Patent ID: 7143710

Claim:
Low drag hull apparatus, comprising a waterborne vessel having at least one vessel-supporting hull, a hull bottom on the hull, at least one side cavity on the hull, at least one bottom cavity on the hull bottom, a wetted bow nosepiece on the hull, a wetted bottom nosepiece on the hull bottom, and a wetted bottom tail region on the hull bottom, wherein the at least one side cavity opens at the wetted bow nosepiece for displacing water from a side portion of the hull adjacent the cavity, wherein at least one bottom cavity opens at the bottom nosepiece and at least a part of the at least one bottom cavity closes at the wetted bottom tail region for reducing drag on the hull, wherein the bottom nosepiece is swept-back along the bottom sides, resembling a vee in bottom view, to form the at least one bottom cavity and to separate a significant part of the one or more bottom cavities from adjacent side cavities, and wherein the bottom tail region may be swept forward near each side of the hull bottom to separate a significant part of the one or more bottom cavities from adjacent side cavities, and further comprising wetted regions or fences positioned between side and bottom cavities as needed to assist the bottom nosepiece and the bottom tail region in separating bottom cavities from side cavities.