Boat structure

Claim 2

A boat construction comprising, in combination, a hull and a liner therefore each of which has upstanding side wall portions, said liner being smaller than, and having at least a major portion of its side walls fitting within said side walls of said hull, said hull and said liner being formed primarily of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, bracing means carried by said side walls of said hull and spanning said hull and supporting at least portions of said liner intermediate said side walls of said liner while permitting said liner to move relative to said hull in response to differences in expansion and contraction resulting from temperature differentials, and connecting means securing portions of said side walls of said liner and said hull, said connecting means also permitting said hull and said liner to move relative to each other in response to differences in expansion and contraction resulting from temperature differentials.

Claim 3

The boat of claim 1 wherein said hull is formed primarily of aluminum and said liner is formed of plastic.

Claim 4

The boat of claim 2 wherein said plastic is an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin.

Claim 5

The boat of claim 2 wherein said hull and said liner each have peripheral edge portions, said peripheral edge portions of said liner fitting closely within said peripheral edge portions of said hull, said connecting means comprising spaced pairs of aligned apertures in said hull and said liner adjacent to said peripheral edge portions, and securing elements having shank portions passing through each pair of aligned apertures and head portions on opposite ends of said shank portions, the apertures in one of said hull and said liner being larger than the shank portions of said securing elements to permit said hull and said liner to move relative to each other.

Claim 6

The boat of claim 4 wherein said securing elements are rivets.

Claim 7

The boat of claim 4 wherein the apertures in said liner are approximately 1 1/2 times as large as the diameter of said shank portions of said securing elements.

Claim 8

The boat of claim 4 further including a gunwale means covering said peripheral edge portions of said hull and said liner.

Claim 9

The boat of claim 2 wherein said hull and said liner define a flotation compartment therebetween, and flotation means contained within said flotation compartment, said flotation means being secured to no more than one of said hull and said liner.

Claim 10

The boat of claim 8 wherein said flotation means comprises discrete elements of flotation material with spaces therebetween.

Claim 11

The boat of claim 9 further including drainage apertures defined in said liner to permit water in said liner to flow into said flotation compartment. 11. The boat of claim 2 wherein said bracing means extending laterally between opposed sides of said hull.

Claim 12

A boat construction comprising in combination a hull formed primarily of aluminum and a liner therefor formed primarily of plastic, said liner being smaller than, and having at least a major portion thereof fitting within said hull, said hull and liner being formed primarily of materials, having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion, and means securing said liner to said hull while permitting said hull and said liner to move relative to each other in response to differences in expansion and contraction resulting from temperature differentials, bracing means extending laterally between opposed sides of said hull, said liner including portions supported by said bracing means, said bracing means comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending aluminum bars secured at their opposite ends to the sides of said hull below the peripheral edge portions of said hull, said portions of said liner supported by said bracing means including portions defining seats for said boat.

Claim 13

A boat construction comprising in combination a hull formed primarily of aluminum and a liner therefor formed primarily of plastic, said liner being smaller than, and having at least a major portion thereof fitting within said hull, said hull and liner being formed primarily of materials, having substantially different coefficients of thermal expansion, and means securing said liner to said hull while permitting said hull and said liner to move relative to each other in response to differences in expansion and contraction resulting from temperature differentials, bracing means extending laterally between opposed sides of said hull, said liner including portions supported by said bracing means, said bracing means comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transversely extending aluminum bars secured at their opposite ends to the sides of said hull below the peripheral edge portions of said hull, said portions of said liner supported by said bracing means including portions defining seats for said boat.