Foldable Watercraft With Convex Bottom Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable boats, such as inflatable boats and those made from extruded corrugated plastic plates, face challenges in terms of time-consuming assembly, sensitivity to wear and tear, and lack of stability, particularly for open-top watercraft like canoes and fishing boats.
Innovation Solution
A foldable watertight system comprising a panel with specific subsets of folds that create a convex bottom profile, using overlapping layers for increased sturdiness, and incorporating tensioning straps and slidable edges to enhance stability and compact transportability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a boat is made compact for transport, then it can be transported easily in a car or carried during hiking tours, but it requires additional tools and time for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The boat is divided into multiple rigid plates that can be folded together to form the boat structure. These segmented plates allow the boat to be compacted for transport while maintaining structural integrity during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plates are pre-formed with corrugated structures and connection features during manufacturing, so that during assembly, users only need to connect pre-prepared components rather than forming the structure from raw materials, significantly reducing assembly time.
2Ease of operation
If inflatable boats are used to achieve compact transport, then they can be folded small, but they are sensitive to wear and tear and rupture from sharp objects
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible watertight skin is used to cover the rigid plate structure, providing both the compactability needed for transport and the durability required to resist wear and tear. The skin acts as a protective layer that can withstand sharp objects while allowing the underlying rigid structure to maintain shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The boat combines rigid corrugated plastic plates with a flexible watertight skin to create a composite structure that leverages the strength and rigidity of the plates while using the skin's flexibility and durability to resist wear and environmental damage.
3Ease of manufacture
If the bottom of the watercraft has a concave longitudinal profile, then it may be easier to construct, but the watercraft has worse maneuverability and reaches lower speed
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom of the watercraft is given a convex longitudinal curvature rather than a concave profile. This convex shape improves hydrodynamic performance by reducing drag and improving water flow characteristics, thereby enhancing maneuverability and speed while still being achievable through the folded plate design.
4Speed
If open-top watercraft are designed for better speed and maneuverability, then they achieve higher performance, but they have greater stability challenges compared to closed watercraft
Solution Approach 1:
The watertight skin is pre-tensioned over the rigid plate structure to create a taut, stable surface that resists deformation. This preliminary tensioning of the skin provides structural stability to the open-top design, allowing it to achieve high performance without sacrificing stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of rigid corrugated plates providing structural framework with a tensioned flexible skin providing surface stability creates a composite structure that maintains both speed/maneuverability performance and stability for open-top watercraft.
Data Source
AI summary
A watertight foldable system comprises a watertight panel in which folds have been made such that the panel may be folded from a flat state into an open-top watercraft such as for example a canoe. The panel comprises a set of folds such that the watercraft, after it has been folded into watercraft, has a bottom having a flat profile in longitudinal direction or having a convex profile relative to the watercraft.