoms and the transoms are typically fastened together by fastening members passing through the transoms above and below the waterline. 
     When such boats are placed into the water, the diverse forces generated by the water acting upon the boat sections try to twist and vertically move the adjacent transoms relative to each other. Such twisting and vertical forces can cause the fastener members to jam, making it difficult to separate the sections, or cause the fastener members to fail. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In summary, the sectional boat according to the present invention may be characterized in one aspect as including fore and aft boat sections releasably couplable together by a releasable coupler cooperating between the fore and aft boat sections, wherein the releasable coupler comprises at least one dovetail coupler. The dovetail coupler includes at least one female dovetail groove mounted on a first section of the fore and aft boat sections, and a corresponding at least one male dovetail tenon mounted on a second boat section of the fore and aft boat sections. 
     Each tenon is sized to snugly slidably mate into a corresponding female dovetail groove in the first boat section. Each tenon includes a substantially vertically upstanding lug mounted to and extending upwardly from an upper most end of each tenon so as to extend above an upper edge of the first boat section when each tenon is snugly mated in the corresponding female dovetail groove. 
     Each lug includes an aperture. The coupler further includes a member for mating in each aperture so as to releasably lock each tenon in snug mating engagement in the corresponding female dovetail groove. In one embodiment a parallel pair of the dovetail couplers are provided. 
     In one embodiment the member is an elongate rigid member such as a locking bar, pin, or the like, and each aperture is a bore which extends entirely through each lug. Advantageously the member is an elongate member mountable in each aperture so as to journal the member through the bore in snug sliding engagement therein. 
     In a preferred embodiment the first and second boat sections each have corresponding first and second transoms on which are mounted at least one female dovetail groove and at least one tenon respectively. Further, each bore in each lug is adjacent an upper edge of the first transom when the first and second transoms are mated together by the dovetail coupler. Advantageously each bore is oriented laterally along the upper edge of the first transom when the tenons are is snugly mated in the female dovetail grooves. The elongate member, when mounted through each bore, lies substantially flush along the upper edge of the first transom when the first and second transoms are mounted together. 
     The bores in the lugs may be co-axial so that a single elongate rigid member is mountable through each bore. 
     In a further aspect, each female dovetail groove widens from a narrow upper end of each groove to a wider lower end of each groove, and each corresponding tenon is correspondingly wedge shaped so as to have a narrower upper end and a wider lower end to snugly fit each tenon in each corresponding female dovetail groove. In a further embodiment, the direction of the wedge-shape may be reversed, that is, the top may be wide in the groove and tenon, and the bottom narrower. When each tenon is snugly wedged into each corresponding female dovetail groove in mating engagement by sliding each tenon upwardly into each corresponding female dovetail groove, each tenon is firmly wedged into its corresponding female dovetail groove so as to position the bore in each corresponding lug adjacent the upper edge of the first transom. 
     The first and second boat sections may be substantially identically shaped so that one of the first and second boat sections may be overlaid on the other so as to snugly fit onto the other of the first and second boat sections for storage and off-water transportation of the boat. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying figures wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view: 
         FIG. 1   a  is, in rear perspective view, one sectional boat half having male dovetails mounted to the transom thereof according to one embodiment of the sectional boat according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 1   b  is, in front perspective view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 1   c  is, in plan view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 1   d  is, in front elevation view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 1   e  is, in right side elevation view, the left side elevation view being the mirror image thereof, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 1   a.    
         FIG. 2   a  is, in rear perspective view, a second sectional boat half having female dovetail grooves in the transom thereof, according to one embodiment of the sectional boat of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2   b  is, in front perspective view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 2   a.    
         FIG. 2   c  is, in plan view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 2   a.    
         FIG. 2   d  is, in front elevation view, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 2   a.    
         FIG. 2   e  is, in right side elevation view, the left side elevation view being the mirror image thereof, the sectional boat half of  FIG. 2   a.    
         FIG. 3  is, in top perspective view, the assembled sectional boat according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3   a  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 4  is, in partially exploded top perspective view, the sectional boat of  FIG. 3  with the sectional boat half having female dovetail grooves in its transom aligned adjacent the sectional boat half having male dovetails, so as to align the male dovetails for sliding mating into the dovetail grooves. 
         FIG. 5  is, in bottom perspective view, the partially exploded view of the sectional boat of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The sectional boat  10  of the present invention is formed of a first buoyant hull section  12  and a second buoyant hull section  112 . Excluding the transom couplers, hull sections  12  and  112  are substantially identical mirror images of one another. Consequently, parts of second bull section  112  which are identical to parts of first hull section  12  will have the same reference number as the reference number for the same parts of the hull section  12 . Thus, hull section  12  has a bow  14  and a transom  16 , and hull section  112  has a bow  14  and a transom  16 . 
     A pair of dovetail sockets  18  are formed in transom  16  of hull section  12 . A corresponding pair of mail dovetails  20  are attached to or formed as part of transom  16  of hull section  112 . The tails  20  are mounted or formed so as to be vertically aligned and parallel with each other. Tails  20  extend the full height of their corresponding transom  16 . 
     The boat halves are interlocked using the two vertical lugs  22  that protrude upwardly from the two male dovetails  20 . Each lug  22  has a corresponding aperture  22   a . A locking bar  24  or pin(s) or the like is passed through apertures  22   a  in lugs  22  to secure the tails  20  in their corresponding mating sockets  18 . 
     The sliding dovetails are assembled by sliding each mail dovetail  20  into its corresponding socket  18  in the opposite transom. The socket is slightly tapered so that the two components can be slid together easily but the joint becomes tighter as the finished position is reached. 
     As tails  20  are slid upwardly into corresponding dove tail sockets  18  so as to reach their finished position where the sliding dovetails are tightly fitted, lugs  22  protrude above the upper edge  16   a  of the transom  16  of the opposite boat half so that lug apertures  22   a  are just clear of upper edge  16   a . With lug apertures  22   a  thus clear of upper edge  16   a , locking bar or pin(s)  24  may be inserted through apertures  22   a  so as to lock lugs  22  into their locked position snugly above transom  16  thereby locking tails  20  tightly into sockets  18 . With hull sections  12  and  112  thereby inter locked, movement between the two hull sections is prevented even when boat  10  is used in rough water. 
     The hull sections may have longitudinally extending parallel spaced-apart channels  26  for increased rigidity. Channels  26  form runners or strakes  26   a  along the undersides of the hull sections. 
     Advantageously, hull sections  12  and  112  are substantially identical in plan form dimensions, and also in side elevation dimensions so that in a storage or transportation mode, one of the hull sections may be mounted atop of the other hull section. This reduces the size of boat  10  to one-half of its plan form size for example for ease of transportation when mounted atop a vehicle or trailer and also provides for secure and weather resistant storage for equipment contained within the boat when in its storage and transportation mode. 
     Seats  28  may be provided which are selectively positionable within the hull. Flotation, for example by foam injection (not shown) is provided within cavities within the hull. It is specifically intended that the present invention be adapted for use with boats having longer or smaller dimensions including longer or smaller length and width, as would be known to one skilled in the art. 
     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.