In a narrow keeled boat with adjustable walls (10 & 11) and floatation devices 12 & 13) that expand outward to allow for more room in the cockpit and increased stability when needed.

Novel prefabricated structural components such as precast concrete boxes having forms including rectangular parallelepipeds and hexagonal cylinders are disclosed which can be assembled together and/or with structural shapes disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,697,736 and 5,697,473 to form waterfront structures such as seawalls, levees and breakwaters. Novel methods of waterborne transport and installation of the boxes and arrays thereof are disclosed, including modular vessels having bow and stern sec...

A whip-style boat mooring apparatus, removably attachable to a standard dock cleat. The apparatus may include a second cleat, such that the apparatus provides both whip-style and standard cleat mooring from a single dock point. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a clam-shell type housing, with a profile substantially resembling the dock cleat, such that the apparatus can be clamped to the dock cleat and prevent rotational movement. The housing may include two opposing pieces, attachable t...

A hitching device permits towing a cargo transport device behind a kayak. The cargo transport device comprises a watertight container and a connection member extending along a longitudinal axis between the container and the watercraft. The connection member includes a swivel such that the container and watercraft on opposite sides of the swivel are freely rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to one another. This free pivoting allows relative rotation between the container and watercraf...

A method for making a deep draft semi-submersible drilling/production vessel having a center of gravity below its center of buoyancy by constructing a plurality of buoyant individual columns. The method connects a pair of columns with at least a first top truss and a first bottom truss. The method additionally floats a connected first and second columns horizontally in water. The method floats the semi-submersible structure to a location for installation. The method concludes by deballasting the...

A light-weight soft wing-sail for a wind-propelled vehicle includes a free standing rotating mast to be mounted in a vertical position on the vehicle and, three fully battened sail panels that together define the skin of the wing sail. Spreaders extend transversely of the mast and impart to them a selected airfoil shape having a leading edge fore of the mast and a trailing edge aft of the mast. Two vertical tracks secured to both sides of the mast top and to the outer ends of each spreader. Slid...

An outboard motor has an internal combustion engine installed in an engine compartment defined by an engine cover. The engine's intake air inlet is formed by an air intake duct, which communicates with an air intake space outside the engine compartment. The engine cover includes an upper cover with a receiving ring fitted on the air intake duct. The receiving ring and the intake duct form an overlapping part in which the ring and the duct overlap each other in the direction of flow of combustion...

The present invention relates to a floating loading buoy (1) comprising a surface element (2), columns (3) connecting the surface element (2) to a submerged pontoon element (4), mooring devices (5) for securing the loading buoy (1) to the seabed (6), at least one attachment point (7) for transfer pipelines (8) from a production/processing/storage unit (9) to the loading buoy (1), mooring and transfer devices (10) for transferring fluid from the loading buoy (1) to a loading/unloading vessel (11)...

Boarding systems for retractable ladder boats comprising a stern platform and a retractable ladder; a water-tight casing-sheath for said ladder, equipped, inside, with sliding guides and incorporated in the stern platform, comprises a plurality of sliding slides, housed and limited inside the casing-sheath. The stern platform favors a receiving space, provided inside or outside, for receiving the casing-sheath and its optimal fixing. The sliding slides have a free stroke on the entire length of ...

An embodiment of a launch/recovery device for both surface and underwater vehicles includes a plurality of driven wet-traction members arranged to form a low drag (e.g., water flow-through) ramp design. The wet-traction members provide traction even when wet between the water vehicle and the launch/recovery device. As a result of utilizing driven wet-traction members, the use of conventional hoists, special capture devices such as hooks and tow lines, and personnel located within the water to at...