Boat rack
AssigneeYakima Innovation Development Corporation
InventorsChris Sautter, James Buckroyd, Zac Elder, John Mark Elliott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rack for carrying a boat on top of the vehicle is configured for clamping on a pair of crossbars. Each crossbar has a pair of saddle mounts facing each other on opposite sides of a cradle axis being defined perpendicular to the crossbar and equidistant from each saddle mount. Each saddle mount has a pliable upper platform which is conformable to different boat hull shapes.
Claims9
A rack for carrying a boat on top of a vehicle having an elongate axis parallel to the direction of vehicular travel comprising
- a crossbar and a pair of towers configured to mount the crossbar on top of a vehicle, the crossbar being substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis, and
- a pair of saddle devices mounted on the crossbar facing each other, and configured to cooperatively cradle a boat hull, a cradle axis being defined perpendicular to the crossbar and equidistant from each saddle device, each saddle device having a C-shaped portion having an open side facing the cradle axis, each C-shaped portion including a lower platform portion, an upper platform portion, and a connecting portion extending from the lower platform portion to the upper platform portion opposite the open side, the upper platform portion being cantilevered inward toward the cradle axis from the connecting portion,
- wherein each upper platform portion is connected to a wing expanse angled upward away from the cradle axis, and wherein each wing expanse has side walls connected to the respective upper platform portion creating a diaphragm having an open side opposite from the open side of the respective C-shaped portion.
A rack for carrying a boat on top of a vehicle having an elongate axis parallel to the direction of vehicular travel comprising
- a crossbar and a pair of towers configured to mount the crossbar on top of a vehicle, the crossbar being substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis,
- a pair of saddle devices mounted on the crossbar facing each other, and configured to cooperatively cradle a boat hull, a cradle axis being defined perpendicular to the crossbar equidistant from each saddle device, each saddle device having a C-shaped portion having an open side facing the cradle axis, each C-shaped portion having an upper platform portion cantilevered inward toward the cradle axis, and a lower platform portion having a bottom side, each lower platform portion having a fixed jaw projecting from the bottom side, a sliding jaw member, and an adjustment mechanism operable to urge the sliding jaw member along a linear path to change the distance between the fixed jaw and the sliding jaw member,
- wherein each upper platform portion is connected to a wing expanse angled upward away from the cradle axis, and wherein each wing expanse has side walls connected to the respective upper platform creating a diaphragm having an open side opposite from the open side of the respective C-shaped portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.