UNIVERSAL GUNWALE BRACKET

An apparatus for carrying a boat is disclosed. In some examples, the apparatus may include a crossbar, a pair of towers for coupling the crossbar to a vehicle, a gunwale support device configured to support a gunwale of the boat, and a clamp device coupled to the gunwale support device configured to selectively grip crossbars of various sizes and shapes. The gunwale support device may include a bench having a seat (or seat surface), a back (or back wall surface), and a top surface on which the gunwale and/or other portion of the boat may be supported. The seat, back wall, and/or top surfaces may be convexly curved, tapered, angled, and/or have a progressive curvature corresponding to a curved portion of a cone, which may compensate for misalignment between the gunwale and the bench. The clamp device may include an actuator located above the crossbar for manipulating the clamp device between open and clamped positions. The back may define a plane substantially perpendicular to a core axis of the crossbar, and a portion of the bench and the actuator may be on opposite sides of the plane.