Once you have purchased your first surfboard, it is inevitable that you will want to transport it safely to and from the beach. When you first start looking for a surfboard rack, you’ll quickly find that you have three options. Tie down straps, soft shelves and hard shelves. If you don’t want to spend $100 or more on a hard shelf, you can get a soft shelf or some simple tie down straps. If you already have a roof rack on your vehicle, you can expect to spend a lot less money compared to one that doesn’t. Though with a little ingenuity, safely transporting your surfboard can be quite inexpensive for those who don’t have pre-installed racks.
The first and cheapest option is to go with some simple tie down straps. These straps wrap around your surfboard and go through the doors of your vehicle. Most can be tightened and loosened from inside the vehicle, although this often depends on the belt. You can also buy cheap surfboard pads that you can put your surfboard on. This protects both the roof of your vehicle and the surfboard. If you’d rather not buy surfboard pads, a towel is a good idea, especially if you’re riding a short distance. If you use a towel, be sure to completely wrap the board where the straps will be attached. Simply placing the towel between the vehicle and the surfboard can cause it to blow off and flap in the wind, or even worse, leak. If you already have roof racks on your car or SUV, you can purchase pads designed to go over the crossbars of these roof racks. You can then use your tie down straps the same way you would without the pre-installed racks.
If you don’t like the idea of straps or towels, or don’t have pre-installed racks, you can always buy a soft surf rack. Soft surfboard racks are essentially the idea of the towel (pad) and strap combined. They work the same way as most tie down straps, but they already have a pad to attach the surfboard to. This makes things easier and you don’t have to search for your straps and pads every time you want to hit the beach. However, they are a bit more expensive than the strap/towel combination, but are usually quicker to set up. The disassembly time is almost the same for both the straps and the racks.
Keep in mind that any soft luggage rack, towel or strap that comes into contact with salt water will eventually dismantle your vehicle. When water evaporates, salt remains and can build up over time. This can and most likely will scratch the top of your vehicle the next time you use them. Be sure to keep all shocks and straps from getting wet with salt water. This can be done by storing surfboard racks and straps in your vehicles, and using a towel, one not used as a pad, and wiping down the surfboard before putting it back in your vehicle. It would also be wise to rinse the soft rack and straps from time to time with warm fresh water to help remove salt build-up.
Hopefully, you already have an idea of the options you have now when it comes to transporting your surfboard to and from the ocean. Whichever options you choose, just make sure you use the correct surfboard racks and surfboard straps for your surfboard size and you shouldn’t have any problems.
In your search for the perfect surfboard rack be sure to visit www.esurfbaorracks.com
Happy surfing!