Patent ID: 7000562

Claim:
A pneumatic boat of the semi-rigid type, comprising a rigid hull defined by a rigid underwater hull closed on the top by a rigid floor and bordered at least on two sides by two pneumatic floats, comprising: a ballast arranged in the rear part of the inner volume of the rigid hull; pumping means for filling said ballast with water or for emptying it thereof; two pneumatic chambers defined in the respective rear parts of the two floats, these two chambers being pneumatically isolated from the rest of said floats; means for inflating said rear chambers; and means for deflating said rear chambers; said boat having no rear board, whereby the boat is able to occupy two operating positions, namely: a position for loading or unloading a floating load, which position is obtained by filling the ballast with water with the aid of the pumping means and by deflating the two rear chambers with the aid of the deflating means, the boat then occupying a marked nose-up position with its rear part submerged beneath the surface of the water such that a floating load can be brought into contact with the floor (loading) or be moved away therefrom (unloading); and a navigation position obtained, starting from the above-mentioned loading position, by emptying the ballast of its water with the aid of the pumping means and by inflating the two rear chambers with the aid of the inflating means, the boat changing from the above-mentioned loading position to said navigation position by raising the load brought into contact with its floor.