a multihull design riddle

About two decades ago I thought up a method of expanding and compacting a catamaran widthwise while on the water allowing use of normal slips and allowing for easy trailering, launching, and storage. I did an international patent search and found nothing like it. I have applied this method to different sized cats. The cat for this riddle is the smallest that can contain two private full sized queen berths 5 x 7 x 3.5 feet high. Trailering width is about 5.5 feet and expanded width is about 10.5 feet. The cat will fit in a normal sized garage. Each berth can have views in 4 directions. Remember, this is a riddle, and with a legit answer. I will let you know if you figured it out. Maybe we can come up with something even better. I believe exposing this or any other unpatented method makes is useable by everyone?

 

Sorry Cando, but I am totally baffled.
How about if you simply explain your method?
It sounds like a fairly narrow cat, if the beam is only 10.5'.

 

Cando. If you have a new collapsible catamaran method we would be all very glad to see it. There are many solutions that have already been conceived from hulls that fold under a main cabin, swing wings, bridgedeck cabins that fold up to allow hulls to come together, boats that have wide hull bridgedecks that split down the middle and are stored on a trailer with one half behind the other etc. Very few patents of these designs make any money with Farriers tri crossbeams being the exception. We all like creativity but the real test is the theoretical design becoming a useable practical reality. Have fun.

 

Hi Cando2, I can envision telescopic beams using pneumatic cylinders to widen and narrow the hull centres, while on the water. Individual hulls with trampolines not bridge decks, and an inflatable pair of 'staterooms' secured on top. Basically a flat decked cat with a stayless mast, and two small jumping castles on top. Sounds fun. It could all be inflatable if used in light weather conditions, under adult supervision of course.

 

You are right, bajansailor, riddles by design are intended to be baffling AND to make you think. I never intended to explain my method or I would have. A careful reading of everything I said and how each sentence's meaning relates to the next should be ample to answer your questions. I tend to be deliberate and intentional in what I say. There was a three-fold purpose for the thread: to let you know there is an answer that meets the criteria, to spur creative ideas from you all that might be better than what I came up with, and to thoroughly explore the answers to the last question so that bucks and a savvy attorney can't keep us from using this method. Regarding narrowness, did you read what the cat length is? It fits in a standard garage - for me that is 20' max. How many cats of that length do you know of that are over 10.5' wide? Also, this method does not limit the expanded width at all. You can expand it to 16' wide if you wish and still do standard trailering.
Seasquirt. Some solid creative thinking there. For me, the hydraulics aren't necessary, but everything else works. I do think most folks would prefer a queen berth integrated into the hull not requiring going outside to use the head in the middle of the night.

 

So have you another riddle to enlighten us further ?
Could it be folding and expanding sideways hulls, like two (or three) klepper canoes, tied by an origami bridgedeck, and similar origami cabin roof ? I've seen some amazing folding kayaks.

 

It looks like he said " I never intended to explain my method" but he wants to know your ideas which seems a silly game at best.

 

Sorry seasquirt, I'm all riddled out. But I can give hints for this one. Of course the shortcut to answering this riddle, which I'll be happy to do, is knowledgeable answers to the patent question. I want to keep it free for all of us. How I came up with this method is because of the way I'm wired up. I can't think in a box. My 3 decade career as a tool and die maker required out of the box thinking. Theory wasn't even considered, 0nly solutions in a very competitive occupation. I'm very simple minded, very slow thinking, can't follow complicated ideas, probably below average IQ, but able to mull over possible solutions for 20 plus years on some things. I have lots of doubts about myself and my ideas and am shy about sharing them. What makes the handful of good ideas I've had over a lifetime interesting is the reaction I get when I share them with others: "Of course, why didn't I think of that". Have you any idea how humbling and humiliating it is to come up with the obvious after all that thinking? Useable solutions are easy to understand and easy to apply. Most all of you are too smart to get this simple. Teaser: you can easily apply this method in a simple home build for little extra cost, time, or effort. More later.

 

I thought of a corrugated iron lean-to; enclosing in a verandah; concentina dividing walls; stick and daub (not so good in a boat); a tent; tar paper hulls ?
I'm at a head scratching standstill on this one. Can't help with patent info - post it in china, they disregard patents.

 

Like I say, seasquirt, you're too darn smart. You gotta dumb it down. By the way, a big NO to origami. One thing for sure you'll know it when you see it. instant recognition. By the way there's a favorite poster on here, Catsketcher, who has done an ultimate origami cat, quite sophisticated; have you seen it?

 

I hate to be rude, but this doesn't sound like a riddle worth solving. A 20ft catamaran with 2 queen beds and a folding mechanism to gain just 2ft over legal trailing width doesn't sound compelling.

 

Also, a normal size garage door is 8 feet wide. I don't think this is a riddle, but a teaser without an answer. The OP is amusing himself; that's the answer.

 

Maybe. I suspect he has an idea and is hoping no one will deduce it, which will in his mind validate his cleverness.

Here's a question for OP:

Is the boat symmetrical?

 

When I was playing with small cat ideas I was thinking small double (48" wide) in each hull. A queen (60" wide) is a wide hull for a 20 ft water line length.

 

Hi Willy. Each hull sports a waterline length to width ratio of 10 to 1.