A system for a boat includes a first guideway installed under a main deck of the boat, a first battery pack coupled to the first guideway under the main deck, and a first actuator configured to move the first battery pack along the first guideway. A controller is electrically and/or signally coupled with the first actuator. A user input device is electrically and/or signally coupled with the controller. The controller is configured to control the first actuator to move the first battery pack along the first guideway in response to an input to the user input device so as to relocate the weight of the first battery pack under the main deck.

An apparatus and methods according to the present invention provides a human powered catamaran-styled watercraft and methods of configuring and operating the watercraft. The watercraft generally comprises at least one hull in communication with a folding collapsible frame, wherein in the frame comprises a center rack pivotally joining hulls of hull sets to provide for common pivoting of the hulls during articulation of the watercraft, thereby the hulls and frame are in further communication through a at least one pivot pad which provides for slidable pivoting of the hulls during articulation of the watercraft. A method of folding and reversibly extending the watercraft to provide for optimized storage is provided. A method of operation of the watercraft to provide for articulation of the watercraft is provided.

A deep-water submersible system is disclosed. The system can include a pressure vessel and an internal assembly. The internal assembly can include a housing and a wedge lock assembly coupleable to the housing. The wedge lock assembly can include a plurality of wedge members arranged along a longitudinal axis and including end wedge members at each end and one or more intermediate wedge members between the end wedge members. The wedge lock assembly can also include a displacement device along the longitudinal axis and connecting the end wedge members. The displacement device can be actuatable in one direction to move the end wedge members toward one another to displace adjacent wedge members relative to one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis to engage and apply a clamping force to the housing and the pressure vessel. In addition, the wedge lock assembly can include a variable gap compensation mechanism operable to exert a biasing force on the plurality of wedge members to accommodate the relative transverse movement of the adjacent wedge members and maintain the clamping force on the housing and the pressure vessel within a predetermined range as a distance between the housing and the pressure vessel varies.

An expandable and contractible boat comprises a first outer hull and a second outer hull symmetrically shaped and arranged with respect to one another. The first and second outer hulls are movable relative to one another, and each of the first and second outer hulls includes an outboard side portion, an inboard side portion, a bottom portion between the outboard side portion and the inboard side portion, and a concave chine portion connecting the outboard side portion and the bottom portion. A cross-section of each of the first and second outer hulls is recessed at the concave chine portion.

An apparatus and methods according to the present invention provides a human powered catamaran-styled watercraft and methods of configuring and operating the watercraft. The watercraft generally comprises at least one hull in communication with a folding collapsible frame, wherein in the frame comprises a center rack pivotally joining hulls of hull sets to provide for common pivoting of the hulls during articulation of the watercraft, thereby the hulls and frame are in further communication through a at least one pivot pad which provides for slidable pivoting of the hulls during articulation of the watercraft. A method of folding and reversibly extending the watercraft to provide for optimized storage is provided. A method of operation of the watercraft to provide for articulation of the watercraft is provided.

Watercraft with dual, in-line flotation are detailed. Front and rear floats may be bridged by a seating assembly and allow both feet-up and feet-down positioning of a user of the craft. The watercraft may be disassembled and then reassembled compactly for transport or storage, with the compactly reassembled craft including wheels or capable of being placed onto a hand trolley if desired to facilitate its carriage. Also detailed are watercraft in which forward flotation is provided by two front floats forming a pontoon configuration.

Watercraft with dual, in-line flotation are detailed. Front and rear floats may be bridged by a seating assembly and allow both feet-up and feet-down positioning of a user of the craft. The watercraft may be disassembled and then reassembled compactly for transport or storage, with the compactly reassembled craft including wheels or capable of being placed onto a hand trolley if desired to facilitate its carriage. Also detailed are watercraft in which forward flotation is provided by two front floats forming a pontoon configuration.

A hull structure for a semi-submersible wind power turbine platform, a method for loading a set of hull structures onto a semi-submersible cargo carrying marine vessel, and a marine vessel carrying a set of hull structures. The hull structure includes: first, second and third buoyant stabilizing columns extending in a substantially vertical direction; first, second and third elongated submersible pontoon structures extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The hull structure has a general shape of a triangle in the horizontal plane with the first, second and third pontoon structures forming sides of the triangle. The pontoon structures extend between and connects to the columns at lower parts thereof, and the third pontoon structure is arranged so that an upper side of the third pontoon structure is located at a lower level in the horizontal direction than an upper side of each of the first and second pontoon structures.

A hull structure for a semi-submersible wind power turbine platform, a method for loading a set of hull structures onto a semi-submersible cargo carrying marine vessel, and a marine vessel carrying a set of hull structures. The hull structure includes: first, second and third buoyant stabilizing columns extending in a substantially vertical direction; and first, second and third elongated submersible pontoon structures extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The hull structure has a general shape of a triangle in the horizontal plane with the first, second and third pontoon structures forming sides of the triangle. The pontoon structures extend between and connects to the columns at lower parts thereof and the third pontoon structure is arranged so that an upper side of the third pontoon structure is located at a lower level in the horizontal direction than an upper side of each of the first and second pontoon structures.

A hull structure for a semi-submersible wind power turbine platform. The hull structure includes first, second and third buoyant stabilizing columns extending in a substantially vertical direction; and first and second elongated submersible buoyant pontoon structures extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The the hull structure generally has a V-shape in the horizontal plane with the first and second pontoon structures forming legs in the V-shape and with the second column located where the legs meet. The second column has a cross sectional area at its intended operational waterline that is larger than the cross sectional area of each of the first and third columns at their corresponding intended operational waterlines so that the second column exhibits an operational waterplane area that is larger than the operational waterplane area of each of the first and third columns when the hull structure is set in the operational state.