Personal watercraft carrying apparatus and mthod for trailerable boats

In a trailerable power boat having an inboard mounted engine, the improvement comprising:

• (a) two elongated support rails extending substantially parallel to each other and spaced apart sufficiently to support opposite sides of the hull of a personal watercraft when the personal watercraft is aligned longitudinally with the support rails;
• (b) two elongated loading rails, each loading rail connected to a different one of the support rails at an aft end of the respective support rail, the two loading rails spaced apart substantially the same distance as the support rails and extending substantially parallel to each other and each extending from the respective support rail downwardly at an acute angle with respect to the respective support rail;
• (c) cross support means associated with both the support rails and the loading rails for fixing the support rails and loading rails in the spaced apart position;
• (d) forward support means having a proximal end connected to the support rails and a distal end depending from the support rails;
• (e) forward connector means associated with the distal end of the forward support means and connecting the distal end of the forward support means to the trailerable boat with the carrier in an operating position;
• (f) loading rail support means having a proximal end connected to the loading rails and a distal end depending from the loading rails, the loading rail support means contacting an aft portion of the boat when the carrier is in operating position and with the aft end of the loading rails positioned beyond the stern of the boat and above the water line of the boat;
• (g) aft connector means associated with the distal end of the loading rail support means for connecting the loading rail support means to the trailerable boat with the carrier in the operating position;
• and
• (h) slide means associated with the loading rails and the support rails for facilitating sliding contact between the hull of the personal watercraft and the loading rails and support rails longitudinally along said rails.

A method of loading a personal watercraft for transport across land:

• (a) positioning the personal watercraft at the stern of a trailerable power boat having an inboard mounted engine, with the bow of the personal watercraft facing the stern of the trailerable boat;
• (b) extending a winch strap from a winch mounted on the trailerable boat and connecting a distal end of the winch strap to the bow of the personal watercraft;
• (c) winching the personal watercraft onto two parallel loading rails extending downwardly at the stern of the trailerable boat with an aft end of the loading rails positioned just above the water line of the trailerable boat and spaced from the stern of the boat, the parallel loading rails spaced apart sufficiently to support opposite sides of the personal watercraft longitudinally along the personal watercraft hull;
• and
• (d) winching the personal watercraft forward along the loading rails and onto two parallel support rails mounted above the aft section of the trailerable boat, and continuing to winch the personal watercraft forward until the support rails support the entire weight of the personal watercraft, the support rails being spaced apart sufficiently to support opposite sides of the personal watercraft hull.