Patent 7036698 was granted and assigned to Yakima Products on May, 2006 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Systems, including methods and apparatus, to facilitate loading a boat onto a vehicle. The systems include a load assist device mounted on a vehicle load carrier. The load assist device includes a support member that is stored substantially within a crossbar of the load carrier and telescopes outwardly from the crossbar to a deployed position. The support member may be returned to its stored position in the crossbar after the boat has been loaded onto the carrier.