FR2854865A1 - Inflatable boat has helmsman's control console made with column that fits into socket mounted on front of seat - Google Patents

Abstract

The boat, powered e.g. by an outboard motor fixed to a stern board, has inflatable tubular side walls (1) meeting to form a bow (2) and held apart by a rigid deck (3) which has at least one seat (4) for a helmsman mounted on it behind a control console (5). The console has a housing (12) with a projecting column (13) that fits into a socket (10) on the front of the seat and is held in place by a pin (14) inserted through holes (15, 16) in the socket and column.

Description

PNEUMATIC BOAT

  The present invention relates to improvements made to the inflatable boats having two inflatable buoyancy flanges extending at least laterally and kept apart by a rigid floor at least transversely, at least one pilot seat being fixed on said rigid floor and a landing console. steering being disposed in front of said seat.

  In certain applications and / or conditions of use of such boats, or even simply to simplify manufacture, it may be required a simple and fast assembly of the engine assembly, that is to say not only the (or) motor outboard itself (attached to a transom extending between the end portions of the two flotation rods), but also its control console disposed therein and generally towards the middle or the front of the 'boat and functionally connected to the engine by cables.

  In currently known arrangements, the steering consoles are generally included in a base fixed to the floor. Its assembly and disassembly are long and require the use of tools.

  The invention aims to satisfy some users, who want a simplified structure control console, compact and as light as possible, the assembly / disassembly is very quickly and very simply without tools.

  For these purposes, it is proposed a pneumatic boat as mentioned in the preamble which, being arranged according to the invention, is characterized in that: - the seat is provided with a support member located in front of its seat, said support member having at least one housing, the console comprises a housing which is provided with at least one protruding pin of a shape complementary to that of the housing and adapted to be fitted therein, said housing and said pin being arranged so that in mounting position the console is arranged in front of the seat within reach of the pilot.

  Thanks to this arrangement, the console is reduced to its bare necessities, that is to say a relatively small housing, able to support in particular the steering wheel and the control lever (s), and the usual underbody (often arranged in a storage box in the lower part) is eliminated. The assembly / disassembly is simplified to the extreme and made very fast thanks to the projecting spindle system.

  A stable and robust attachment can be obtained by providing that the support member is a bar 20 extending transversely to the seat and provided with two housings distant from each other and that the casing of the steering console is provided with two protruding pins adapted to be fitted respectively in the two aforesaid housing. In a simple manner then, each housing 25 may be a bore traversing substantially vertically the bar.

  To secure the mounting of the console on its support, it is advantageously provided that the pin or at least one pin has a through bore own 30 to receive a locking pin.

  In a very interesting version because, again, there is a simplification of structure and time saving for assembly / disassembly, the seat is a jockey seat resting on the rigid floor via a base and said cross bar is integral with the base; preferably then, the base of the seat comprises at least one inverted u-shaped tubular arch fixed transversely to the front of the seat and the bottom of the U constitutes the aforesaid transverse bar.

  In specific pneumatic craft intended for particular uses, the arrangements according to the invention which have just been exposed are operated in conjunction with at least one multiple jockey seat, in particular triple, that is to say fit to receive several people, including three, riding one behind the other. If the boat thus arranged must carry a large number of people, then two multiple jockey seats in series (for example two triple jockey seats in series), or possibly side by side if the dimensions of the boat are included, are provided. lend.

  Although the arrangements according to the invention can be applied in all types of pneumatic boats, these provisions nevertheless seem to have to find a particularly advantageous application in a pneumatic boat with a rigid hull which can be dismantled and consists of several sections as described in FIG. FR-A-2 765 855 and illustrated more specifically in Figure 9 of this document, such a pneumatic boat comprising: a rigid floor consisting of several panels assembled removably end-to-end, said floor panels having raised edges and inclined in the general shape of a V truncated point, - a flexible bottom bottom doubling the rigid floor and sealingly secured on its periphery to the flotation rods and a transom, - a rigid hull formed of several V sections of five hulls assembled end to end dismounted ble, said hull sections being removably assembled on the bottom of the movable bottom and being dimensioned and shaped to extend substantially in continuity with the raised edges of the rigid floor. The interest presented by this type of boat is to be able, despite the presence of a rigid hull, to be dismounted easily and transported and / or stored in the form of a package of a relatively small size (the engine making general subject of a separate parcel). The arrangements according to the present invention are thus advantageously (although not exclusively) incorporated in the design of this type of craft in a manner, and then preferably in conjunction with other types of arrangements. , to 20 constitute a boat assembly / disassembly simple and fast can be performed without tools.

  Therefore, another aspect of the invention aims to provide a package for the transport and / or storage of the pneumatic boat rigid removable hull 25 consists of several sections as described above, package which is characterized in that it comprises: a plate, at least one multiple jockey seat fixed on said plate by its base which comprises two inverted U-shaped tubular arches 30 which are situated respectively at the front and at the rear of said seat and which are provided with each of the two aforesaid through bores, - two longitudinal bars supported above the seat by feet respectively engaged in the bores of the hoops, - a part of the material constituting the boat, 5 among the most bulky elements, stacked the over the two bars, and - the rest of the equipment placed on the board, under the seat and between the hoops supporting the seat, thanks to what the whole can be covered tightly and strapped on the plate to form a package easy to carry and / or store.

  It should be emphasized here that when mounting the boat, the plate and the two support bars 15 are lost parts that are not used in the boat.

  When the boat is equipped with two multiple jockey seats, it can then be advantageously provided that, in the constitution of the aforementioned package, the two longitudinal bars are fixed respectively on the two seats: in this configuration, the spacing of the two bars of support may be more important than in the single jockey seat configuration; these bars thus spaced constitute a more stable support for the material which is deposited on it, and the package thus constituted incurs a lesser risk of losing its consistency during its manipulations.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments given solely by way of non-limiting examples. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the front of a watercraft illustrating an example of implementation of the provisions of the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a seat for the equipment of a pneumatic boat and illustrating another example of implementation of the provisions of the invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of another type of seat intended for the equipment of a watercraft and illustrating another example of a preferred embodiment of the provisions of the invention; - Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pneumatic boat equipped with the seat of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of three quarters front of the seat of Figure 3 equipped for transport or storage of the dismantled watercraft; FIG. 6 is an end view of a package for the transport or storage of the inflatable boat, such as that of FIG. 4, disassembled, said package being constituted around the seat equipped as illustrated in FIG. ; and FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the package of FIG. 6, constituted around two seats arranged side by side.

  Referring firstly to FIG. 1, the invention relates to a pneumatic boat comprising two inflatable buoyancy flanges 1 extending laterally and which, in the example illustrated, meet forward to form a bow 2. These inflatable tubes 1 are held apart by a floor 3 which is rigid at least transversely and by a transom (not visible in Figure 1) which is generally arranged to support an outboard motor. Under the floor is located a hull section V (not visible) which is secured on its periphery to the inflatable tubes 1 and the transom.

  On the floor 3 is fixed at least one pilot seat 4 disposed in front of a steering console 5, the seat 4 and the steering console 5 being located generally towards the middle or preferably towards the front of the boat as illustrated in Figure 1.

  In the example shown in Figure 1, the seat 4 comprises a seat 6, with a backrest 7, which is supported by a base 8 for example in the form of a column secured to the floor 3.

  According to the invention, the seat 4 is equipped with a support member 9 which is situated in front of the seat 6, said support member 9 comprising a housing 10. In the example illustrated in FIG. support member 9 is in the form of a tubular portion 20 of square section, the interior of which constitutes the aforesaid housing 10, which extends approximately vertically. The support member 9 is integral with the end of an arm 11 which can be fixed under the seat or (as shown in FIG. 1) be fixed on the base 8.

  The console 5 comprises a housing 12 and is arranged in any suitable manner for driving the boat, this console 5 being connected, by control cables not shown, to the outboard motor (s) mounted ( s) on the transom.

  In the context of the invention, the housing 12 is provided with a protruding pin 13 which has a shape complementary to that of the housing 10 (here a pin of square section) so as to be fitted into said housing 10. The arrangement of the housing 12 and its pin 13 is such that, when the pin 13 is fitted into the housing 10 (here approximately vertical), the console 5 extends in an inclined position in front of the pilot sitting on the seat 4, the arm 11 having a predetermined length so that the console 5 is within reach of the pilot.

  Thus a very simple structure arrangement, easy and quick to assemble / disassemble and requiring no tools for this operation.

  To lock the console in the mounting position, it is possible to provide, always in a simple manner, an anchor 14 engageable in aligned holes 15 of the support member 9 and 16 of the pin 13. The pin 14 can be attached by a chain 17 to the housing 12 (captive pin). Optionally, the pin 14 itself may be provided with a diametral hole adapted to receive a locking member, for example a pin (not shown). A mechanically resistant mounting of the bracket 5 can be obtained by doubling the housing assembly system 10 / pin 13. For this purpose, it is possible to implement a support member constituted in the form of a bar 18, as illustrated in FIG. 2, which extends transversely to the seat and which is provided with two housings 10 spaced from each other, while the housing 12 of the console 5 is equipped with two protruding pins 13 adapted to be respectively fitted into the two housings 10. In a simple manner, the bar 18 30 may be a section of tube pierced with two holes or diametrical bores constituting the two housings 10.

  Two locking pins 14 may be received in two transverse holes 15 of the bar 18 and 16 of the pins 13, or a single pin 14 may be sufficient to provide the required locking.

  The arrangements which have just been described seem to have a particularly interesting application when they are used in conjunction with a specific type of seat, namely a jockey type seat (the driver is sitting astride the seat). As illustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, it has been assumed that the transverse bar 18 is supported at the end of an arm 11 itself integral with the base 8, for example of a front base.

  The arrangements according to the invention seem to have to find an even more specifically interesting application in the case where the jockey seat is equipped with a base which comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at least one U-shaped tubular arch 19. reversed which is fixed transversely on the front of the seat 6.

  In this case, the bar 18 above is simply constituted by the portion of the arch 19 forming the bottom of the U. This arrangement is particularly interesting in the case, illustrated in Figure 3, where the seat jockey is a multiple jockey seat, including triple, the seat 6 is supported by two tubular hoops 19 respectively at the front and rear, 25 the rear bow can receive, in its housing 10, the ends of a back 20 formed of an inverted U-tube. The two front and rear hoops 19 may have their ends secured to longitudinal members 21, so as to constitute a rigid and resistant assembly, 30 easy to install.

  To fix ideas, Figure 4 shows a pneumatic boat equipped with two triple jockey seats 4 arranged in series and fixed on the floor 3, the console 5 being mounted, with implementation of the aforementioned means, on the arch 19 located at the front of the front seat.

  The arrangements according to the invention seem to have to find a particularly interesting application for the equipment of a pneumatic boat comprising: - a rigid floor 3 consisting of several panels 25 assembled removably end to end, said floor panels having raised edges and inclined in the general shape of a V truncated tip, - a flexible bottom (not visible) lower doubling the rigid floor 3 and sealingly secured around its periphery to the flotation flanges 1 and a table 15 rear 30, a rigid hull V 31 formed of several sections of hull 27 assembled removably end to end, said hull sections 27 being removably assembled on the bottom of the movable bottom and being dimensioned and shaped to extend substantially in continuity with the raised edges of the rigid floor, such a boat being described in FR-A2 765 855 and illustrated schematically in Figure 9 of this document and also in FR 03 05554 and 25 illustrated in particular in Figures 6 and 7 of this document. Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings shows such a boat in navigation conformation.

  The provisions which have just been stated with regard to FIGS. 3 and 4 are also of particular interest in another field which is that of the transport and storage of the boat. Indeed, as can be seen from the two documents mentioned above, rigid hull inflatable boats made up of several sections have been designed to facilitate their assembly / disassembly, transport and storage.

  However, it is understandable that this type of boat, once disassembled, leads to a number of items that it is desirable not to disperse to facilitate transport and reassembly. Some users therefore wish that all of the component elements are all combined into a single package which is transportable or re-usable as such (the engine or engines generally being the subject of a separate second package). Such a package is all the heavier, all the more cumbersome, and therefore all the more difficult to build that the boat is large, which is particularly the case for a boat of the type illustrated in FIG. 4 equipped with a triple jockey seat, or a fortiori equipped with two triple jockey seats in line.

  It is precisely for the constitution of such a package that the means envisaged above to facilitate the quick and easy assembly of the steering console can be interesting.

  For these purposes, the invention proposes to constitute in the manner set out below a package for the transport or storage of the rigid hull inflatable boat 25 in several sections described above.

  A tray 22, for example of wood, is arranged and dimensioned to support, in the configuration shown in FIG. 5 by way of example, a triple jockey seat 4 such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, which is, if necessary , fixed to the tray in any appropriate manner.

  Equipment may then be heaped on the plate, between the arches 19; however, the volume available at this location is insufficient, and the rest of the equipment, especially among the larger items must be positioned in height, on the seat.

  So that this material can be supported stably, it is expected that the seat 4 is equipped with two 23 rigid bars (for example metal, including aluminum), provided at their ends feet 24 which are fitted in the housing 10 provided on the bow 19 of the seat to receive the pins of the console (front bow) and the arch forming backrest (rear arch 10) during assembly of the boat.

  Preferably, the feet 24 mounted on the same arch 19 are arranged (bent, curved, ...) to deviate from one another so as to leave a sufficiently large gap between the two bars 23. The feet 24 are also shaped so that the two bars extend slightly above the seat 6, or at least the same level as the top thereof.

  The distribution of the various constituent elements of the boat between the bottom plate and the support bars in the upper part can be carried out in any suitable manner to form a stable package and as compact as possible.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the floor boards 25, generally 2 to 4 (here three in number), are deposited on the bars 23. These panels 25 have raised edges and are stacked into each other with their concavity facing upwards.

  In this concave stack is housed the flexible package 26 formed by the pneumatic element or elements (buoyancy flanges) deflated and folded. The assembly is capped by the stacking sections of hull 27, generally V-shaped, returned, with the front section disposed on top. The rest of the material 28 constituting the boat is deposited on the plate 22, under the seat 6, between the hoops 19. The assembly is surrounded by a flexible envelope 29, sealed, and strapped on the board 22.

  The package corresponding to the boat of Figure 4, with double triple jockey seat, may be constituted under the same conditions, except that, as shown in Figure 7, the two triple jockey seats 4 are arranged and fixed side to rib on the plate 22 22 shaped and dimensioned accordingly. In this case, the two bars 23 can be mounted in the housings 10, adjacent to each other, respectively belonging to the two seats 4, the increased distance between the two bars 23 allowing them to bear in a manner 15 even more stable their loading. By way of example, FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred way of conditioning the equipment: the equipment 28 is distributed on the plate 22 between the arches 19 and is surmounted by the floor panels 29 stacked one inside the other. On the bars 23 are arranged the rear and middle hull sections 27, stacked one inside the other, with the tip of the V engaged between the bars 23 so as to be retained laterally a little bit by them. The flexible package 26 formed by the deflated and folded pneumatic elements is disposed in the upper hull segment 27 and the assembly is capped by the lower hull section 27, turned over, whose raised tip matches the shape of the package 26. L The assembly is coated with the sealed envelope 29, which is strapped onto the tray.

  A package constituted as just described is particularly stable thanks to the presence of the bars 23 which allow staging the stacked material, the establishment of these bars being made possible thanks to the particular arrangement provided in the context of the invention for a quick assembly and disassembly without tools of the console.

Claims (10)

  1. A pneumatic boat comprising two inflatable buoyancy flanges (1) extending at least laterally and kept apart by a floor (3) rigid at least transversely, at least one pilot seat (4) being fixed on said rigid floor and a steering console (5) being arranged in front of said seat, characterized in that: the seat (4) is provided with a support member (9) situated in front of its seat (6), said support member comprising at least one less a housing (10), - the console (5) comprises a housing (12) which is provided with at least one protruding pin (13) of shape complementary to that of the housing (10) and adapted to be fitted in the said housing (10) and said pin (13) being arranged so that in the mounting position the console is arranged in front of the seat within reach of the pilot.   2. Inflatable boat according to claim 1, characterized in that the support member (9) is a bar (18) extending transversely to the seat (6) and provided with two housings (10) distant one on the other hand and in that the housing (12) of the control console (5) is provided with two protruding pins (13) adapted to be fitted respectively in the two aforesaid housings (10).   3. A pneumatic boat according to claim 2, characterized in that each housing (10) is a bore passing substantially vertically through the bar (18).   4. A pneumatic vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pin or at least one pin (13) has a bore (16) through to own receive a locking pin (14).   5. A pneumatic boat according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the seat 5 (4) is a jockey seat resting on the rigid floor (3) via a base (8) and in said transverse bar (18) is integral with the base (8).   6. A pneumatic boat according to claim 10, characterized in that the base (8) of the seat (4) comprises at least one tubular arch (19) inverted U fixed transversely to the front of the seat (6) and what the bottom of the U constitutes the aforesaid transverse bar (18).   7. A pneumatic boat according to claim 6, characterized in that the seat (4) is a multiple jockey seat, including triple.   8. A pneumatic vessel comprising: - a rigid floor (3) consisting of several panels (25) removably assembled end to end, said floor panels having raised edges and inclined in the general shape of a truncated tip V - A flexible bottom bottom doubling the rigid floor 25 and sealingly secured on its periphery flotation rods (1) and a transom (30), - a rigid hull (31) V formed of several sections of hull (27) removably joined together, said hull sections being removably assembled on the underside of the movable bottom and being dimensioned and shaped to extend substantially in continuity with the raised edges of the rigid floor, characterized in that that it is arranged according to the claims 6 and 7.   9. A pneumatic boat according to claim 8, characterized in that in the deflated and disassembled state, it is arranged in the form of a package for transport and / or storage which comprises: - at least one multiple jockey seat ( 4) fixed on a support plate (22) by its base which comprises two inverted U-shaped tubular arches (19) which are situated respectively at the front and at the rear of said seat and which are provided with each of the two said bores. (10) through, - two longitudinal bars (23) supported above the seat by feet (24) respectively engaged in the bores (10) of the arches, - part of the material constituting the boat, in particular among the elements the largest, stacked one over the other and resting astride the two bars (23), and - the rest of the material placed on the tray, under the seat and between the hoops supporting the seat, thanks to which the together can be basch so 25 tight and strapped on the board to be an easy package to transport and / or storage.   10. A pneumatic boat according to claim 9, characterized in that the package comprises two multiple jockey seats (4), fixed side by side on said plate 30 (22), and in that the two longitudinal bars (23) are respectively fixed on both seats (4).