A modular marine vessel has a variable hull and a plurality of boat forming modules including a bow section module, a load section module having a bow end and an aft end, and a bulkhead forming module is detachably connected to each bow and aft end of the load section module. The bulkhead forming module that is connected at the bow end of the load section module is detachably connected to the bow section module. Each boat forming and bulkhead forming module includes a topside section and a hull bottom side section. The topside section of each boat forming module has a shell gunnel portion, and the hull bottom side section of each boat forming module has a pivotally mounted bottom shell hull portion. The gunnel and hull portions of the load and bow section modules are detachably connected end-to-end, and sealingly juxtaposed the detachably connected bulkhead forming module to prevent water from entering the boat when the boat engages water. The bottom shell hull portion is pivotally mounted across a keel tunnel using a pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, or electro-mechanical actuator to form a preselected hull shape as desired. Novel mechanisms for sealing module connections, for module attachment, for pivoting hull panels, for hull pivot drives, and energy conversion systems for the marine vessel of the invention are disclosed.
A rigid hull inflatable style boat constructed of rigid-shell modules. Modular gunwale sections are mounted to the trailing ends of a modular bow section to form the a flotation collar. Boats having greater/shorter lengths can be constructed by increasing or decreasing the number of gunwale modules. The bow and gunwale modules may be formed of molded polyethylene filled with hydrophobic foam material. The floor/hull module can be mounted at varying heights within the flotation collar to alter the performance characteristics of the craft. The hull module may have a V-shaped hydrodynamic contour, so that when the hull module is mounted relatively high within the collar the boat has a sponson-type hull form, and when the hull module is mounted relatively low within the flotation collar the boat has a V-type hull configuration. The flotation modules have a generally D-shaped configuration, with flat, vertically extending inboard walls that mate with a vertically-extending flange on the floor/hull module so that the latter can be adjusted to a higher or lower position within the collar during assembly.
A modular watercraft capable of both surface and submersible accommodation and transport of passengers. In one embodiment of the submersible watercraft of this invention, the hull comprises air bladders, thereby avoiding the engineering complexity, weight and cost of constructing a pressure hull.
An apparatus for varying the dimensions of a hull of a vessel comprising an arcuate truss assembly having a plurality of members pivotally joined. The arcuate truss assembly is operatively arranged to form a portion of the hull. The assembly is operatively arranged to extend and retract to vary the dimensions of the hull when the plurality of members are pivoted with respect to one another. The members of the arcuate truss assembly pivot in a plane substantially coplanar with the portion of the vessel hull.
