Abstract: The present invention discloses a marine vessel with a monohedral v-shaped hull bow portion blending into catamaran hull sponsons, a center tunnel and individual terminal tunnels on each of the sponsons. This new hull design is capable of high speeds to travel to a desired location, while still providing platform stability and shallow draft of the catamaran shaped aft portion. A removable hull transom diffuser gate and a removable side hull deflector plate may be retracted and/or lowered to reduce the signature of the vessel underway. A retractable cockpit may be included to permit stacking of the marine vessels in order to allow multiple vessels to simultaneously be shipped in a C-130 or C-17 cargo plane to a distant location. This retractable cockpit may include a multi-positional pilot house which can be elevated for rough sea conditions with hinged windshield and side plates for protection from waves for the operators.

Abstract: A stern drive system includes a jet nozzle that is pivoted with respect to a mounting bracket and is steered by two hydraulic cylinders. An anti-rotation brace includes a rod pivotably mounted to the bracket and a sleeve pivotably mounted to the jet nozzle. The rod, the sleeve and the pivot mounts are constructed such that the antirotation brace prevents the jet nozzle from rotating about the longitudinal axis of the stern drive system, thereby allowing a modular, compact stern drive which provides advantages in terms of reduced manufacturing cost, reduced maintenance cost, and increased ease of installation.

Abstract: A high speed planing watercraft includes a pitch stabilization system having variable pitch canard airfoils controlled by a control system incorporating a gyroscope for accommodating constantly changing hydrodynamic forces on the hull.

Abstract: A shock resistant fuel tank comprises a plurality of cylindrical cells supported within a frame over which an impervious enclosing shell is stretched.

Abstract: A boat hull is constructed of a plurality of unitary plates connected together along their edges and connected to an internal frame at the edges, such that the side deck and bottom plates of the hull are connected solely at their respective edges to the internal frame, with the plates being spaced outward from the frame intermediate the connections, and with an elastomer disposed in the space between the frame members and the hull plates.