Boat carrier

A boat carrier is provided for manually transporting a canoe in the field. The device allows a user to pull the canoe and any fishing gear to any distance in one easy trip. The boat carrier includes a quick disassemble frame for receiving the canoe near the midsection, a pair of transversely spaced-apart heavy terrain wheels attached to the frame, and a pair of hold down brackets for resiliently securing the canoe to the frame assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to canoe and small boat transport. 
The outdoorsman has always been burdened by transportation problems 
created by the wilderness. Thick forests, murky swamps, muddy roads and 
rocky terrain present difficulties to a traveler loaded with gear and 
water transportation. 
Boat trailers are commonly used for hauling the gear and the boat to the 
wilderness site. The trailer may be attached to the outdoorman's vehicle 
or the boat may be mounted on the roof of the vehicle. 
Boat trailers pulled by a vehicle are inadequate for use in the field. 
Lightweight boats, attached to the roof of the vehicle, are appropriate 
for field use but when combined with other outdoor gear, create traveling 
problems. Accordingly, there is a need for a boat trailer for use in the 
field that is easy to carry and hauls the boat in the field. As for 
handicapped individuals, transporting a boat or canoe through the 
wilderness is even more of a problem. The art has simply failed to provide 
ground transportation for the handicapped attempting to carry a canoe 
through rough terrain. 
Several prior art attempts to provide an easy to handle quick disassembly 
boat dolly have failed because of poor design. For example, Wilson U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,688,494, shows a boat beaching gear having a pair of hooklike 
side members connected by a line of rope that runs underneath the boat. 
Unfortunately, the arrangement taught by Wilson requires the outdoorsman 
to use rope and angle iron creating an unstable vehicle likely to collapse 
in rough terrain such as a swamp or a marsh. Other attempts, such as those 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,665 and 4,801,152, are fine for pavement 
but are mechanically unsound for field use. 
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a boat 
carrier means that can collapse into a small package for compact storage. 
The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and 
the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention 
itself will be best understood by reference to the following description 
of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with purpose of this invention, there is provided a boat 
carrier for manually transporting a boat or a canoe. The boat carrier 
includes an easy to assemble frame for receiving the boat or canoe near 
one end thereof, a pair of wheels detachably mounted to the frame a 
lateral support bar, a pair of corner braces, a pair of hold down brackets 
each and a pair of rope loops each having one end running through a 
portion of the corner brace and the other end positioned over a projection 
on the top of the hold down brackets. 
The ropes provide flexible support for securing the boat onto the boat 
carrier and offer a means for quickly and easily removing the frame 
assembly from the canoe. 
In a preferred embodiment, the boat carrier includes a pair of cord clamps 
each pivotally attached to the outside of each corner brace. Each cord 
clamp has a receiver for gripping one end of each rope. The cord clamps 
may be pivoted downward against each side of each corner brace for 
securing the boat on the boat carrier. 
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a 
means for easily transporting a boat on land. 
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a means for 
transporting a boat that is simple in design and easy to use. 
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a means for 
transporting a boat that is simple in design and easy to use. 
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a means for 
transporting a boat that can be easily attached upon a boat or removed 
therefrom. 
It is further a object of the present invention to provide a means for 
transporting a boat that is adjustable, able to be secured on boats of a 
wide range of sizes. 
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a boat carrier 
means that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a boat carrier 
means that can be handled by one person. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, a boat (1) having a hull (1a) is mounted for travel on 
the subject boat carrier (2). The boat carrier may provide land 
transportation to any type of small boat including canoes, paddle boats, 
fishing boats and tube boats. 
The boat carrier, as shown disassembled in FIG. 2, includes a frame 
assembly (3). The frame assembly includes parts that are hollow and 
rectangular shaped for telescoping connection. The parts are preferably 
made of metal or heavy plastic. 
The frame assembly (3) has two identical half sections connected by a 
lateral support bar (4) which will be described in detail later. Each half 
section includes a hold down bracket (5) having a J-shaped design with a 
hook (6), a top surface (7) provided with a projection (8). The projection 
extends from the top surface (7) at least 1/4 inch. The bracket has a 
lower end (9) of reduced cross section. 
Each half section further includes a corner brace (10) having a vertical 
section (11) with four side walls (12), a cross piece (13) and a 
horizontal section (14). The vertical section (11) has a hollow upper end 
(15) for telescopingly receiving the lower end (9) of the hold down 
bracket (5). The vertical section (11) has a bottom end (16) with an 
aperture (17) provided on the inside wall (12a) of the corner brace. The 
horizontal section (14) includes an aperture (18) on upper surface (19). 
The frame assembly also includes a wheel assembly (20) for (11) has a 
bottom end (16) with an aperture (17) provided on the inside wall (12a) of 
the corner brace. The horizontal section (14) includes an aperture (18) on 
upper surface (19). 
The frame assembly also includes a wheel assembly (20) for each half 
section. The wheel assembly (20) utilizes a wheel connector frame (21) 
having a reduced top end (22) and a foot (23). The wheel connector frame 
has an inside wall (24) provided with an upper aperture (25) and a larger 
hole (26). A bolt (27) is fitted into the hole (26) and extends through 
foot (23) to connect wheel (28), spacers (29) and nut (30) to wheel 
connector frame (21). The foot extends the wheel (28) away from the wheel 
connector frame to assure easy operation of the wheel. The reduced top end 
(22) of the wheel frame connector slides inside bottom end (16) of the 
corner brace such that apertures (17) and (25) are in mating relationship. 
As illustrated in FIG. 3, a spring biased pin (31) is positioned inside the 
top end (22) and extends through apertures (25) and (17) to lock the wheel 
connector frame to the corner brace. Pressing in the pin below the wall 
(12a) allows the release of the wheel connector frame and the corner 
brace. 
The lateral support bar (4) has reduced end portions (35) with apertures 
(36). The reduced end portions are slid inside each end (37) of the corner 
braces until each aperture (18) of the corner brace mates with apertures 
(36) of the lateral support bar. Also provided inside each end (35) of the 
lateral support bar (4) are spring bias pins (40) which extend through 
apertures (18) and (36) to lock the lateral support bar (4) to the corner 
braces (10). The lateral support bar may be horizontally adjustable or may 
come in different lengths to suit the type of boat or canoe. 
With reference now to FIGS. 2, 4, 5 each half section also includes a clamp 
and rope assembly (50). The clamp and rope assembly has a cord clamp (51) 
which includes arms (52) pivotally attached to side walls (12) of the 
corner brace. The cord clamp (51) has a receiver (53) that is provided 
with an aperture (54). Flanges (55) are provided on each side wall (56) of 
arms (52). The cord clamp is generally of U-shaped configuration as best 
shown in FIG. 6. The cord clamp is pivotally mounted (7) by a fastener 
(59). 
As broadly illustrated in FIG. 2, each half section is provided with a 
nylon rope loop (60) having a first end (61) and a second end (62). The 
first end is secured by the receiver (53) and the second end is wound over 
projection (8). After the entire frame assembly is assembled, the second 
end (61) of the rope loop is wound around the projection and the cord 
clamp (5) is pulled down until the cord clamp (51) is snug against the 
vertical portion (11) of the corner brace. The cord clamp (51) pulls the 
rope loop taught securing the hold down bracket into the hull of the boat. 
The carrier is assembled and attached to the boat as illustrated in FIG. 
1. Release of the cord clamp upwardly frees the rope loop (60) allowing 
the user to disassemble the carrier. 
The frame assembly (2) also includes a pad support system made up of 
resilient rubber pads (71) adhered to the inner walls (12) of the frame 
assembly (2) to prevent damage to the boat hull during transportation. 
While there have been described above the principles of this invention in 
connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that 
this description is made only by wa of example and not as a limitation to 
the scope of the invention.