Wooden watercraft hull construction

Abstract

A wooden hull construction for a watercraft, particularly a canoe, includes a multiplicity of boards, each board individually secured to adjacent boards while maintaining parallel alignment. In an aspect of the hull construction wherein there is a single layer of boards, the boards are secured together in parallel alignment along their lateral edges with adhesive. In multiple-layer hull construction aspects, each layer of parallel hull boards is secured to an adjacent layer with board edge seams substantially offset from the board edge seams of the adjacent layer. Individual boards are secured directly to adjacent boards in the same layer or to boards in the adjacent layer, or both. The hull boards are aligned substantially transversely, i.e., gunwale to gunwale, of the watercraft.

1 . A watercraft including a hull construction comprising:
 a layer of wood strips aligned transversely of the length of the watercraft wherein said strips are edge-bonded directly to each other in an abutting parallel relationship to form said hull.   
   
   
       2 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the watercraft provides no substantial restraint on expansion or contraction in said hull construction in the direction of the length of said watercraft due to varying moisture levels in the wood strips. 
   
   
       3 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 2  wherein additional components of the watercraft are secured to the hull with means providing for relative movement between said additional components and said hull in the direction of in the direction of the length of said watercraft. 
   
   
       4 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 3  wherein said additional components include longitudinal strips aligned substantially to the length of the watercraft. 
   
   
       5 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 4  wherein said longitudinal strips are wood. 
   
   
       6 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 5  wherein said longitudinal wood strips include one or more of a gunwale, a keel, a keelson and a plurality of interior or exterior stringers. 
   
   
       7 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 6  wherein said gunwale comprises an outwale and an inwale. 
   
   
       8 . A watercraft including a hull construction comprising:
 an outer and an inner layer of wood strips said strips being aligned transversely of the length of the watercraft to form said hull wherein:   a. said strips are secured directly to each other in a parallel relationship, and,   b. the strips of the outer layer overlap the strips of the inner layer.   
   
   
       9 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said wood strips in each said layer are in an abutting parallel relationship. 
   
   
       10 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 9  wherein said wood strips in one said layer are secured to directly to said wood strips in the other said layer. 
   
   
       11 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said layers are continuous. 
   
   
       12 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said strips in said layers are not secured to abutting strips within said layer. 
   
   
       13 . A watercraft as claimed in  claims 10  wherein the watercraft provides no substantial restraint on expansion or contraction in said hull construction in the direction of the length of said watercraft due to varying moisture levels in the wood strips. 
   
   
       14 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 13  wherein additional components of the watercraft are secured to the hull with means providing for relative movement between said additional components and said hull in the direction of in the direction of the length of said watercraft. 
   
   
       15 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said additional components include longitudinal strips aligned substantially to the length of the watercraft. 
   
   
       16 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 15  wherein said longitudinal strips are wood. 
   
   
       17 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 16  wherein said longitudinal wood strips include one or more of a gunwale, a keel, a keelson and a plurality of interior or exterior stringers. 
   
   
       18 . A watercraft as claimed in  claim 17  wherein said gunwale comprises an outwale and an inwale.