Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a canoe that comprises a deck, two side boards emanating from the deck and a centre tunnel that is located at the lower side of the canoe, between the side boards.

Prior Art From US-A-6, 112, 692 a kayak having dual hulls is previously known. It is significant of this kayak that it comprises two parallel pontoons that are arranged at a certain distance from each other. The pontoons are located adjacent to the longitudinal sides of the kayak. Between the pontoons, at the lower side of the kayak, a concave bottom wall is defined. At normal load of the kayak a major portion of the bottom wall is above the water-line. The kayak constitutes a moulded membrane that defines an internal air-filled, sealed cavity. The sealed air volume provides excellent buoyancy to the kayak. Since the kayak comprises a moulded membrane a mould must be present in order to manufacture the kayak. This brings about large costs. From CA 2295424 a canoe is previously known, said canoe having two keels with a planar intermediate portion that bridges the keels. This structural design gives the canoe a good stability. In this connection it should be mentioned that the above examples of prior art constitutes a kayak/canoe that is intended to be used in a conventional way, i.e. the user is in a cockpit or is sitting on seats or the like in the canoe.

Objects and Features of the Invention A primary object of the present invention is to present a canoe of the type defined above, said canoe being extremely simple to manufacture. A further object of the present invention is that the canoe should be significantly stable laterally. Still an object of the present invention is that the user is standing on a deck of the canoe. A further object of the present invention is that the weight of the canoe should be low. At least the primary object of the present invention is realized by means of a canoe that has been given the features of the appending independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings Below an embodiment of the invention will be described, reference being made the accompanying drawings, where: Fig. 1 shows a top view of a canoe according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a side view of a canoe according to figure 1; Fig. 3 shows a section through the canoe along the line III-III; Fig. 4 shows a section through the canoe along the line IV-IV; Fig. 5 shows a section through the canoe along the line V-V; Fig. 6 shows an end view of the canoe along VI-VI; and Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the canoe where a user of the canoe is schematically shown.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention The canoe according to the present invention, shown in figures 1-6, comprises a deck 1 that in top view has a shape that tapers towards the ends of the canoe. In side view, figure 2, the deck 1 has a curved shape and the end portions of the deck 1 are located at a higher level than an intermediate portion of the deck 1, this being in connection with a normal position of use of the canoe. The canoe also comprises two side boards 3 that has a constant height H, see figure 2, along its entire length. The side boards 3 constitute surfaces that are curved in one direction and connected to each other in the area of the ends of the canoe. The bottom of the canoe is designed with a straight centre tunnel 5 and two parallel, longitudinal pontoons 7 are provided on both sides of the centre tunnel 5, more precisely portions of the pontoons 7 define the centre tunnel 5. As is evident from figure 3, showing a transverse section through the canoe according to present invention, each pontoon 7 is defined by a side board 3 and a planar surface 9, the side board 3 and the planar surface 9 meeting at a certain angle α. The side board 3 and the planar surface 9 thereby form the lowest point of the pontoons 7 in normal use of the canoe according to the present invention. The angle α defined by the side board 3 and the planar surface 9 is perpendicular, i.e. 90°. As is evident from figure 4 the centre tunnel 5 is formed by the two planar surfaces 9 that meet at a certain angle β that preferably is obtuse. Since the surfaces 9 are planar they will not retard the advancement of the canoe in the water except in the sense that the wetted surface increases. The value of the obtuse angle β mentioned above may be varied depending on which qualities of the canoe priority are given to. The qualities in question are lateral stability, carrying capacity and speed. A relatively seen larger value of the obtuse angle β will make the canoe faster and with a higher carrying capacity while a relatively seen smaller value of the obtuse angle β makes the canoe more stable. In this connection it should be pointed out that the above-mentioned angle α that is defined between the side board 3 and the adjacent planar surface 9 remains perpendicular even if the obtuse angle β is changed. The value of the obtuse angle should be in the interval 120° ≤ β < 150°, with a preferred value of β * 130°. Since the pontoons 7 have a centre tunnel 5 between themselves the pontoons 7 are located in the area of the longitudinal sides of the canoe, i.e. the lifting capacity has been moved to the sides of the canoe. This arrangement brings about a good lateral stability. Generally, the canoe according to the present invention is equipped with a number of transverse bulkheads that give the necessary dimensional stability of the components of the canoe. Preferably the bulkheads may constitute cellular plastic of relatively dense quality. In figure 7 it is schematically shown a preferred way to use the canoe according to the present invention. As is evident from figure 7 the user A assumes an upright position on the deck 1 of the canoe and the user A brings the canoe forward by means of a paddle P. Since the canoe according to the present invention is very stable laterally there is normally no problem for the user A to keep his/her balance. As is evident from figure 7 an intermediate portion 10 of the deck 1 is equipped with a nonskid device, e.g. in the shape of a friction material that preferably is equipped with grooves. The intermediate portion 10 is preferably located midway between the ends of the canoe. The canoe according to the present invention in principle consists of planar surfaces or surfaces curved in one direction. This makes the canoe extremely suitable to be made with one's own hands since the necessary components for manufacturing the canoe (the deck 1, the side boards 3 and the planar surfaces 9) may be cut out for instance from plywood boards, preferably of water resistant quality. The assembling of the components is made temporarily by tying and then permanently by the preferred use of glass fibre strips and epoxy plastic + hardener in semi-fluid consistency.

Feasible Modifications of the Invention In the embodiment described above the deck 1 defines a continuous, unbroken surface. Within the scope of the present invention it is feasible that a number of doors are provided in the deck 1. Thereby, stowage is given in the interior of the canoe.