Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02632354 2008-05-27
INTERLOCKING PLATFORM BOATS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of recreational boating and in particular
to a
boat which may be inter-locked with other such boats so as to form a floating
adjacent array of
interlocked boats which form a relatively continuous platform which may be
linked one to
another and un-linked from one another and which are highly manoeuvrable in a
360 degree
range of motion.
Background of the Invention
Recreational boating has been historically, and remains, a vast industry
catering
to recreational boaters and sportsmen who desire to use their leisure time on
the water, whether
it be on land-locked bodies of water such as Iakes, or on the ocean or, in
tidal waters including
river deltas and estuaries and the like.
Present invention is directed to those recreational boaters and recreational
fishermen who do not desire necessarily high speed boating as is
conventionally accomplished
using rear driven planning boats, but neither do they necessarily desire the
intimate solitude of
a fishennan in his belly boat slowly paddling about a secluded lake. Rather,
the present
invention is designed to service a niche falling in between, and in particular
where a single
watercraft according to the present invention may be used for relatively
gentle translation over
a body of water, desirably during calm conditions, and where the end use of
the boat may be
for fishing, or merely to safely join-up as better described below with other
such boats for
picnicking or other socializing on the boat or platform formed by multiple
boats. Social
networking and like recreational activity is often now found amongst boaters
who tie-up to
each other in entirely dissimilar boats while floating as a flotilla offshore
so that the people
aboard may socialize between various boats in the flotilla including moving
between the
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
various boats. It is an object of the present invention to provide for a
number of similar or
identical open-hulled boats, where each of the boats advantageously is shaped
as the same
regular polygon in planfonn, the example being provided with a hexagon
planform shape so
that numerous such watercraft may interlock to one another to form a safe
social networking
platform flotilla. Because of their regular polygon shape, additional
watercraft may join in
easily to add to the mat of watercraft forming the flotilla. The standardizing
of the size and
shape of the hull, and the use of regular polygons in planfonn shape for the
hulls, provides for
ease of interlocking because adjacent gunwales between adjacent watercraft
will be
substantially at the same elevation, with the exception of relative movement
between the two
watercraft due to wave action. Thus, adjacent watercraft may be relatively
easily swapped for
one another in the array of watercraft, and interlocked in generally cahn
water so as to allow
relative movement between them while maintaining safety in the interlocking
between
adjacent watereraft in the array of such interlocked watercraft by the use of
inter-filling
flexible strips between adjacent boats. Advantageously the strips are sized
and shaped to
continuously and contiguously fill-in the gaps between boats to increase the
safety for
passengers transferring between boats.
In the prior art the applicant is aware of the following United States Patents
which are directed to watercraft having hulls with a round planform shape, in
the centre of
which are mounted a propulsive motor: United States Patent No. 2,826,163 which
issued
March 11, 1958 to King entitled Circular Boat, United States Patent No.
3,279,417 which
issued October 18, 1966 to Moor et al for a water vehicle, United States
Patent No. 3,335,436
which issued August 15, 1967 to Shaip for Water-bourn Vessels, and United
States Patent No.
3,548,428 which issued on December 22, 1970 to Eades for a Circular Pleasure
Boat.
With respect to the latter, Eades discloses a substantially cup or dish-shaped
hull provided with a seat extending around the inner periphery of its wall.
Upstanding walls
centrally connected to the bottom of the hull define a vertical motor
accommodating opening
extending through the bottom of the hull. Rams raise and lower the motor. The
motor is
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
intended to be a small outboard type motor for moving the boat and
manipulating the boat so
that the boat will spin or rotate about its vertical axis. The boat is
intended for use in relatively
shallow waters adjacent to shore. Airtight compartments, forming the seats and
reinforcing
ribs, add to the buoyancy of the boat. A pair of parallel spaced apart
reinforcing ridges 18 are
mounted so as to depend froin the surface of the substantially flat-like
bottom of the boat.
Summary of the Invention
The hexagonal platform boats according to one embodiment of the present
invention are intended to be used for motorized boating and for forming-up
with adjacent
similar boats to form a continuous and contiguous mat or platform of boats for
socializing,
fishing etc. The adjacent boats interlock and form an array of such boats all
interlocked with
one another. The typical diameter of each platform boat may be 8 to 9 feet
across and each
boat may have seats around its inner perimeter. The boats may be shaped in
planfotxn as
hexagons or other polygons but are preferably regular polygons which interlock
without
leaving gaps between adjacent boats to form the continuous and contiguous
array of boats.
Each boat has a center well in which is mounted a motor, for example an
electric motor powered by batteries stored under the seats The motor may be
rotated 360
degrees for driving the boat in a corresponding direction about a 360 degree
range of motion.
A pair of rudders is mounted on opposite sides of the center well to provide
for directional
stability, both in the manner of a keel, and for steering. When used as a
keel, the rudders are
elevated up into a channel so as to lock them in-line. The rudders may also be
lifted entirely up
into the channel to store the rudders when not in use or to protect the
rudders when beaching
the boat. When fully lowered the iudders may be independently steered or may
be interlinked
by a chain drive so that they may be steered simultaneously. When interlocked
to form an
array or mat, in one embodiment the boats are separated from each other by for
example 2 to 3
inches using flexible planar members that mate substantially continuously
across the
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separation between the boats and entirely around the adjacent gunwales of the
boats to increase
safety by removing gaps.
Thus in one aspect the interlocking platform boats according to the present
invention may be characterised as watercraft which include a hull having a
gunwale
substantially continuously therearound defining a regular polygon, for example
a hexagon, in
shape around said gunwale. Thus the gunwale and hull have at least first,
second, and third
sides contiguous to one another. In preferred embodiments the regular polygons
are either
triangles, squares, or hexagons, so long as all boats have the same planform
shape, so that a
plurality of such boats may join together relatively seamlessly to create a
platforn or mat
without gaps between boats once the flexible strips are mounted in contiguous
strips between
all the gunwales of adjacent boats:
The hull has retractably mounted thereto an oppositely disposed pair of
elongate substantially horizontally extending first and second rudders. Each
rudder is
rotatably mounted to the hull by a corresponding substantially parallel spaced
apart pair of
substantiaily vertical steering shafts. The lowermost ends of the shafts lie
on a virtual keel line
along a lowermost portion of the hull. The rudders are rigidly mounted to the
lowermost ends
of the shafts so as to lie along the keel line when the rudders are co-
linearly aligned. Rotation
of one or both of the shafts pivots one or both of the rudders
correspondingly. The upper ends
of the shafts extend upwardly along and are mounted to a rigid steering tower
rigidly mounted
substantially centrally in a footwell cavity defined in the hull, between the
perimeter seats and
the steering tower.
The steering tower has a central hollow core. The hollow core is hollow
between a lower-most opening in said hull, the opening located between said
iowermost ends
of said shafts and an upper opening in said tower adapted for rotatable
mounting into an
operative position of an outboard motor thereto. The outboard motor is
mountable into the
tower so as to operatively position a throttle and steering control of the
motor above said tower
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and so as to position a lowermost propulsion end of the motor below said tower
and hull when
the motor is lowered downwardly through the hollow core for use.
The steering shafts on which the rudders are mounted are vertically
displaceable relative to the tower between a stowed position wherein the
rudders are snugged
up against the hull so as to be positioned in a fixed orientation aligned
along the keel line, and
a lowered position clear of the hull for free-steering of the rudders relative
to the hull. The
shafts may for example be telescopically mounted in the tower. In one
preferred embodiment a
channel is formed in the hull along the keel line. The rudders in their stowed
position mate at
least partially into the channel for fixing the fixed orientation of the
rudders along the keel
line. Rudder steering handles are provided on the upper ends of the shafts for
steering of the
rudders.
In use, the hollow core is a waterwell when said hull is floating in a body of
water whereby the water in said core rises to a level in said core
substantially equal to a
waterline of said hull. In one embodiment the motor is mountable in the upper
end of said
tower by a collar assembly mounted to said tower for rotatably supporting the
motor in said
core. The motor depends downwardly from said collar assembly to engage the
propulsion end
of the motor into the water below said hull when the motor is lowered for use
and to elevate
the propulsion end of the motor up into the well when the motor is raised to
its stowed
position. The collar assembly is releasably mountable onto the motor and
adapted so as to
provide for selectively raising and lowering the motor relative to said collar
assembly. The
tower and said collar assembly are adapted to allow 360 degree rotation of the
motor relative
to said tower for selectively translating said hull in any direction in the
range of motion over
the surface of the body of water.
For interlocking adjacent boats, gunwale mats which for are for example planar
flexible members, are provided which are mountable to the gunwales for
mounting adjacent
hulls alongside one another without gaps between boats. Advantageously, for
ease of
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
interlocking, each adjacent watercraft is substantially identical to another.
This aids the
gunwale mats in mounting each watercraft closely adjacent to another such
watercraft. Further
advantageously, the gunwale mats are planar members having opposite long
sides, where one
long side is mountable to a gunwale of a first watercraft and where the
opposite long side of
the planar member is mountable to the corresponding gunwale of an adjacent
second
watercraft. The planar members may also be resilient as well as flexible.
In one embodiment the watercraft include rails which are releasably mounted to
the gunwales. The rails maybe mounted to the gunwales by means of anchors
including
anchoring posts mounted in the gunwales. The gunwale mats are mountable to the
anchors by
anchor means including for example pins, bolts, clamps or other releasable
fasteners, once the
rails have been de-mounted fi=om the anchors or otherwise removed from the
gunwales.
At least one seat is mounted around a corresponding portion of an inner
circumference of the gunwales and side walls of the hull. The footwell is
formed between at
least one seat and the tower. In one embodiment the at least one seat is a
plurality of seats
extending substantially entirely around the inner circumference of the
gunwales and side walls
of the hull. At least one storage compartment is formed under a corresponding
seat.
Brief Description of the Drawings
With reference to the drawing wherein similar characters of reference denote
corresponding parts in each view:
Figure 1 a is in left-front, top perspective view, a single watercraft
according to
one embodiment of the present invention showing the outboard motor lowered for
use and the
pair of rudder steering shafts elevated.
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Figure lb is, in right-front, top perspective view, the watercraft of figure 1
a
showing one rudder steering shaft and its corresponding rudder fully lowered,
and the opposite
steering rudder shaft partially lowered.
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the watercraft of figure 1b.
Figure 3a is, in right-front, bottom perspective view, the watereraft of
figure
lb illustrating, as described with respect to figure l b, one rudder fully
lowered, and the
opposite rudder only partially lowered.
Figure 3b is the view of figure 3a with both rudders fully retracted and with
the motor raised.
Figure 3c is the view of figure 3a with both rudders fully retracted.
Figure 4 is, in side elevation view, the watercraft of figure 3b showing the
structures internai to the hull in dotted outline.
Figure 5a is, in top perspective view, three watercraft according to the
present
invention interlocked to one another to form a mat.
Figure 5b is, in plan view, the three watercraft of figure 5a.
Figure 5c is, in bottom perspective view, the three watercraft of figure 5a.
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of figure 5a.
Figure 7 is a section view along line 7 - 7 in figure 5b.
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Figure 7a is an enlarged view, partially cut away, from figure 7.
Figure 8a illustrates diagrainmatically a mat of three watercraft according to
a
further embodiment to the present invention wherein each watercraft is formed
as a regular
triangle in plan view.
Figure 8b is a further alternative embodiment illustrating diagrammatically a
mat of three watercraft having their hulls shaped as square polygons when seen
in plan view.
Figure 9 is a simplified cross section through the watercraft of Figure 1a.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
Platform boats 10 are intended in the present invention to be used for
motorized
boating and for forming-up with adjacent similar platform boats for
socializing as between the
boats or for cooperative fishing ventures or the like. The platform boats 10
may, as illustrated,
be hexagonal in planform or may be other polygons, including advantageously
regular
polygons, preferably hexagons, squares or triangles so that they may be
fornled up without
gaps between adjacent boats. The platform boats 10 may be mated to one another
so as to
releasably interlock to thereby form a mat all interlocked with their next
closest neighbouring
boat.
As described in more detail below, the typical diameter of a platform boat 10
according to the present invention may be approximately 8 to 9 feet in
diameter, across its
longest diagonal dimension, and preferably each boat has seats around the
internal perimeter of
its gunwales 12. Each boat 10 has a centre waterwell 14. Centre waterwell 14
is contained
within a rigid steering tower 16.
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
Hull 18 includes a lower portion 18a which extends downwardly from chines
18b so as to merge with an approximately planar base portion 18c. Hull 18
further includes
sides 18d which extend upwardly from chines 18b to gunwales 12. Gunwale main
frames 12a
are mounted in and around gunwales 12.
Thus as seen in figure 1, hull 18 and gunwales 12 define a substantially
hexagonally shaped interior volume or cavity within the hull and bounded by
the gunwales 12
in which are mounted seats 20 on top of bulwarks 22 better seen in the
exploded view of figure
2. Seats 20 rest on bulwarks 22 and may include back rests 24 advantageously
mounted so as
to extend between seats 20 and gunwales 12. Rails 26 may be mounted on top
gunwales 12 by
means of mounting posts 26a or 40 seated in corresponding sockets formed in
spaced array
along the uppermost edge of the gunwales.
As best seen in figure 2, tower 16 may in the preferred embodiment be formed
by the intersection of six modular tower sides 16a which together form a
hexagonal tower 16.
Hull 18 is radially symmetric about a vertical axis of symmetry A passing
collinearly through
the longitudinal centroidal axis of tower 16, which itself is centrally
positioned within hull 18.
Motor mounts 28 are mounted within tower 16 to support a motor such as an
electric motor 30 in tower 16 and substantially along axis A. Motor mounts 28
may include in
one embodiment which is not intending to be limiting, a collar assembly 28a
which is
supported on the top of tower 16 by rigid brackets 28b. Collar assembly 28a
clamps onto the
drive shaft housing 30a of motor 30 so as to allow for the selective raising
and lowering of
motor 30 relative to tower 16 by for example the use of clamp 28e. Thus motor
30 may be
elevated or lowered along axis A so as to lower propellers 30b and propeller
drive motor unit
30c below hull base 18c. Motor 30 may be an electric motor, for example,
modified from a
Minn Kota TM model 79-8581-2, 36 inch shaft, 361b electric motor.
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In a preferred embodiment, a perforated floor 16b is slidably mounted in well
14 snugly between sides 16a. A lower motor support 16c is mounted to floor
16b. Lower
motor support 16c is mounted to the lower end of shaft 30a of motor 30 thus
floor 16b is raised
or lowered along with motor 30. Advantageously, floor 16b is mounted
approximately two-
thirds of the way down along the length of housing 30a so as to provide
sufficient support for
the lower end of motor 30. When raised, floor 16b defines a lower cavity in
the lowennost
end of tower 16, that end which is substantially filled with water, so that in
its stowed position,
motor 30 is retracted to protect propellers 30b and drive motor unit 30c up in
cavity 16d
underneath tower floor 16b. Where motor 30 is an electric motor, typically the
electrical
controls are mounted in the upper housing (from which the steering handle
protrudes), and
wires extend down the shaft 30a to the motor in the drive motor unit 30c so as
to drive
propellers 30b.
Independently actuable rudders 34 are rigid and elongate horizontally. They
are
rigidly mounted to, so as to extend horizontally cantilevered from, steering
shafts 34a.
Steering shafts 34a are rotatively mounted to the sides of tower 16 for
example by means of
being rotatably snugly journalled within elongate sleeves 34b mounted as a
parallel spaced
apart pair of such sleeves on opposite sides of tower 16. Collapsible steering
handles 34c may
be pivotally mounted to the upper most ends of steering shafts 34a and
pivotally mounted there
to so as to be foldable into a downwardly disposed position preferably
parallel to, so as to be
neatly tucked away along, steering shafts 34a and sleeves 34b. Steering shafts
34a may be slid
telescopically in directions B so as to either lower or retract rudders 34
vertically upward.
In a preferred embodiment, hull 18 and in particular hull base 18c includes an
oppositely disposed pair of co-linear channels 36 formed in base 18c along a
virtual keel line
C. Keel line C extends radially outwardly from axis A from opposite sides of
the lowermost
opening into lower cavity 16d of tower 16. Channels 36 are sized and shaped so
that rudders
34 may be mated into channels 36 once rudders 34 are aligned with keel line C
and elevated by
the raising of steering shafts 34a in direction B. Thus in one embodiment,
channels 36 are
CA 02632354 2008-05-27
deep enough so that rudders 34 may be at least partially lifted up into the
channels and in a
preferred embodiment the channels are deep enough so that the rudders may be
flush mounted
once lifted up into the channels so that a lowermost edge of the rudders is
substantially flush
with base 18c.
A locking or friction means as would be known to one skilled in the art is
preferably provided cooperating between sleeves 34b and steering shafts 34a
for example so as
to provide the selective locking of steering shafts 34a at a desired elevation
relative to tower
16. Thus rudders 34 may be selectively locked into place extending from
channels 36 to
thereby provide a keel depending downwardly below hull 18. When it is desired
to beach hull
18, rudders 34 may be retracted fully up into channels 36 to protect the
rudders as seen in
figure 3, wherein, also, motor 30 has been retracted to draw the propellers
and drive motor unit
up into the safety of cavity 16d. When it is desired to steer hull 18, one or
both of the rudders
are lowered by lowering steering shafts 34a in sleeves 34b to for example
their full lowered
extension as seen in figure 3b and pivoting handles 34c to the horizontal so
as to provide
steering control. Steering control may be independent steering, or interlinked
steering for
example by means of a continuous chain drive, (not shown). Steering control
provides for
turning hull 18 about axis A in any desired direction of rotation and for
accurate positioning of
hull 18 for precise docking along side other such platform boats 10 so as to
allow for
interlocking as better described below.
As seen in figure 5, a plurality of platform boats 10 may be releasably
interlocked to one another to form a fixed adjacent array of such boats which,
given a
sufficient number, will form a mat of such boats although figure 5 only
illustrates three
hexagonal platform boats 10 interlocked.
Thus on a relatively calm day, a flotilla of platform boats 10 may meet and
join
up with one another to provide for socializing and/or assistance amongst boats
in cooperative
fishing or other such uses as would be accommodated by the "gapless"
interlocking of the
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highly manoeuvrable boats 10. As stated above, the boats may be hexagonal in
planform or
for example may be other regular polygon planforms such as illustrated by way
of exainple in
figures 8a and 8b. Note how, in a two-dimensional array of such planforms,
gaps between
adjacent boats may be substantially eliminated, especially by the use of
gunwale mats as
described below.
In one embodiment, the interlocking mechanisin for interlocking between
adjacent boats 10 are gunwale mats such as flexible and resilient planar mat
members 38
which resiliently interlock between corresponding adjacent linear portions of
gunwale main
frame 12d. Planar mat members 38 may be tough resilient mats which anchor to
gunwale
main frames 12a by means of anchor posts 40 which are rigidly mounted, for
example by
means of welds 12b, into anchor sockets 42 in main frames 12a. Rails 26 may be
removably
mounted onto posts 40. Advantageously, mats 38 are long enough to extend the
entire length
of the correspondingly linear portions of gunwales 12 and main frames 12a, and
are shaped so
as to snugly and contiguously abut at their ends against adjoining mats 38
being
simultaneously used to interlock with another adjacent platform boat 10. Thus
gaps between
the gunwales of adjacent boats are avoided, thereby increasing the safety of
the formed-up
flotilla for passengers moving between boats, for children's fingers, etc.
Mats 38 may
advantageously be wide enough to provide for a consistent spacing between
adjacent gunwales
of adjacent platform boats 10 for example as to provide between a 2 inch and a
3 inch spacing
between adjacent gunwales. This provides for restricted motion between
adjacent platform
boats as the surface 32a of the body of water 32 undulates beneath the boats.
Thus in one
embodiment, each mat 38 may have dimensions of 4-5 feet long and 8-9 inches
wide and may
be of for example a rubber or rubber-like compound having a thickness of
approximately a'/2
inch, and angled at its ends for abutting mating to form a contiguous cover
over the gaps
between boats.
In one embodiment as better seen in figure 4, tower floor 16b is rigidly
mounted by means of for example clamp 44 onto shaft 30a of motor 30. Thus as
motor 30 is
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
raised or lowered along axis A by the sliding of shaft 30a in motor mounts
28a, and supported
on tower floor 16b by lower motor support 16c, the tower floor 16b will also
be raised and
lowered. Thus as may be seen in figure 3c, when the propellers 30b and motor
unit 30c are
lowered so that motor 30 may be used to translate hull 18 through the water,
tower floor 16b is
lowered to be substantially flush with hull base 18c. When motor 30 is
retracted upwardly so
as to protect the propellers and motor unit within cavity 16d, tower floor 16b
is also elevated
up into well 14.
As also understood upon a review of figures 4 and 9, bulwarks 22, seats 20 and
hull lower portion 1.8a define therebetween storage compartments 46 in which
may be stored
batteries for example in a rigidly spaced apart array around the perimeter of
footwell 48 so as
to balance the boat. The batteries may be cooperatively wired together by
means of for
example a circular wiring harness (not shown) by which motor 30 may be
powered.
As will be known to one skilled in the art, hull 18 may be constructed of a
sandwich of aluminium skin over foam, or may be constructed by mould processes
known in
the art for forming fibreglass hulls and the like. Advantageously, in one
embodiment of the
platform boat 10 of the present invention, a bimini top may be provided which
may be
mounted on a rigid framework extending over the passenger compartment defined
by the seats
and footwell. Covers or tops may be secured to tow-eyes 50 which are spaced-
apart around
the upper edge of the hull I S. Further, small fold-down or fold-up tables
(not shown) may be
mounted to the tower 16. Solar panels (not shown) may be mounted on the covers
or tops to
re-charge the batteries.
As better seen in Figures 6, 7 and 7a, each mat 38 is firmIy held on its
corresponding gunwale main frame 12a by u-shaped clamps 52. Clamps 52 clamp
the long
edges of mat 38 and are held in place securely down onto main frames 12a by
threaded lock-
down collars 54 which screw downwardly onto the upper threaded ends of
compression
sleeves 40a, where threads 40c are shown in Figure 7a. The sleeves 40a are
snugly fitted over
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CA 02632354 2008-05-27
the upper ends of posts 40. As collars 54 are screwed downwardly onto threads
40c, sleeves
40a are urged upwardly against the return downward biasing force of lower rim
flanges 40b
pulling up against resilient mat 38. Sleeves 40a translate slightly upwardly
to pinch pins 56
and thereby retain them through sleeves 40a and posts 40. Collars 54 compress
clamps 52 and
pinch mats 38 downwardly onto main frames 12a. Thus with anchor posts 40
securely
mounted into sockets 42, collars 54 may be screwed down along sleeves 40a onto
clamps 52.
Locking pins 56 are joumalled in corresponding cross-bores in the upper-most
ends of sleeves
40a and pins 40. Again, it is advantageous from a safety point of view that
the ends of mats 38
are angled to abut closely to prevent gaps in covering of the spaces between
adjacent boats.
In use as a flotilla, a plurality of boats 10 once joined up, may be motored
in
direction D as seen in figure 56 for example. Bow wave or wake 58 is shown
merely to
illustrate direction of movement over water and is not intended to imply that
only the
configuration of figure 5b will work. To the contrary, it may be desirable
that the flotilla move
in any direction, which may be obtained by all boats completely raising their
rudders and
setting their motors in a common direction. Advantageously hover, the flotilla
will track better
if directed along the parallel keel lines C of all the boats with their
rudders lowered to their
keel position, which in Figure 5b means translation either in direction D or
in the opposite
direction. One of the boats, for example either the lead boat, or the rear-
most boat may have
one or both rudders completely lowered for steering the flotilla while powered
by all of the
boat motors.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing
disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of
this invention
without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of
the invention is
to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following
claims.
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