Once you’ve purchased your first surfboard, it’s inevitable that you’ll want to safely transport it to and from the beach. When you begin your search for a surfboard rack, you’ll quickly find that you have three options. Tie down straps, soft racks and hard racks. If you don’t want to spend $100 or more on a rigid rack, you can get a soft rack 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. Although with a little ingenuity, safely transporting your surfboard can be quite inexpensive for those without pre-installed racks.

The first option, and the cheapest, is to go with some simple tie down straps. These straps wrap around your surfboard and across the doors of your vehicle. Most can be tightened and loosened from inside the vehicle, although this is often belt dependent. 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 table where the straps will be attached. Simply placing the towel between the vehicle and the surfboard can cause it to come loose and flap in the wind, or even worse, slip through. If you already have roof racks on your car or SUV, you can purchase pads designed to fit over the cross bars 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 ​​leashes or towels, or don’t have racks pre-installed, you can always buy a soft surfboard rack. Soft surfboard racks are essentially the idea of ​​the towel (pad) and leash combined. They work the same way as most tie down straps, but already have a pad to attach your surfboard to. This makes things easy and you don’t have to search for your straps and pads every time you want to go to the beach. They are, however, a bit more expensive than the strap/towel combo, but are usually quicker to install. Disassembly time is almost the same for both the straps and the racks.

Please note that any soft luggage rack, towel or strap that comes into contact with salt water will eventually scrap your vehicle. When water evaporates, salt is left behind and can accumulate 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 salt water wet. This can be done by storing your surfboard racks and straps in your vehicles, and using a towel, one not used as a pad, and wiping down your 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 lukewarm fresh water to help remove salt buildup.

Hopefully, you now have an idea of ​​the options you now have 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 leashes 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!