Car Top Boat Carrier

Abstract

A car top boat loader including a pair of parallel spaced guide rails terminating at a stationary rest at one end of the rails. The rails are pivotally supported on the car top in such a manner that the stationary rest extends over either the hood or trunk of the car. A carriage for supporting the boat to be loaded is movable supported by the spaced guide rails and is free to move through the length of the guide rails. The boat may be easily loaded to a balanced position on the carriage by pivoting the guide rails into engagement with the hood or trunk of the car after which the boat may be sequentially rested on the carriage and moved away from the stationary rest and then pivoted on the stationary rest permitting the carriage to return to the stationary rest until the boat is balanced on the carriage. Thereafter, the boat and supporting carriage are moved up the guide rails to a point at which the guide rails pivot to a horizontal balanced position on the car top. A first locking pin is provided for maintaining the guide rails in a horizontal position and a second locking pin locks the carriage to the guide rails for transporting the boat.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

There has been, in recent years, a marked growth in boating activity in the United States. Today many people travel considerable distances to various lakes and streams at which the boat will be used. In the case of lighter and smaller boats, there has been a trend toward carrying these boats on the top of the automobile rather than on trailers thus eliminating the dangers accompanying their usage.

One of the apparent disadvantages of car top boat carriers is, of course, the effort which must be expended to elevate or remove the boat from the height of the car top.

The car top boat loaders presently available can be classified into many different types. For example, there is the type in which the supporting carriage employs rollers on one end thereof against which the boat is physically hoisted and rolled onto the top of the car. In another type, rollers or suspended rails are used in conjunction with a wench which pulls the boat to the top of the car. In yet another form, a plurality of telescopic guide rails are used which are extended to the ground for sliding the boat up and down the guide rails. Many other types of devices exist which include combinations of the above types as well as various other arrangements of linkages, track ways and the like.

All of the above devices are subject to numerous short comings and disadvantages which are sought to be obviated by the present invention. For example, the cable and wench arrangements are initially quite costly and also subject to various mechanical failures. The telescopic rail types are more simple in their construction but nearly the entire weight of the boat must be manipulated in loading the boat onto or from the car top.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of boat loaders presently available by providing a boat loader which is both simple in construction and in which the entire weight of the boat is never lifted during the loading and unloading operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to utilize the weight of the boat itself in a seesaw or cantilever fashion to aid both in bringing the boat to proper balance on the boat carriage and in raising the boat to a horizontal position on the car top.

The present invention carries out the foregoing objects by utilizing a carriage frame consisting of a pair of spaced-parallel guide rails connected at their ends by a transverse members. The carriage frame is disposed along the longitudinal axis of the car and is pivotally connected to one of a pair of carrier members on the top of the car in a manner such that one end of the carriage frame extends beyond either the hood or trunk of the car depending upon which ever end it is desired to unload the boat from.

A carriage for supporting the boat is disposed between the parallel side rails and is secured therein by rollers which permit the carriage to move the entire length of the guide rails.

A stationary rest is disposed on end of the guide rails extending over the hood or trunk of the car, as the case may be. During loading of the boat, the carriage frame is tilted into engagement with the trunk or hood of the car and one end of the boat placed on the carriage. The boat and carriage are then moved upwardly a short distance and the boat then pivoted or cantilevered against the stationary rest permitting the carriage to return under the boat. This operation is repeated until the boat has obtained a balanced point on the carriage after which the boat is then rolled up the carriage track until a balance point is reached at which the boat pivots to horizontal position on top of the car.

A locking pin is then inserted between carriage supporting member and the carriage frame to lock the frame against further pivoting action. A second locking pin is used between the carriage and carriage frame to lock the carriage against movement.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description thereof as follows taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the boat loader of the present invention in place on a car;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the boat loader of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the boat during the initial stages of loading and;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view showing the cantilever sequence by which the boat is brought to balance on the carriage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

FIG. 1 of the drawings illustrates the boat loader 10 of the present invention in place on top of an automobile 11. The boat 12 is designed to rest on the boat loader in a horizontal position on top of the automobile for normal travel. Shown in broken lines is the manner in which the boat loader inclines or tilts into contact with either the hood or trunk of the automobile for loading and unloading as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The boat loader of the present invention, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2, includes a carriage frame 13. The carriage frame 13 consists of a pair of parallel opposed guide rails 14 rigidly interconnected at their ends by transverse supports 15.

The carriage frame is designed to rest upon a pair of car top carrier members 16 and 17 which connect to the top of the automobile in a conventional manner. The carrier member 17 includes a pair of opposed angle supports 18 which engage the side edges of the guide rails 14 at a point approximately one-third of the way from one end thereof. Pivot pins 19 extend through the sidewalls of the guide rails 14 to secure the guide rails to the carrier member and also to permit the carriage frame 13 to pivot on the car top 17 as shown in FIG. 1.

The forwardmost car top carrier 16 includes a similar pair of angle braces 20 secured to the car top carrier. These braces likewise are disposed against the outside of each of the parallel guide rails 14 and provide a guide between which the parallel guide rails 14 passes when the carriage frame is tilted back to the horizontal position. Locking pins 21 are provided and pass through corresponding mating holes in the angle brace 20 and the side of the guide rails 14 to lock the carriage frame into its horizontal position whenever the boat is being carried by the car.

The locking pins 21 include an enlarged head 22 at one end and a pair of opposed spring fingers 2 at the opposite end which serve to maintain the locking pin in place when inserted within the mating appertures in the brace and guide rails.

A carriage 24 for supporting the boat is disposed between the guide rails 14. The carriage 24 includes a pair of opposed side supports 25 which are in parallel relationship with the guide rails 14. The side supports 25 are maintained rigidly in place by a pair of cross supports 26 connected to the side supports.

Carriage rollers 27 are suitably journaled at either end of both of the side supports 25. The carriage rollers operate in conjunction with an internal horizontal roller flange 28 in each of the guide rails 14. This arrangement permits the carriage 24 to move in either direction between the guide rails to the extremities of the rails as defined by the transverse supports 15 at either end thereof.

A plurality of carriage balance adjusting holes 29 are provided in the sides of at least one of the parallel guide rails 14 at the end thereof closest the car top carrier 16. A corresponding mating aperture in the sidewall of the corresponding side support 25 of the carriage registers with the balance adjusting holes 29 as the carriage is moved along the carriage frame. This arrangement permits the carriage 24 and the boat thereon to be moved to a balanced position on top of the car after which a carriage locking pin 30, similar to the locking pin 21, may be inserted into the respective holes to lock the carriage in its balanced position.

The carriage 24 also includes chock supports 31 and padded chocks 32 attached thereto for supporting the boat. The chocks are provided in each corner of the carriage 24 and operate in a conventional manner to support the boat during loading, unloading and while in transit.

A stationary rest 33 is provided at the end of the carriage frame closest the pivot point of the frame. The stationary support 33 is attached to the transverse support 15 and extends above the carriage frame to a height not quite that of the padded chocks.

The novel aspects and features of the boat loader of the present invention may be realized from the load sequence shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

To begin the loading sequence the carriage frame 13 is tilted downwardly until the end having the stationary rest 33 thereon comes to rest against the hood or trunk of the car which ever the case may be. A rubber bumper 34 is provided on the underside of the carriage frame to prevent damage or scaring of the automobile finish.

When the carriage frame 13 is in this position, the carriage 24 will roll down the incline and against the stationary rest 33. Due to the balance position of the pivot on the rear carrier member 17, the weight of the carriage and the portion of the carriage frame 13 extending beyond the balance point will maintain the carriage frame in its tilted position.

In the next step, one end of the boat (i.e., the front end) is placed on the rear set of chocks 31 while the rear end of the boat remains in contact with the ground or on a dolly used for moving the boat. In this manner, only a portion of the weight of the boat need be lifted to place the boat on the chocks 32.

Following the above, the rear of the boat is now elevated and pushed toward the automobile resulting in the front end of the boat supported by the chocks 32 being rolled up the carriage frame to a position as shown in FIG. 4. At this point, the rear of the boat is permitted to move downwardly bringing the midportion of the boat to rest upon the stationary rest 33 and elevating the front portion of the boat up out of contact with the chocks 33. When this occurs, the carriage 24 will return to the stationary rest 33 by reason of gravity as shown in broken lines in FIG. 4.

The rear of the boat will now again be elevated and again bring the front of the boat into engagement with the chocks 32 on the carriage 24. The boat can again be pushed up the carriage frame and the sequence repeated until the boat has assumed a balanced position on the carriage 24.

Whenever the boat has assumed a balanced position on the carriage 24, then the boat and carriage are rolled up the carriage frame 13 until the center of gravity thereof passes over the balanced position of the pivot on the car top carrier 17 resulting in the boat and boat carrier pivoting to a horizontal position on the top of the car. After this has been accomplished, the locking pins for the carriage and the carriage frame may be inserted and the boat secured to the frame by elastic straps or the like.

It will be realized that during the loading operation, the overhanging portions of the boat resting on the stationary rest aids in tilting of the boat in a seesaw manner onto and off of the padded chocks. In this manner, the weight of the boat itself is used in bringing the boat to proper balance on the carriage frame. In a like manner, the weight of the boat itself, as it passes up the carriage tracks, aids in swinging the boat into a horizontal position as the balance point of the carriage frame is passed. Accordingly, in the foregoing manner, the weight of the boat itself is used to aid in loading the boat to the top of the car and, at no time, does the individual loading the boat ever have to lift more than a portion of the weight of the boat.

To unload the boat, the carriage frame and carriage locking pins 21 and 30 respectively are removed and the boat unsecured from the carriage frame. The boat is then moved back on the carriage frame 13 until the balance point is reached at which the carriage frame tilts downwardly into engagement with the hood or trunk of the car as the case may be. At this point, the rear of the boat is lifted from engagement with the stationary support 33 and slid off of the chocks 32 until the rear portion of the boat may be placed into engagement with the ground or upon a suitable dolly.

Claims

The car top loader of the present invention has been described in respect to a specific embodiment thereof shown in the drawings. However, no limitation on the invention is thereby intended but instead, the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

1. A car top boat loader and boat carrying apparatus comprising:

a carriage frame having a pair of spaced-parallel guide rails including in-turned horizontal roller flanges on the lower edges thereof and transverse supporting members rigidly innerconnecting the guide rails,

a carriage for supporting the boat having side supports including a plurality of carriage rollers in engagement with the roller flanges and cross supports innerconnecting the side supports whereby the carriage may move longitudinally along the carriage frame, and

means disposed intermediate the ends of the carriage frame for pivotally securing the carriage frame to the top of the car in a position with the stationary rest extending over either the hood or trunk of the car whereby, during loading, the boat may be easily moved to a balanced position on both the carriage and the car by pivoting the end of the carriage frame including the stationary rest into engagement with the hood or trunk of the car after which the boat may be sequentially rested on the carriage and moved away from the stationary rest and then pivoted on the stationary rest permitting the carriage to return to the stationary rest until the boat is balanced on the carriage after which the boat and supporting carriage are moved up the carriage frame to a point at which the carriage frame pivots to a horizontal balanced position on the car top.

2. The car top loader of claim 1 further including a plurality of apertures in one of the side rails of the carriage frame, a mating aperture in the corresponding side support of the carriage and a locking pin adapted to selectively interlock the guide rail and the side support in a balanced position.

3. A car top boat loader and carrying apparatus comprising:

a carriage frame,

a carriage secured to the carriage frame for longitudinal movement therealong,

a stationary rest secured to the carriage frame at one end thereof,

a pair of spaced-parallel carrying members disposed in engagement with the top of the car and extending transversely thereto and under the carriage frame, the member nearest the stationary rest pivotally securing the carriage frame to the top of the car at a pivot point positioned from the stationary rest approximately one-third of the total length of the carriage frame and supporting the carriage frame in a position with the stationary rest extending over either the hood or the trunk of the car and the carrying member furthest from the stationary rest including a pivot pin innerconnecting the carrying member and carriage frame to permit the carriage frame to pivot upon the top of the car,

whereby, during loading, the boat may be easily moved to a balanced position on both the carriage and the car by pivoting the end of the carriage frame including the stationary rest into engagement with the hood or trunk of the car after which the boat may be sequentially rested on the carriage and moved away from the stationary rest and then pivoted on the stationary rest permitting the carriage to return to the stationary rest until the boat is balanced on the carriage after which the boat and supporting carriage are moved up the carriage frame to a point at which the carriage frame pivots to a horizontal balanced position on the car top.