V20 patent

[bigshrimpin]

After getting the patent number off sloppyhooker's decal. I ordered a copy of the v20 patent. To my surprise the the inventor of this patent is Harry L Schoell and it was filed may 15 , 1961 (43 years ago to the day!!). So I am digging around to find out what the story is here. I have an email from John Deknatel (president of C Raymond Hunt and Associates) which states that the v20 steplift "was an early C Raymond Hunt design" yet the patent number on the side of the v20 is Harry L Schoell's.

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/docs/US03117544__.pdf

[labii]

*Any word back ? That boat does not look much like the Alim or the Wellcraft V20.

[bigshrimpin]

Here it is . . . . Clear as MUD.


------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 17:40:20 -0400
From: "Harry Schoell" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Information on the Step V Hull
To: "William BARBER" <[email protected]>


They made a misprint in the book and if you look further in the history of fiberglass, book, it is stated that he is the inventor.

The next thing to me is that Harry is an inventor and not an advertiser. If someone ask you why boats have two steps I tell them because if they have one and it works it would be infringing on his mechanical patent.

Thanks for asking.


-----Original Message-----
From: William BARBER [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 2:18 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Information on the Step V Hull


Hello!!
This might be an odd request . . . more like old
boat trivia for Wednesday May 5th, but I am interested
in knowing about the Step "V" Hull designed by Harry
L. Schoell Pat. 3117544.

I am curious to know more about the disparity between
Wellcraft's claim in their literature that the
steplift hull was designed by C. Raymond Hunt, yet
patent 3117544 belongs to Harry L Schoell. What's the
story here??

-------------------------------------------------------
1971 Wellcraft Catalog:
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...33/page004.jpg

1973 Wellcraft Catalog:
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...m18/page11.jpg

Yet:

Patent number 3117544 appears on the Wellcraft
Steplift Decals

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...lcraft_v20.jpg

---------------------------------------------------------

Thanks,
Tim Barber

[chumbucket]

Yeah, that really cleared things up, didn't it? ::) :P

Seems to me that:

1) Ray Hunt invented the deep v hull.

2) Harry Schoell invented the steplft principal and patented it as a hull with a single step. Also patented the term "steplift".

3) Ray Hunt designed the V20 and also utilized the concept of steps in his design.

4) The decal pays homage to Harry Schoell's patent because Wellcraft was marketing the V20 as a "steplift".

That's the way I see it, based on this thread. Intellectual property attorney that I am not.

[bigshrimpin]

Seakindly,
I think you're right on, but Schoell certainly takes credit for the design in motorboat and sailing magazine (1984).

http://www.schoellmarine.com/bio_files/page0001.htm

"Harry and his father came up with the v-20 in 1960 - a design still being produced by Wellcraft. Harry built the plug in a week. he was 18."





Some of his patents.

http://www.schoellmarine.com/innovations.htm

[bigshrimpin]

I also figured out what this person was trying to say about the one or two step hull.

http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/federal...s/99-1511.html



He has patents for quite a few revolutionary boating designs.

Harry Schoells' "longitudinal steps" patent # 3,117,544 from the v-20 decal:








Not the same hull as a V-20.

But it is obvious that Ray Hunt knew a good thing when he saw it.

[bigshrimpin]

Cool . . . More information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 18:11:33 -0400
From: "Harry Schoell" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Information on the Step V Hull - read you email wrong a 2nd answer
To: "William BARBER" <[email protected]>


I am sorry I read your email wrong. The step that they are talking
about is
what is known as the longitudinal steps hull. We now call them
strakes. He
got a patent on this in the 60's. What Hunt did was get a design
patent for
a vent on one of the strakes so they called it a vented stepped hull.
But
the step was longitudinal not to be confussed with Harry's patent of
the
step hull known as patent 5,456,202 which later was changed to
RE36,879.

It is a shame to me that Harry has not gotten the credit due him for
the
changes in hull design that we all now use. How many other have
patents
that are used on almost all boats?

Frankie