Surfboard rack for vehicles
View Patent ↗A surfboard rack device has a center post, two bottom receiver rings, and two top retainer loops. The bottom receiver rings may also have flexible netting forming bottom baskets, into which one end of a surfboard is inserted. The other end of the surfboard rests in one of the top retainer loops and is secured by an elasticized strap that hooks to a strap ring on the top retainer loop or a pair of hinged rigid arcs which lock together. The device is mounted on a vehicle either by sliding a trailer hitch insert into the vehicle's trailer hitch receptacle, or by hooking the flat hooks of the rack support over the top and bottom of the vehicle's trunk lid.
1. A surfboard carrier device for vehicles, the device comprising:
a center post removably attachable to a vehicle, the center post comprising a rigid elongated post for supporting a plurality of surfboards attached thereto and means for attaching the post removably to a vehicle for transporting at least one surfboard attached to the center post;
a pair of bottom receiver rings attached to a bottom portion of the center post, one of the pair on each of two sides of the center post, each the receiver rings comprising a rigid surfboard encircling structure, covered by a resilient surface covering, to support a bottom portion of at least one surfboard placed within each of the receiver rings, each of the receiver rings further comprising a flexible netting forming a bottom basket attached around a bottom of each of the receiver rings for receiving a bottom of the at least one surfboard resting in the bottom basket;
a pair of top retainer loops attached to an upper portion of the center post, one of the pair of retainer loops on each of the two sides of the center post above and spaced apart from the pair of receiver rings, each of the retainer loops comprising adjustable means for admitting and securing at least one surfboard within the retainer loop.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein each of the retainer loops comprises a rigid arc portion covered by a resilient surface covering to receive at least one surfboard resting against the arc portion and an elasticized strap attached around the at least one surfboard connecting two sides of the arc portion for retaining the at least one surfboard secured thereto for transport of the at least one surfboard.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein each of the retainer loops comprises a pair of pivotable arc portions covered by a resilient surface cover, the pair of pivotable arc portions attached together at first end by a hinge to allow pivoting therebetween and a removably securing lock at a second end to alternate lock and release at least one surfboard between the pair of pivotable arc portions.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for removably attaching the center post comprises a bottom trailer hitch insert rigidly attached to the center post and extending orthogonally therefrom at a bottom of the center post for inserting the bottom trailer hitch insert into a trailer hitch receiver on a vehicle for transporting the device attached to the vehicle.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for removably attaching the center post comprises a bottom trailer hitch insert pivotally attached to the center post by a pivot pin through a pivot plate so that the center post reversibly pivots down away from the back of the vehicle, the pivot plate having an arched array of pin holes therein to receive a retaining pin through one of the holes to secure the center post alternately in an upright position and a downward position pivoted away from the back of the vehicle.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for removably attaching the center post comprises a support frame rigidly attached to the center post, the support frame comprising a pair of upper vehicle attaching hooks and a pair of lower vehicle attaching hooks for attaching to parts of the vehicle for removably securing the device to the vehicle.
7. The device of claim 6 wherein the hooks are thin flat metal hooks which removably hook under a top edge and a bottom edge of the vehicles trunk lid.