Small boat carrier

Claim 1

A boat carrier comprising 1. a substantially horizontal U-frame member defined by a pair of laterally spaced apart substantially parallel port and starboard longitudinal beam members and a transverse beam member connecting the forward ends of said longitudinal beam members, the after end of the U-frame being open and the area bounded by the U-frame being unobstructed from its after end throughout substantially its entire length; 2. a first multiple wheeled truck unit positioned beneath said port beam member; 3. a second multiple wheeled truck unit positioned beneath said starboard beam member, the space between said first and second truck units being unobstructed; 4. each of said first and second truck units comprising a bed plate having an after end and a forward end, a first pair of laterally spaced apart wheels having a first common axis of rotation journaled to one end of the bed plate, at least one other wheel having a second axis of rotation journaled to the other end of the bed plate; 5. first and second extensible frame supporting members each connecting a corresponding one of said first and second truck units with and supporting its respective superjacent longitudinal beam member, each of said frame supporting members including an upwardly extensible hydraulic ram means arranged to elevate the longitudinal beam member relative to the truck unit, each of said frame supporting members comprising a strut member pivotally connected at its upper end to the longitudinal beam member and pivotally connected at its lower end to the bed plate of its associated truck unit at a locus intermediate said first and second axes of rotation, said hydraulic ram means being pivotally connected to said strut member at a locus intermediate the ends thereof and also pivotally connected at its opposite end to said longitudinal beam member at a locus which is longitudinally spaced from the point of pivotal attachment of said strut member to said longitudinal beam member, the upper end of said strut member bracketing its respective superjacent longitudinal beam member and the lower end of said strut member bracketing said bed plate whereby to maintain said first and second axes of rotation perpendicular to said longitudinal beam member and to substantially preclude rotation of its respective truck unit about a vertical axis; 6. fluid dispensing means providing controlled volumes of fluid under pressure in fluid communication with said hydraulic ram means, said dispensing means in combination with said hydraulic ram means being operative to raise or lower said U-frame member in a substantially horizontal plane; and 7. said U-frame member being further characterized in that said longitudinal beam members, either alone or together with said forward transverse beam member, constitute the sole members of the boat carrier which contact and support the hull of the boat to be transported.