Carrying harness for surfboards and the like

A device for carrying a sailboard, surfboard or the like, includes a spreader bar and a pair of slings supported therefrom. A fastener attaches each of the slings into an adjustable-sized loop to fit around the sail board. A strap supports the spreader bar from a user's shoulder and has an adjustable length for accommodating different-sized people.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an apparatus for carrying a surfboard, sailboard 
or the like. More specifically, the invention provides a device which 
allows one person to conveniently transport such a board, as from their 
automobile to the water, without the help of another person. 
Surfboards and sailboards are unwieldy to transport, and many are wide 
enough that it is difficult for a user to tuck the board under his/her arm 
so that it can be grasped by the hand for carrying. This, in many 
instances, prohibits transportation by a single person, especially a 
person who is slight in stature. Furthermore, many of these boards are 
heavy enough that carrying them with one hand beneath the board is 
fatiguing. Thus, many people are forced to hold the board across their 
body, grasping the board from beneath with both hands. This, of course, 
makes it impossible to carry any other articles, such as paddles, masts, 
etc. with the other hand. It also provides an unwieldy load, especially if 
the distance to be traveled is substantial. 
Advantageously, the weight of the board should be born on the user's 
shoulder, since most people are capable of carrying substantially more 
weight from their shoulder without fatigue. One prior art device is 
marketed which is in the form of a net which envelopes the board from 
end-to-end, and includes a shoulder strap to support the net, and thus the 
board. The shoulder strap is attached at two separate points on the net, 
so that, when the net is stretched over the board, the shoulder strap will 
extend in the form of an inverted V, with the apex of the V resting on the 
shoulder of the user. The attachments of the strap ends to the net are 
thus positioned at some distance ahead and behind of the user. This 
arrangement makes the device somewhat comfortable to use, since the strap 
is held away from the user's body. 
To provide this advantage, however, the device requires the user to wrap 
the net around the entire board, and especially over the board ends. This 
permits the board to stretch the net lengthwise along the board, and thus 
maintain the attachment points for the shoulder strap separated. It is 
inconvenient to wrap and unwrap the board from the net. Furthermore, the 
net must approximate the length of the board for the device to be used 
effectively. The device also requires the user to grasp the top of the 
board, or the netting along the top of the board, to direct and stabilize 
the load during portage. Grasping the top of the board itself is awkward, 
and grasping the net can be painful, since the slender strands of the 
netting can cut into one's hand. Furthermore, neither of these techniques 
permits the user to support a substantial portion of the weight of the 
board with his/her hand. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These difficulties associated with the prior art are alleviated with the 
device of the present invention. The apparatus disclosed herein permits 
the convenience of an inverted V-shaped shoulder strap, without relying on 
the board itself to maintain the arms of the V separated and away from the 
body of the user. Further, the device does not require an inconvenient 
wrapping of the entire length of the board in the device. The device also 
provides the user with a convenient handle for guiding the load, and for 
supporting a portion of the load with the user's hand. 
Briefly, the invention includes a pair of slings which may be looped around 
the center of the board at two separated locations along the board's 
length. These slings include fasteners which permit the loops to be 
adjusted to snugly support boards of various sizes. 
The slings are supported from a spreader bar which is sufficiently rigid to 
maintain the separation of the loops along the length of the board. This 
separate support of the board at two locations ahead and behind the 
board's center of gravity provides stability during portage. 
The spreader bar is also attached to the ends of the inverted V strap which 
forms a shoulder sling. The rigidity of the bar keeps the arms of the 
V-shaped strap away from the user's body to permit comfortable use. 
Furthermore, the bar itself is conveniently grasped by the user to permit 
the user to guide the board as he/she walks, and to lift a part of the 
weight of the board with his/her hand. The length of the shoulder sling is 
adjustable so that users of different stature may conveniently adjust the 
height of the board, and the height of the bar itself, to permit 
convenient hand support. 
Most advantageously, hook-and-loop fasteners are used for adjustment of the 
slings which loop around the board, and for adjustment of the shoulder 
sling. This type of fastener permits easy attachment and removal of the 
device from the board, and adjustment for different boards and users. 
A web is attached to the slings which are looped around the board, to 
cradle the center of the board, and to make the device more organized for 
attachment to the board. 
These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood 
through a reference to the drawings and the detailed description which 
follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring initially to FIG. 1, the apparatus of this invention permits a 
single person 11 to conveniently transport a surfboard, sailboard or the 
like 13. As can be seen from the figure, this load is particularly 
unwieldy. Yet, with the aid of this apparatus, the person 11 can not only 
comfortably support the board 13 from one shoulder, but can also guide the 
board, as along a narrow walkway or the like. 
Essentially, the apparatus includes a shoulder sling or strap 15, a 
spreader bar 17, and a pair of board-supporting loops or slings 19, 21. 
The shoulder sling 15 is attached in the preferred embodiment at the ends 
of the spreader bar 17, and passes over the user's shoulder to form an 
inverted V. The spreader bar 17 is long enough to hold the two arms of the 
V away from the body of the person 11, with the forward arm 23 extending 
away from the chest of the person 11, and the rearward arm 25 extending 
away from the back of the person 11. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, the sling 15 is attached to the spreader bar 17 at 
attachment points 27 and 29. The inverted V form of the sling 15 is formed 
by maintaining the distance between the attachment points 27 and 29, along 
the length of the spreader bar 17, at least twelve inches. It has been 
found that a smaller separation makes the apparatus uncomfortable to use 
if the board 13 is carried a long distance. It is advantageous if the 
attachment points 27 and 29 are located at the opposite ends of the 
spreader bar 17 thereby being equidistant from the longitudinal center of 
the spreader bar 17. 
The board-supporting loops 19,21 snugly surround the board 13, and are 
suspended from the spreader bar 17. The loops are attached to the spreader 
bar 17 at the same points 27 and 29. It has been found that the points of 
attachment of the loops 19,21 need not be at the same location on the 
spreader bar 17 as the points of attachment of the sling 15. However, it 
is advantageous that the loop-supporting points be separated by at least 
twelve inches and be equidistant from the longitudinal center of the 
spreader bar 17. This separation at the spreader bar 17 assures that the 
loops 19, 21, throughout their length, will stay separated as they pass 
around the board 13, thus providing stable support for the board 13. 
While, in the preferred embodiment, both the shoulder sling 15 and the 
loops 19,21 are attached at points 27 and 29 at the ends of the spreader 
bar 17, such attachment is not required. Rather, the separations between 
attachment points specified above are significant. It is also advantageous 
to center the attachment points of the shoulder sling 15 with the 
attachment points of the loops 19, 21, so that the load is balanced from 
the shoulder of the user 11. 
As is evident from FIG. 1, in addition to its function in separating the 
attachment points of the shoulder sling 15 and the loops 19, 21, the 
spreader bar 17 provides a convenient handle. The user 11 can grasp the 
spreader bar 17, not only to guide the board 13 during portage, but also 
to support a portion of the weight of the board 13. Often, a user will 
find the handle convenient to raise the front or rear of the board 13 to 
pass over obstacles or stairs. The spreader bar 17 is dimensioned to 
permit the user 11 to firmly grasp it, as would be impractical if the user 
11 had to grasp the board 13 itself, or a slender web or rope. 
Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the details of construction of the apparatus 
may be examined. The shoulder sling 15 comprises a single 
one-hundred-and-two inch length of nylon webbing, two inches in width. One 
end 31 of the webbing is folded over a square D-ring and sewn to itself. 
The other end 35 is passed through the spreader bar 17, which comprises a 
thirty inch length of one-and-one-half inch plastic pipe, such as schedule 
40 water pipe. After passing through the spreader bar 17, the end 35 is 
also passed through two loops 37,39 of a shoulder pad 41. Finally, the end 
35 is passed through the square D-ring 33, and folded back on itself. 
The end 35 of the sling 15 is provided with hook-and-loop fastening 
material. Specifically, the final twelve inches at the end 35 is covered, 
on one side, with two-inch-side hook material, while the next twenty-four 
inches is covered, on the same side, with two-inch-wide loop material. 
This arrangement permits the end 35 of the sling 15 to be passed through 
the square D-ring 33 folded onto itself, with an adjustable amount of the 
end 35 being passed through the ring 33. This permits the length of the 
sling 15 to be adjusted, and thus, in turn, the height of the spreader bar 
17 in relation to the person 11. 
The loops 37, 39 of the shoulder pad 41 are loose enough to permit the pad 
41 to slide to the proper position to sit atop the user's shoulder, yet 
snug enough to stay in place on the sling 15 once adjusted. The pad 41 
preferably comprises a three inch by ten inch sheet of three quarter inch 
foam sewn within a nylon pouch. 
Each of the loops 19, 21 comprises seventy inch length of nylon webbing, 
two inches in width. One end 43 of each loop 19, 21 supports hook 
fastening material, two inches in width, extending throughout the final 
twelve inches of its length. The other end 45 of each loop 19, 21 is 
folded over a square D-ring 47 and sewn to itself. The final twenty four 
inches of this end 45 is covered with loop fastening material, so that the 
ends 43, 45 may be adjustably fastened together. This adjustability 
permits the loops 19, 21 to be passed snugly around the board 13. 
The square D-rings 47 at the ends of the loops 19, 21, are attached to 
opposite ends of a support strap 49. This strap comprises a thirty-five 
inch length of two inch wide nylon webbing, folded over itself and the 
respective square D-ring 47 at each end, and sewn to itself. This strap 
passes through the spreader bar 17 to support the loops 19, 21. 
A thirty-four inch open-weave by forty-four inch fabric pouch or web 51 is 
sewn, along two opposite sides, to the loops 19, 21. This pouch supports 
the surfboard, sailboard or the like 13 between the loops 19, 21, and 
keeps the loops 19, 21 arranged in their proper position as the apparatus 
is wrapped around the board 13. The pouch 51 preferably comprises cordura 
nylon fabric. 
For use, the apparatus is first laid flat on the ground, and the board 13 
is laid flat covering one half of the pouch 51. The other half of the 
pouch 51 is then folded over the board 13, and the ends 43 of the loops 
19, 21 are passed through the square D-rings 47. The loops 19, 21 are 
pulled snug around the board 13, and the ends 43 are fastened to the ends 
45 using the hook-and-loop fasteners. 
The sling 15 is then adjusted to fit the person 11, and the pad 41 is 
placed on the person's shoulder, raising the board 13 off the ground for 
portage. This leaves the person's other hand free to carry paddles, masts, 
or the like, or such articles may be passed through the loops 19, 21 to be 
carried along side the board 13.