Pontoon boat having inner pontoon with stadium shape
A pontoon boat has a port pontoon, a starboard pontoon, and an inner pontoon located laterally between the port pontoon and the starboard pontoon, wherein each of the port pontoon, the starboard pontoon and the inner pontoon comprises a cylindrical body portion which longitudinally extends between a forward end and a rearward end. The inner pontoon has a rear end portion which longitudinally extends from a frontmost end to a rearmost end, the rear end portion having a length in the longitudinal direction, a width in the lateral direction, and a height in the vertical direction. As viewed in a plane defined by the lateral and vertical axes, the rear end portion gradually transitions along the length from a circular shape to a stadium shape, and the height of the rear end portion remains constant along an entirety of the length.
1 . A pontoon boat which extends from a front to a back along a longitudinal axis, from a port side to a starboard side along a lateral axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and from a top to a bottom along a vertical axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the lateral axis, the pontoon boat comprising:
a port pontoon, a starboard pontoon, and an inner pontoon located laterally between the port pontoon and the starboard pontoon, wherein each of the port pontoon, the starboard pontoon and the inner pontoon comprises a cylindrical body portion which longitudinally extends between a forward end and a rearward end,
the inner pontoon further having a rear end portion which longitudinally extends from a frontmost end to a rearmost end, the rear end portion having a length in the longitudinal direction, a width in the lateral direction, and a height in the vertical direction, wherein as viewed in a plane defined by the lateral and vertical axes, the rear end portion gradually transitions along the length from a circular shape to a stadium shape so as to deflect water aa from the inner pontoon, and wherein the height of the rear end portion remains constant along an entirety of the length so as to reduce drag and/or provide laminar flow of the water therepast.
2 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the rear end portion comprises a planar bottom surface extending parallel to the longitudinal axis thereby providing a constant running surface in water.
3 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical body portion of the inner pontoon has a height which is constant along an entire length thereof, and wherein the cylindrical body portion of the inner pontoon and the rear end portion have bottom surfaces which are coplanar.
4 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the rear end portion has a width in the lateral direction which gradually increases along an entirety of the length.
5 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , further comprising a mounting plate located on the rearmost end of the rear end portion, the mounting plate being configured to support a marine drive for propelling the pontoon boat in water.
6 . The pontoon boat according to claim 5 , further comprising a marine drive mounted to the mounting plate.
7 . The pontoon boat according to claim 6 , wherein the rear end portion has a width in the lateral direction which gradually increases along an entirety of the length.
8 . The pontoon boat according to claim 7 , wherein the marine drive is steerable relative to the mounting plate through a steering range, and wherein the width of the rear end portion at the rearmost end is wider than the marine drive throughout movement in the steering range, thereby preventing water spray onto the marine drive.
9 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the port and starboard pontoons further comprise a nose cone on the frontmost end and a dome-shaped end cap on the rearward most end.
10 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the rear end portion is coupled to the cylindrical body portion of the inner pontoon.
11 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical body portion of the inner pontoon is longitudinally shorter than the cylindrical body portions of the port and starboard pontoons.
12 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the inner pontoon is longitudinally longer than the port and starboard pontoons, respectively.
13 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the port pontoon, the starboard pontoon, and the inner pontoon each have a nose cone on the forward end of the cylindrical body of the respective port, starboard and inner pontoon.
14 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the port pontoon and the starboard pontoon each have a dome-shaped end cap on the rearward end of the cylindrical body of the respective port and starboard pontoon.
15 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , wherein the inner pontoon extends further rearwardly than the port and starboard pontoons relative to the pontoon boat.
16 . The pontoon boat according to claim 1 , further comprising a deck and a mounting bracket which mounts the inner pontoon to a bottom of the deck, and further comprising L-shaped brackets which further secure the inner pontoon to the bottom of the deck, the L-shaped brackets being opposed to each other and disposed on opposite sides of the mounting bracket.
17 . A pontoon extends from a front to a back along a longitudinal axis, from a port side to a starboard side along a lateral axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and from a top to a bottom along a vertical axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the lateral axis, the pontoon comprising a cylindrical body portion which longitudinally extends between a forward end and a rearward end, and a rear end portion which longitudinally extends from a frontmost end to a rearmost end, the rear end portion having a length in the longitudinal direction, a width in the lateral direction, and a height in the vertical direction, wherein as viewed in a plane defined by the lateral and vertical axes, the rear end portion gradually transitions along the length from a circular shape to a stadium shape so as to defect water away from the pontoon, and wherein the height of the rear end portion remains constant along an entirety of the length so as to reduce drag and/or provide laminar flow of the water therepast.
18 . The pontoon according to claim 17 , wherein the rear end portion comprises a planar bottom surface extending parallel to the longitudinal axis thereby providing a constant running surface in water, wherein the cylindrical body portion of the pontoon has a height which is constant along an entire length thereof, and wherein the cylindrical body portion of the inner pontoon and the rear end portion have bottom surfaces which are coplanar.
19 . The pontoon according to claim 18 , wherein the rear end portion has a width in the lateral direction which gradually increases along an entirety of the length.
20 . The pontoon according to claim 19 , further comprising a mounting plate located on the rearmost end of the rear end portion, the mounting plate being configured to support a marine drive for propelling the pontoon boat in water.