Claims
- 1. An electric motor driven watercraft comprising an upper platform with walls connected beneath to one or two submerged support members and one or two floating skis wherein the walls have egress openings on their starboard and port sides for easy boarding without stepping over a wall, the one or two support members provide buoyancy yet are completely submerged and positioned lateral to the floating skis and each contains an electric motor, and wherein the skis contain floatation that provides buoyancy to maintain watercraft stability during rest.
- 2. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, wherein the platform and skis are merged to form one central floating structure as shown in FIG. 2 or 3.
- 3. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, comprising a single support member and two floating skis wherein the platform is held above the water by at least 2 struts on each of the skis and the height of the platform above the water is controlled by adjusting one or more struts.
- 4. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 3, further comprising a monitor of swell activity that adjusts at least one strut to compensate for swells by tilting of the watercraft in response.
- 5. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, comprising a single support member located centrally beneath a platform wherein the support member is retractable for easy trailoring.
- 6. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, further comprising at least one shock absorber that absorbs wave energy colliding with the floating skis.
- 7. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 6, wherein each strut contains a shock absorber.
- 8. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, wherein the walls of the platform comprise a forward wall portion and a rear wall portion with egress openings between the forward and rear wall portions, wherein the width of the rear portion is less than the width of the forward portion to minimize spray entering the rear portion.
- 9. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, comprising side entry decks between each floating skis and the platform.
- 10. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 1, wherein each floating skis has an electric motor and propeller or impeller at its aft end and provides steering control by energizing the motor.
- 11. An electric motor driven watercraft comprising an upper platform held above the water surface by a distance D and connected beneath to one submerged support member having an electric motor and to two floating skis, wherein the support member is located below, parallel and between the skis, and wherein the skis protrude forward of the platform by distance D and protrude rearward of the platform by distance D.
- 12. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 11, further comprising at least one shock absorber that absorbs wave energy colliding with the floating skis.
- 13. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 12, wherein the support member contains at least 25% of the empty mass of the watercraft.
- 14. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 11, comprising at least two struts, wherein the length of each strut is controlled to alter distance D.
- 15. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 14, comprising at least four struts and a swell monitor, wherein the swell monitor outputs a signal that controls the length of the struts to minimize the effect of swells on the watercraft attitude.
- 16. An electric motor driven watercraft comprising an upper floating platform connected beneath to two elongated support members, one on each side of and below the platform, wherein each support member comprises an electric motor and propeller and provides buoyancy or lifting force to lift the platform during forward motion, and wherein the platform floats on the water surface during rest but is propelled forward by action of the electric motors.
- 17. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 16, wherein the support members comprise control elevators that provide lift to the platform during forward motion.
- 18. An electric motor driven watercraft as described in claim 16, wherein the bottom surface of the floating platform comprises a center ridge upon which the watercraft hydroplanes during forward motion.
- 19. A wave dampening watercraft comprising a platform, a submerged support member attached underneath thereto having at least 25 percent of the empty watercraft mass, and two skis attached beneath the platform wherein the linkage between the platform and the skis comprises a shock absorber that absorbs wave energy colliding with the skis.
- 20. A wave dampening watercraft as described in claim 19, wherein the tension of the shock absorber is adjustable electrically.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation in part application of Ser. No. 09/561,972, now U.S. No. *, and enjoys priority from U.S. Ser. Nos. 60/076,002, 09/252,038 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,569) and U.S. Pat. No. 60/254,786, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09561972 |
May 2000 |
US |
Child |
09877196 |
Jun 2001 |
US |