Patent ID: 8408151

Claim:
A watercraft hull comprising: a lower portion; an upper portion; and a strake positioned between the lower portion and the upper portion; wherein the lower portion includes a bow portion having a v-shape defined by a keel and sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to the strake, an aft portion having a tunnel formed therein, the aft portion being defined by a pair of opposing sidewalls extending downwardly from the strake to a bottom portion, and the tunnel being defined by a pair of opposing tunnel sidewalls that extend upwardly from the bottom portion to a tunnel top having a center rib, and a medial portion defined by a pair of opposing sidewalls extending downwardly from the strake to a point adjacent a bottom portion of the bow sidewall and the bottom portion of the aft sidewall to define a continuous sidewall, the medial portion transitioning the bow portion to the aft portion, and having a vacuum chamber extending between and transitioning the keel of the bow portion to the tunnel formed in the aft portion, the vacuum chamber having a pair of opposing outer vacuum chamber walls that extend longitudinally from the keel of the bow portion to the bottom portion of the pair of respective opposing tunnel sidewalls, the pair of opposing outer vacuum chamber walls having a sloping bottom that slopes from a first point having a first predetermined elevation and defined by an end of the bow portion and a beginning of the medial portion, to a second point having a second predetermined elevation that is higher than the first predetermined elevation and that is defined by an end of the medial portion and a beginning of the aft portion, and a pair of opposing inner vacuum chamber walls that extend upwardly from the bottom of the pair of respective opposing outer vacuum chamber walls to a vacuum chamber top having a center rib that extends from the first point through a third point having a third predetermined elevation that is higher than the second predetermined elevation, the center rib of the vacuum chamber top sloping downwardly to the center rib of the tunnel top to define a continuous center rib; and wherein the upper portion includes sidewalls extending upwardly from the strake.