Abstract:
A system and method for housing a boat. The system has an outer or host hull having a bow, a stern and an interior adapted to accommodate a hull of a boat. At the stern of the host hull is a door that can be opened or closed. In a closed position the interior of the host hull becomes water tight. A plurality of bumpers are attached to the host hull. A pump is in host hull to pump water out of the host hull when the door is closed. A portion of the outer hull adjacent the stern may be deeper than a portion of the outer hull adjacent the bow.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/040,086, entitled “System for Housing a Boat” and filed on Aug. 21, 2014 by inventor, Michael Mulhern. 
         [0002]    The above cross-referenced related application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0003]    None. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates principally to the field of boating, including recreational, commercial, and government/military, but can also be deployed in other fields where an object floats on bodies of water (this document will hereafter use the term “boat” to refer to any vessel or floating object that would benefit from the invention such as jet skis, wave runners, paddle boards, etc.). 
         [0006]    2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Among the principal challenges facing boaters is the destructive effects of marine life on boats and boat components when they are in their natural environment, water, whether salt, brackish, or fresh. Significant effort and costs are required to keeping boats clean, especially boat bottoms free of what is referred to in the industry as “foul”, the plant and algae slime and, in the case of boats that operate in salt or brackish water, marine organisms such as barnacles. 
         [0008]    Many different systems and methods have been used over time to preserve boats, specifically boat hulls and propulsion equipment, including outdrives, propellers, trim tabs, and various other equipment outside the hull of the boat but submerged when the boat is in water. For example, boat owners often install boat lifts on personal piers or, when allowed, at a marina. A boat lift is a mechanical device that lifts a boat out of the water when the boat is not being used. Boat lists are very effective, but can be very expensive, often requiring special permits from local governing bodies, and are often unattractive, limiting and impeding often otherwise beautiful water views. 
         [0009]    Though time-consuming and physically challenging for many, “trailering”, where a boat is hauled to and from the place of use, using a boat ramp, and is kept on a trailer on dry land when not in use, is commonly used and is an effective solution to prevent fouling. Many boat owners trailer their boats for economic reasons as well as boat slip rentals are beyond the means of many boaters. Effectively, however, trailering is limited to boats under 27 feet in length. Some over this size can be towed, but many exceed the 8½ beam (width) limit for public roads. 
         [0010]    Because of size limitations, physical requirements, and the time required, many boats of all sizes stay in the water and are not trailered each tie they are to be used. As a result, they are housed in a rented slip in a marina or at a mooring, a permanent anchor placed within a harbor and accessible with a smaller craft (often a dingy) or via water taxi in some locations. When a boat owner has waterfront property, he/she will often install a boat lift. This is a viable option for maintaining a clean boat bottom, but requires significant investment, often requiring the installation of pilings on an existing pier (quotes for a 20,000 pound lift in the mid-Atlantic ranged from $15,000-$40,000 installed). Further, a waterfront homeowner must also install or reconfigure electric lines on the docks and must obtain permits for both the lift (sometimes requiring a variance, notification of neighbors, and hearings . . . often a lengthy and expensive process). The boat lift also reduces the ascetics of the waterfront property and usefulness of the boat while docked. Boats on a lift, with the boat bottom exposed, are an eyesore to some, particularly as compared to an often-attractive boat resting on the water. Further boat owners often enjoy entertaining on their boats, while moored at a dock. This is not possible, or at least very awkward with the boat on a lift. 
         [0011]    On rare occasion, marinas allow boat lifts, but the investment is significant and this option largely limited to condominium marinas (where the slip is owned by the boat owner) or where marinas make the investment and charge a premium for the slip/lift. As a rule, however, most marinas prefer to avoid the cost and liability of boat lifts as well as the ascetics of having boats outside the water, which affects the waterfront view. Further, boat owners often entertain with the boat at the slip, which is not an option with the boat on a lift. 
         [0012]    Boats that reside in water, as is almost always the case with large boats and often with smaller vessels, require regular service to prevent and limit fouling. According to industry experts, boats are used only about two percent of the time between when they&#39;re launched and hauled out. Most recreational boats sit for weeks and get used for a few hours on (some) weekends during the season. As a result, foul buildup is often significant. 
         [0013]    Bottom painting and regular cleaning is the standard solution for any boat that resides regularly in water. With bottom painting the boat owner must periodically (one or two times a season) either remove the boat from the water and wash it down or have the boat cleaned by a diver in SCUBA gear. Regardless the owners of bottom-painted boats must periodically (usually annually) remove the boat from the water have it washed/scraped, which is a very involved and, often, expensive process and increasingly a process that has come under environmental scrutiny and tighter regulation. 
         [0014]    Bottom paint, or antifouling paint, contains at least one biocide, an ingredient that is toxic to marine life that would otherwise cling to the boat hull. Tin was once used as the standard biocide but it has been banned because it leaves sediment that is harmful to the environment. Tributyltin, as known as TBT, was widely used until the 1980s, when it was outlawed by international convention. 
         [0015]    Copper has more recently become the ingredient of choice as the toxin for paint. However, copper is expensive—retail price $200-$300 per gallon—plus it too has been found to cause damage to ecosystems. Copper has been banned in several European countries and in the state of Washington. Recently the state of California considered a ban on the substance as well. As a result, many expect copper-based paints to have a limited time on the market. 
         [0016]    Because of the elements contained in bottom paint, it is generally classified as hazardous; it is widely restricted in its application and removal. Many marinas participate in “Clean Marina” program, which is rapidly becoming an industry standard. Among the elements of a clean marina are separate areas for boat cleaning, with containment provisions for run-off (run-off is recycled and cleaned rather than the old practice of allowing the residue to flow into the nearby body of water). They also require enclosed cleaning areas for stripping of bottom paint with technicians clad in haz-mat gear. It is highly likely that environmental requirements and restrictions will expand in the future, making the bottom-painting process increasingly expensive, time-consuming, and with reduced availability of qualified vendors. 
         [0017]    Boat bottom paint and painting is already an expensive (usually annual) requirement for boat owners. In-water boats are often cleaned in water one or two times (or more for some) a season, at a cost of $100-500, depending on boat size. An annual haul out will cost about $8-10 per foot, cleaning about $5/foot, and painting about $70/foot. For a 34-foot boat, the annual cost for keeping the bottom usable is about $3000. Striping boat paint, which is also done periodically, but not annually, will cost about $6000. 
         [0018]    This invention, to be known commercially, as the present invention is aimed at alleviating the need to paint boat bottoms and by removing the boat from water, as with a lift, but using an “outside hull” into which the boat is driven (the outside hull is larger than the vessel), is enclosed, and the water is removed from the area between the boat and the outside hull. This completely removes fouling water from contact with the boat, keeping the boat relatively clean and free of foul. 
         [0019]    The invention provides many benefits to the boat owner, providing the hull-saving features of a boat lift in locations where lifts are not feasible. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The present invention uses an “outer hull” or “host hull,” which is opened and flooded to allow a boat to enter the inside while the outer hull is in a semi-submerged state. The invention involves closing the space once the boat is inside and pumping water from the enclosure, thereby reducing or eliminating bottom-fouling and staining water from making contact with the boat. As water is removed from the inside of the outer hull, it rises in the water until it meets the bottom of the boat that was driven into it. The invention can also involve changing buoyancy of the outer hull so that some of the water naturally flows out of the enclosure as the water is displaced by a boat, eliminating much of the fouling water from contact with the hull. The invention can also combine a change of buoyancy with a pump to remove the water. 
         [0021]    The invention will allow the boat to remain in the water, as in a marina slip, while keeping the boat bottom dry, no longer exposed to fouling water. 
         [0022]    The aim of the invention is to alleviate the need to regularly clean and paint the bottom of the boat by removing the boat from water, by using the “outer hull” into which the boat is driven (the outside hull may be slightly larger or because it is semi-submerged the “vee” angle of a boat hull allows a floating boat to fit inside). The water between the host hull and the boat is then removed, either using a pump or raising the outside hull through changing buoyancy, or a combination of both. This removes most, if not all, fouling water from contact with the boat, keeping the boat relatively clean and free of foul. 
         [0023]    In a preferred embodiment, the system and method for housing a boat has an outer or host hull having a bow, a stern and an interior adapted to accommodate a hull of a boat. At the stern of the host hull is a door that can be opened or closed. In a closed position the interior of the host hull becomes water tight. A plurality of bumpers are attached to the host hull. A pump is in host hull to pump water out of the host hull when the door is closed. A portion of the outer hull adjacent the stern may be deeper than a portion of the outer hull adjacent the bow. 
         [0024]    Recreational Boating is estimated to be more that a $50 billion (spend) market in the United States, employing close to 1 million people. There are over 12 million registered boats in the United States and at least double that number worldwide (boats without engines, principally smaller sail boats and self-propelled boats—e.g., rowboats, kayaks—do not require registration). Recreational boating has a rather high service-to-use ratio. Unlike cars, where one can travel 5,000 or even 15,000 miles without any service but gasoline, boats are regularly in need of service. As a result, the services component of the industry is significant. 
         [0025]    Much of the servicing required for boats is a result of water-borne damage to the bottom of the boat and other parts exposed to water. The fouling of boat hulls and related beneath-the-surface parts has caused problems for water-borne vessels since man first began to use the water for navigation, commercial, and recreational purposes. While the degree of marine plant and animal buildup varies depending on a variety of factors, including water temperature (higher temperatures tend to breed higher concentrations of marine life), salinity, and location. Harbors, estuaries and similar environments, where boats tend to be moored and marinas concentrate, tend to be particularly productive breeding grounds for foul-producing marine life, as run-off from nearby land provides food on which much marine life exists. Speed of water and use of the boat also affects buildup (the more movement, water or boat, the less fouling). Regardless of location and usage, though, marine growth on objects in water in unavoidable whether fresh or salt water, making the avoidance of buildup of foul a necessary and increasingly costly task for recreational, government/military, and commercial boaters alike. 
         [0026]    The present invention greatly reduces the exposure of most boats to fouling and the consequent damage caused by water. Recreational boats, in particular, will benefit from the invention, as they tend to move in the water much less frequently than commercial or government/military vessels. Recreational boats are used, on average, about 2% of the time during the season, equating to about three hours a week. Many boats sit in marinas and at docks for weeks on end, especially in marinas housing boats of out-of-town owners, allowing for significant foul build up during the hot summer months. 
         [0027]    The present invention is a solution that provides the protection benefits of a boat lift, without the severe limitations inherent in lifts, namely, restrictions, whether by statute, home owner association, or  marina  restrictions, lifts almost always have to be placed on a dock at the property of the boat owner. Most boat owners do not live on waterfront property. Even for those who do, in many cases restrictions limit their use and the cost of permits and installation can be excessive. 
         [0028]    The present invention can be used at a personal waterfront location, in marinas, both public and private, and can be attached to a mooring ball where mooring of boats is allowed. 
         [0029]    The present invention provides benefits beyond protecting the hull and underwater components of the boat. In the situation where a boat owner has the option of installation a boat lift, the present invention is expected to be more cost effective and it provides both improved aesthetics and usefulness. The boat is not raised above a floating position, as a result, it does not block the waterfront view nearly as much as on a lift and the bottom of the boat, generally an ugly part of the boat, is not exposed, as with a boat lift. Further many boat owners enjoy spending time on a boat floating at a dock. Boat owners often entertain friends, read, sleep, and just enjoy the view and rocking motion of a boat in the water. This is not an attractive option with a boat on a lift. 
         [0030]    For the vast majority of boat owners who do not trailer their boats, the reduction a bottom foul is by far the biggest benefit. Those who keep their boats, and a present invention, at a personal pier or in a marina do can expect further benefit. The present invention will be tied to the marina posts, just as a boat is when it is docked. With the present invention, the boater simply has to steer the boat into the present invention; this makes docking much easier, without requiring lines and coordination of others on the boat to assist with docking (lines are not required as the boat fits snugly into the present invention and the present invention itself is already appropriately tethered to the dock and/or pilings). In this manner, the present invention is similar to a lift, where boaters simply drive between posts to place the boat on the submerged lift. No lines are required and docking a far easier, regardless of wind or tide. 
         [0031]    For a boat owner in a marina, the present invention retains the benefit of being able to work on the boat, to entertain on the boat, or simply to enjoy “hanging out” on the boat as it floats in the water. 
         [0032]    Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a preferable embodiments and implementations. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0033]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0034]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a preferred embodiment of an outer or host hull of the present invention with the stern door open and water inside the outer hull, such that the outer hull is in a semi-submerged position. 
           [0035]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a preferred embodiment of an outer hull of the present invention with the door closed and water having been pumped out so that the hull is dry on the inside. There is no boat in this depiction. 
           [0036]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the outer hull as shown in  FIG. 1 , with the door open and the outer hull semi-submerged. 
           [0037]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the outer hull as shown in  FIG. 2  with the door closed and water pumped out. The outer hull is floating higher (the water line is lower on the hull) than in  FIG. 3  because water has been removed, making the outer hull more buoyant. 
           [0038]      FIG. 5  is a top view of a preferred embodiment of an outer hull of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1  with a boat inside the outer hull. There is water inside the hull, surrounding the boat. 
           [0039]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the outer hull as in  FIG. 5  with the door closed with a boat inside and water pumped out. 
           [0040]      FIG. 7  is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, similar to  FIG. 3 , but with a boat having entered the present invention. The boat floats inside the outer hull on its own as the outer hull is still semi-submerged, filled with water. 
           [0041]      FIG. 8  is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with a boat inside the outer hull with the door closed and water pumped out. In this case, the outer hull has risen meeting the hull of the boat (note the water line is lower on the present invention than in  FIG. 7  when it is still semi-submerged), which is no longer floating on water inside the present invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 9A  is a side view of a first alternate preferred embodiment of the invention for potential use with a boat with an outboard engine. In this version, there is a smaller-than-normal transom on the stern of the hull which, along with appropriately placed buoyancy, allows the outer hull to fill with water on the rear of the hull only, putting the outer hull at an angle when it is semi-submerged. 
           [0043]      FIG. 9B  illustrates the outboard version as in  FIG. 9A  in a level position with the water pumped out. 
           [0044]      FIG. 10A  is a side view of a second alternate preferred embodiment of the invention for potential use with a boat with an outboard engine. In this version, there is a smaller-than-normal transom on the stern of the hull which, along with appropriately placed buoyancy, allows the outer hull to fill with water on the rear of the hull only, putting the outer hull at an angle when it is semi-submerged. 
           [0045]      FIG. 10B  illustrates the outboard version as in  FIG. 10A  in a level position with the water pumped out. 
           [0046]      FIG. 11  is a top view the first alternate embodiment shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , submerged and water flowing across the transom as shown in  FIG. 9A . 
           [0047]      FIG. 12  is a top view the first alternate embodiment shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B  with the buoyancy adjusted and water removed as shown in  FIG. 9B . The water is no longer inside the stern of the present invention. 
           [0048]      FIG. 13A  illustrates the first alternate embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 9A ,  9 B,  11  and  12 , from the rear view with the present invention in a semi-submerged position. This shows the water line right at the transom on the stern of the invention. 
           [0049]      FIG. 13B  shows a rear view of the first alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 13A , with the water removed and the water line below the transom on the stern of the present invention. 
           [0050]      FIG. 14A  illustrates the second alternate embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B  from the rear view with the present invention in a semi-submerged position. This shows the water line right at the transom on the stern of the invention. 
           [0051]      FIG. 14B  shows a rear view of the second alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 14A , with the water removed and the water line below the transom on the stern of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0052]    The preferred embodiments of the inventions are described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is believed to offer a viable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative to painting and ongoing cleaning, scraping, and repainting of a boat&#39;s hull and under-water mechanical components. This represents what is expected to be a less expensive and more atheistically pleasing alternative to boat lifts at private residents and marinas. Further, by reducing dramatically the need for bottom painting and the consequent damaging chemical and processes that it entails, the present invention is expected to be far friendlier to the environment than that current state of the art. 
         [0053]    The introduction of a present invention to the boating industry is expected to provide a viable alternative to boat lifts and to the time-consuming, expensive, and environmentally destructive bottom painting process currently used by many boaters. The key element of the invention is the introduction of a solid outer or host hull into which the boat is floated. Once the boat is inside the outer hull, the outer hull is closed off and the boat floats within outer hull. The outer hull is then drained of water, through displacement and via pump, which raises the outer hull to the point where the inside of the outer hull (or rails or bumpers within the outer hull) and the hull of the boat meet. In effect the two become a single floating object, raising and falling together with the tides and rocking back and forth together with wakes and waves. When the two are coupled, for example, touching in several places through the presence of strategically spaced bumpers (consistent with the shape of the hull of the boat), the structural integrity of the outer hull is supported by the integrity of the boat inside. As a result, the outer hull does not require significant reinforcement, including stringers (structural supports within a boats hull). When it&#39;s not supporting a boat, the present invention is light and floats on its own. When a boat is inside, the two are attached as one and the boat supports the outer hull. 
         [0054]      FIGS. 1-14B  illustrate the present invention from different angles, with and without a boat inside and in various states of open and filled with water and closed with the water pumped out. 
         [0055]      FIG. 1  is a view from above the present invention. It shows the outer hull  100 , with a body  110  and a transom (the stern or back of the boat)  120  fully open in the water. The body  110  has a lower portion  112  for accommodating a propeller assembly. The opening at the stern of the outer hull  100  is made possible through the use of one or more hinges  130  (only one is showing because others are directly beneath so can not be seen from this perspective). In these diagrams, the squiggly lines represent water; these are an important part of each illustration as they illustrate when the outer hull is semi-submerged; their absence inside the present invention indicates the water has been pumped out. In  FIG. 1  the water is both outside and inside the present invention. In this condition, the outer hull  100  is semi-submerged (there is water inside the hull but it remains adequately buoyant that it does not sink). With the door  120  open and water inside, the body  110  is ready to receive a boat, which will be floating in through the open door  120 . The boat&#39;s position in the body  110  is dictated by bumpers  150 ,  160  placed strategically along the inside of the outer hull, including likely larger bumpers or rails  150  on the lower portion or bottom of the body  110 . These bumpers  150 ,  160  are sized and positioned according to the size and shape of the boat to be kept in the outer hull  100 . Throughout these drawings, a solid bumper outlined with a dashed line is meant to convey the bumper is below the water line  200 . Similarly, where lines of the outer hull  1  are dashes, this is meant to represent the parts of the present invention that are below the water line  200 . In  FIG. 2 , the door  120  at the stern is closed and the water is pumped out of the outer hull  100  using pump  140 . 
         [0056]    This process is also illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4  from a view from the side. Importantly, this shows the water line  200 , which illustrates how the present invention is semi-submerged with a higher water line  200  in  FIG. 3  versus a water line  200  that is lower in  FIG. 4  (of course, the water is not lower, but rather the present invention is floating higher in the water). The process of pumping the water out of the outer hull  100  using the pump  140 , or other known means, raises the outer hull as it becomes less dense, on average, and more buoyant in the water. 
         [0057]    A boater pulls his/her boat  600  into the outer hull  100  as shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 7  with the door  120  open. The boat  600  is positioned inside the outer hull  100  by the bumpers  150 ,  160  that line the inside (boat facing) side of the body  110 . Using for example, a mechanical device (not shown) such as pulleys or gears or simply by hand, the boater closes the door  120 , making the outer hull  100  watertight, and turns on the pump  140 , removing the water that had flooded the outer hull  100  when the door  120  was open. 
         [0058]    As the water is removed, the body  110  of the outer hull  100  raises such that the bumpers  150 ,  160  meet the hull of the boat  160  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 8 . As shown in these diagrams, the water is no longer inside the outer hull  100  and no longer separates the bumpers  150 ,  160  from the boat  600 . The boat  600  is no longer floating inside the outer hull  100  but rather is coupled with the outer hull through the bumpers  150 ,  160  and they are both floating as a single unit. 
         [0059]    The outer hull  100  can be attached to whatever medium the boat owner had used previously when he/she kept a boat in the water. As an example,  FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate how a present invention might be positioned in at a marina or a private dock. The present invention is attached in four places to pilings  510  on the dock  520  and outside the dock and tethered to the pilings  510  using boats lines (ropes)  512 . The outer hull  100  is fastened to a dock  520  or marina in much the same manner as a boat would be floating in a boat slip, with the exception of the stern lines do not cross as that would impede entry and exit to and from the present invention. 
         [0060]    A further feature of the invention is a deeper hull  112  at the stern of the body  110  to allow for machinery, primarily propellers, to be placed within the outer hull without being impacted by the outer hull as the water is emptied and outer hull rises to meet the boat. This feature is illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , where the body  110  is slightly deeper in the stern portion  112 , allowing the shaft and propeller of the boat  600 , known as the screw, on an inboard (as depicted) or the outdrive for an inboard/outboard (I/O) engine, which would similarly extend below the bottom of the boat. 
         [0061]    Outboard engines, which extend beyond the stern of the boat, attached to the transom, provide an opportunity for alternative embodiments for the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 9-14B . While they can be housed in the traditional model, with an opening and closing door, as depicted in  FIG. 1-8 , an outboard engine can use an alternative model. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 9A-9B  and  11 - 12  illustrate an alternative method of the invention. The principle of flooding the present invention, bringing a boat inside, and pumping out water is the same as in the prior discussion. Nevertheless, the outboard version does not have a door. Rather is has a transom  990  that is just above the water line when the outer hull  900  is drained of water (transoms on outboard engine boats are ordinarily  8 - 24 ″ above the water). The outboard version of the invention involves flooding the stern of the outer hull only. Either through weights  970 , which when moved to the stern of the out hull  900  causes the transom  990  to sink below the water line which allows water to flood into the stern of the body  910  or through openings  980  placed below the waterline in the stern of the boat. In  FIGS. 9A and 9B  these openings and open/shut valves  980  are placed on the sides of the outer hull, near the transom. They can be placed elsewhere, but they operate it the same manner. Opening the valves allows water to flow into the hull, flooding the stern. Those of skill in the art will understand that other arrangements may be used with the present invention. Through adjustments in buoyancy, where the bow is more buoyant than the stern, the present invention sinks to a greater degree in the stern. As a result, the when semi-submerged, the present invention is higher in the front (bow), floating at an angle to the water line (see  FIG. 9A ). 
         [0063]    With the present invention in this position, water will flow back and forth across the transom  990  as it is at or slightly below the water line. To enter the present invention, the boater simply noses the boat&#39;s bow into the transom thereby pushing the transom further beneath the surface. The boat can proceed inside the present invention with the stern of the present invention sinking further to accommodate the boat&#39;s hull. As the boat moves further, appropriately placed bumpers  960  will force the bow down, putting slight pressure on the stern to rise. Once the hull of the boat clears the transom  990 , the pressure of the bow being pushed down will naturally make the stern of the body  910  rise such that the transom  990  is again slightly above the water line  200 . At this point, the pump  940  can be engaged removing water from the outer hull  900  and it will rise to meet the hull of the boat. 
         [0064]    As with the inboard/I/O version, the bumpers  960  will be strategically placed according to the shaped of the boat&#39;s hull and any mechanical equipment on the bottom and lower stern of the boat. While rails are not shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B  it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that rails or the like may be used in this embodiment as well. 
         [0065]    A second alternate embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 10A-10B  and  13 A- 13 B where a movable transom  992  and mechanical element  994  for raising the moveable transom  992  are added to assist in raising the outer hull in the water. 
         [0066]    These versions of the invention are likely the most common uses for recreational boating and can be used for commercial, government, military and other purposes where a boat (or any other waterborne object) would benefit from device that protects it from water. However, other versions are possible. 
         [0067]    Using the same principle being claimed, alternative versions can be created. For example, a sailboat version with a much deeper hull to accommodate the deeper keel or centerboard, and with a much deeper door, can be developed using the same principle. 
         [0068]    Similarly, multi-hulled vessels can use a version of the present invention developed for this purpose, such as a double outer hull to be used for a pontoon boat. 
         [0069]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.