Vessel Hull

Abstract

A vessel hull having a pair of vents formed in the chine on each side for allowing air to be introduced to the bottom and a pair of downwardly extending fins formed longitudinally along the chine adjacent to each vent. Each vent can be formed by a recess in the chine dividing the chine into a forward portion and an aft portion. Each fin is preferably formed longitudinally along the aft portion of the chine and extends below the waterline. The fins counterbalance the removal of a portion of the chine to vent the bottom and increase stability during turns. The hull preferably also includes a pair of chine extensions projecting aft of the transom on each side for reducing or eliminating side-to-side oscillation of the stern when the hull is propelled through the water at slow speeds.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 603,434, filed Nov. 20, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 980,475, filed Nov. 3, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,451, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 837,340, filed Apr. 30, 2004, which claims the benefit of provisional patent applications U.S. application Ser. No. 60 / 468,572, filed May 6, 2003 and U.S. application Ser. No. 60 / 467,413, filed May 2, 2003, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to the field of vessel hulls. More particularly the invention relates to a hull that includes modifications to chine design resulting in features that improve vessel handling. BACKGROUND [0003] The chine is the portion of the hull of a flat or V-bottomed boat that forms the intersection between the side and bottom of the hull. The chine may be “hard” (a well d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution enhances stability during turns and reduces stern wander, improving handling and safety by maintaining control and minimizing the risk of propeller contact with objects or people.

Problems solved by technology

A disadvantage of conventional vented chines is that they can reduce stability during turns, particularly at high speeds.

The introduction of air under the hull and resulting decrease in wetted surface area reduces stability.

Furthermore, the removal of a portion of the chine to form the vent can further reduce stability during turns by eliminating part of the turning rail.

Consequently, high speed turns frequently induce sideways skidding in boats with vented chines.

Another handling problem commonly encountered when operating power boats is the tendency of the stern to wag from side-to-side at slow speeds.

At idle speeds, conventional transoms cause turbulence at the stern as water rushes from the sides into the channel left behind the boat as it travels through the water.

This turbulence pulls the stern of the boat resulting in a haphazard oscillation.

Stern wander can create a safety risk because the stern is oscillating out of control (for example, by bringing the prop in contact with people or objects in the water around the stern), or because the driver is distracted as a result of efforts to control the oscillation.

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