US2377963A - Collapsible boat - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1945. E, RABJOHN COLLAPS-IBLE BOAT Filed July 26,, 1944 Imnentor LLOYD E. RABJOHN.

Patented June 12, 19 45 s PATENT, OFFICE UNITED STATE astute '7 Claims.

My present invention relates to collapsible boats and has for a general object the provision of a boat which, when collapsed and folded, can be readily transported by a single person and yet is capable of carrying several people.

Another object of the invention is to provide'a boat, depending mainly upon inflated elastic tubes for buoyancy, which is not easily capsized; a further object being to provide, in such a boat,

bers and the tops of the end walls with the bottoms of these members.

Secured to the top portion of each of the side walls 20 and 2|, and extending the run length thereof, are metallic channels 26 and2'l which, as best seen in Fig. 3, fit snugly over the adjacent portions of the respective side members I3-M and l5l6. To reinforce the junctions of the side members there is provided a pair of sliding means supported by the inflated tubes and formcatches 28 and 29, one of which is shown in dei-ng a freeboard "which protects the interior of tail in s- 4- the boat from waves and from entrance of water Convenielrlltly, the side wal1s242025andh2l are when the boat is rocked. I hinged to t e two-par bottom- ,w ich two Another object is to employ elastic tubes, of the p s e e se hinged toge e t d Walls automobile inner-tube type for buoying th boat 22 and 23 being attached to the side Walls and to and for supporting the passenger compartment e et g g hiyhupper and larger catgllies identified in an effective manner. in Fig. y e numerals and Hinged o Otherobjects and advantages of the invention e 19 0 t e respective end a s re Seats 34 will be found in the description, the drawing, and d a Welded o the c s 26 and 1 th hu a d, for full understanding of t are oarlocks 32 and 33. Attached to the side invention, reference is to be'had to the following members and 6 is a fl e aterdetailed description andacoompanying'drawing; Proof o ering 36, of treated canvas or othe wh r i suitable material, which forms the entire outer Figure l is a plan of a boat embodying the bottom Portion of t e boat. invention; In its disassembledcondition the boat consists Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken along ifii gg g figg fi gz g ggg g s the'line 2-2 of Fig. 1; f" W1 J e 5 Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken benjlg fqlded together at ends 1 agam at along thenne of Fig. 2; and their middles (catches 28 and 29 being opened) Figure 4 is a detail View showing the manner so that this unit is one-half the length of the in which thettwmpart Side members and boat; (2) the side Walls 20 and 2| and the bottom are joined l 7 243-25, :1; :oldel together;2 :3 mad 4):;15d waloll In the drawing, the numerals n and I2 indi- Sea W an Sea i an cate a pair of annular rubber tube which cong 6) defiatedflgubis i 11 1k veniently maybe inner-tubes, of automobile tires, t 6 0a or 8 1 8 having a cross-sectional diameter of approxi- $.ruc me Is first assemble? unfoldmg the side walls and bottom, and shdmg the end walls mately nme inches when inflated Resting on and seats into position' this structure is then these tubes is a pair of longitudinal members inserted between the spread-apart side memeach 9 P two equal sePtmns and 40 bars (after their middle junctions have been wmch {Orin the upper slde portfons of i made relatively rigid by closing catches 28 and boat and 9 together at 171.1811 Opposlte 29), channels 26 and 21 being hooked over the ends by hmges and P slde members top edges of the side members; and, finally, the 1 and are of fiexlble matellal, such tubes II and I2 are inserted in position and as thin wood, so that they can be spread apart, i fl t d in assembly, to receive between them at the mid- Employing a pair of ordinary automobile innerdle of the boatv a well-like structure generally tubes for buoyancy the boat can conveniently mdweted y the numeral 1 r comprlsmg a support as many as four people due to the dispai of i walls 0 and 2 a pair of e d walls 22 tribution of their weight upon the tubes through and and a bottom (in two sections) 24-45. the side members and the seats. An important The side walls 20 and 2! extend above the end feature of the invention is the protection against wfaltllsi 22iaind 23 log an finol'izit ecgiailsto Itle bite I151? enitrarce ofdwater :ffordgd bay the Ilsiptiardly- 0 es ememers an so a, exenmgsiememers and'--. when the structure is in position, the tops of the The embodiment of the inven'tion herein shown side walls coincide with the tops of the side memand described is obviously susceptible of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I intend therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a collapsible boat: a pair of members forming upper portions of the sides of the boat, an inflated tube for supporting said members, a well-like structure carried by and between said ,members intermediate their ends and extending below the members, and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tube and said structure to form the lower part of the boat.

2. In a collapsible boat: a pair of longitudinal members joined together at their respective opposite ends and spread outwardly from each other intermediate their ends to form the upper part of the sides of the boat, an inflated tube for supporting said members, a well-like structure carried by and between said members intermediate their ends and extending below the members, and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tubev and saidstructure to form the lower part of the boat.

3. In a collapsible boat: a pair of members forming upper portions of the sides of the boat, a pair of inflated tubes upon which the opposite end portions of said members rest, a well-like structure carried by said members and disposed between the members and between said tubes, said structure extending below said members, and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tubes and said structure to form the lower part of the boat.

4. Ina collapsible boat: a pair of longitudinal members joinedtogether at their respective opposite ends and spread outwardly from each other intermediate their ends to form the upper part of the sides of the boat, a pair of inflated tubes upon which the opposite end portions of said members rest, a well-like structure carried by said members and disposed between the members and between said tubes, said structure extending below said members, and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tubes and said structureto form the lowerv part of the boat.

5 In a collapsible boat: a pair of longitudinal members joined together at their respective opposite ends and spread outwardly from each other intermediate their ends to form the upper'part of the sides of the boat; a pair of inflated elastic tubes upon which the opposite end portions of said members rest; a well-like structure disposed between said members and between said tubes, said structure comprising side walls, end walls and a bottom, and being removably attached by its side walls to said members; a seat extending from each of said end walls so that it rests upon a portion of the corresponding one of said tubes; and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tubes and said structure to form the lower part of the boat. I

6. In a collapsible boatz'a pair of longitudinal members of substantial height joined together at their respective opposite ends and spread apart from each other intermediate their ends to form the upper part of the sides of the boat; a pair of annular inflated elastic tubes, horizontally disposed, upon which the opposite end portions of said members rest; a well-like structure disposed between said members and between said tubes, said structure comprising side walls, end walls and a bottom, and being removably attached by its side walls to saidmembers so that the tops of said end ,walls are in the general plane of the bottoms of the members; a seat extending from the top of' each of said end walls and resting upon a portion of the corresponding one of said tubes; and waterproof fabric attached to said members and extending beneath said tubes and said structure to form the lower part of the boat.

7. In a collapsible boat: a pair of longitudinal members of substantial height joined together at their respective opposite ends and spread apart from each other intermediate their ends to form the upper part of the sides of the'boat; a pair of annular inflated elastic tubes, horizontally disposed, upon which the opposite end portions of said members rest; a generally-rectangular well-like structure disposed between said members and betweensaid tubes, said structure comprising a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls, and a bottom; said side walls extending above the tops of said end walls to a height substantially equal to that of said members and being removably attached to the members so that the tops of the end walls are in the general plane of the bottoms of the members j a seat extending from the top of each of said end walls and resting upon a portion of the corresponding- ,one of said tubes; and waterproof fabric attached to said members and'extending beneath said tubes and said structure to form the lower partof the boat. LLOYD ,E. RABJO-HN.

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