Multi-modal Watercraft
A multi-modal watercraft including a hull including a missing portion. A floor completes at least part of the missing portion of the hull and forms the floor of a hold. The floor can be raised and lowered from the water level and also is detachable from the hull.
Recreational yachts usually do not carry any auxiliary vehicles and have difficult accessibility and small storage capacity. Also, only the biggest models include a hoist or a mobile platform to carry out an auxiliary or secondary boat as an inflatable boat, semi-rigid boat, jet ski, or personal watercraft. Ferries can carry vehicles and load/unload in a port, but do not work well in other anchorage situations. Also, there are some modular boats with different and independent modules for cargo management but they do not include a living area and are not handicap accessible. There are also amphibious vehicles for water and road but they usually do not do both of them efficiently. Also, luxury yachts or multi-hull watercraft can travel with a shadow yacht in order to carry any auxiliary vehicle, but there is not an affordable solution to allow enjoying the advantages of a watercraft as well carrying auxiliary vehicles to use them in any anchorage or an easy way to load/unload cargo in any anchorage situation.
There is not an affordable solution that allows enjoying the advantages of a recreational watercraft with living areas as well as an integrated solution for carrying auxiliary vehicles to use in any anchorage or an easy way to load/unload cargo and passengers in any anchorage situation.
For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the embodiments may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. It is to be fully recognized that the different teachings of the embodiments discussed below may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not function. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in interest of clarity and conciseness.
In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a central axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the central axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the central axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the central axis.
The current invention was designed after comparing the multimodal travel and cargo management solutions available for the road and the solutions available in the water. Design features include that the watercraft be similar to a traditional house: interior living area/patio/garage; that the watercraft be able to transport people as well cargo, vehicles, jet skis, and/or personal watercraft; and that the watercraft be able to use any of them in any anchorage situation allowing multimodal travel without needing external support. Also, the watercraft can have handicapped accessibility.
The watercraft 1 can sail alone, or with one or both of the auxiliary boats 4, 5, inside. As shown the figures, in this embodiment the auxiliary boats 4, 5 are assembled in the middle and the holds 2 are used for storage.
As shown in
As show in
Also there are several specific systems that allow the different capabilities of the watercraft 1: an UP/DOWN system, a SEALING system, a LOCKING system, a CARGO MANAGEMENT system, and a MOBILITY system.
The UP/DOWN system shown in
In other embodiments there is no need of bridge cranes and the male connectors 8 in the laterals of the hold are driven along the rails 7 using a motive means located at least partially in the rails. This alternative system includes advantages in the ability to automatically control the lowering and raising with suitable control equipment, such as an electronic control system. For example, the motive system may include an automated drive system at least partially located within the rails 7 and operable to move the rail connectors 8 within the rails 7.
Alternatively, one or more of the auxiliary boats 4, 5 could be raised and lowered by raising and lowering wing profiles 19 fitted below the auxiliary boats 4, 5 as shown in
Also, all or a portion of one or both of the auxiliary boats 4, 5 may be maneuvered or positioned at different levels to be used as a ramp 10 either facing the bow or the stern of the watercraft toward the port or the beach at different levels. In this particular embodiment, as shown in
The SEALING system, showed in
In other embodiment, the auxiliary boats 4, 5 fit in a determined position against the main watercraft 1. Through the regulation of the position of the auxiliary boats, the height of the hold can be regulated, taking in consideration the cargo as well the navigation conditions.
The LOCKING system, showed in
The CARGO MANAGEMENT system provides different load/unload possibilities as showed in
The MOBILITY system shown in
Due to the described configuration, the watercraft 1 has the following capabilities:
When sailing as a livable boat, the boat is watertight and usable for passing from the main watercraft to the auxiliary boats since they are integrated. Also each boat could sail independently if desired with the main watercraft locked.
When anchored, the auxiliary boats could be detached from the watercraft 1 and the watercraft thus can carry on other vehicles to allow multimodal leisure travel, with ways to load/unload cargo and passengers in different anchorage situations, including for example, beach, port, and the like as described above.
The watercraft 1 could have one or more propulsion types (e.g., sail, motor . . . ) and could have different kind of hulls (e.g., foils, swath . . . )
Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific details, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations on the scope of the invention, except to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. A multi-modal watercraft including:
- a hull including a missing portion;
- a floor completing at least part of the missing portion of the hull and forming the floor of a hold; and
- wherein the floor can be raised and lowered and also is detachable from the hull with the watercraft.
2. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the floor is an auxiliary boat detachable from the hull.
3. The watercraft of claim 2, further including more than one floor forming more than one auxiliary boat.
4. The watercraft of claim 3, wherein the missing portion extends in the middle of the watercraft from the front the back and the auxiliary boats are arranged in a row within the missing portion.
5. The watercraft of claim 3, further including shutters that isolate auxiliary boat portions of the hold.
6. The watercraft of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary boat allows for the unloading of cargo or passengers.
7. The watercraft of claim 2, further including:
- the hull including a side wall defining the missing portion;
- the auxiliary boat including inflatable laterals; and
- wherein inflation of the inflatable laterals is operable to form a seal against the side wall.
8. The watercraft of claim 7, further including:
- wherein the missing portion is defined by two side walls in the hull extending in the middle of the watercraft from the front the back;
- the auxiliary boats are arranged in a row within the missing portion; and
- wherein inflation of the inflatable laterals is operable to form seals against the side walls.
9. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hold is sealable by engaging the floor with the hull.
10. The watercraft of claim 1, further including:
- rails;
- rail connectors that can travel within the rails;
- floor connectors attached to the floor; and
- wherein the floor is raised or lowered from the water by connecting the guide and floor connectors and moving the guide connectors within the rails.
11. The watercraft of claim 10, further including a bridge crane that is operable to move the rail connectors within the rails.
12. The watercraft of claim 10, further including an automated drive system at least partially located within the rails and operable to move the rail connectors within the rails.
13. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the hold includes a bridge crane that is movable in the hold to move cargo.
14. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein a portion of the top of the hold can be opened or removed to allow loading/unloading cargo from the hold.
15. The watercraft of claim 14, wherein the portion of the top of the hold is removable to allow loading/unloading cargo with a crane.
16. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein the floor further includes a hydrofoil fitted below the floor.
17. The watercraft of claim 16 wherein the hydrofoil is separable from the floor and able to be positioned to operate as a hydrofoil for the watercraft.
18. The watercraft of claim 16 wherein the hydrofoil is detachable from the watercraft with the floor.
19. The watercraft of claim 1, wherein all or a portion of the floor can be lowered and hoisted to form a ramp.
20. The watercraft of claim 1, further including at least one elevator allowing access to the hold for people.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 17, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 22, 2013
Inventor: Castor Casas Tojo (Abilene, TX)
Application Number: 13/399,705
International Classification: B63B 25/18 (20060101); B63B 1/24 (20060101); B63B 1/00 (20060101);