If you have a roof rack on your car and need to carry your surfboard to the beach, then you’re just a few minutes away from strapping it on and starting your journey.
In this guide, we’ll show you some of the ways you can secure a single surfboard and multiple surfboards to your roof rack.
Get the Equipment
You can secure a surfboard to your roof rack without a lot of additional equipment.
However, if you want to guarantee that it remains in place and doesn’t move around, you should look into purchasing some additional equipment.
You can buy foam blocks, crossbar pads, and saddle-style carriers, in addition to lock straps.
All of these are available from Amazon and will provide some much-needed extra support.
At the very least you will need a long strap, belt, or bungee cord to actually lock it in place, in addition to some rack pads to prevent scratching your surfboard.
How to Quickly Strap a Surfboard to Your Roof
The first method of strapping your surfboard to your roof rack will take you less than a minute and is good enough for short and quick journeys during calm and serene summer days.
Grab your strap, throw it over the top of the tail (leaving the buckle on the surfboard) and pull the other end underneath the two racks.
Pull it out, throw it over the nose, tuck it back underneath, and then pull it under the rack, out the other side, and into the buckle.
Secure it in place and you now have a surfboard fitted to your roof!
If you have two straps, it’s a little easier and more secure. Just throw one side of the strap over the tail and the other over the nose.
Pull them through the rack and secure them.
How to Strap Two Surfboards to A Roof Rack
To stack two surfboards, you can follow similar instructions as outlined above.
However, if you’re stacking waxed surfboards, you’ll need to put something between them to ensure the wax doesn’t transfer.
Make sure the longest surfboard is underneath and grab your straps!
You can lock them in place using the same methods outlined above.
How to Strap a Surfboard without a Roof Rack
If your car doesn’t have a roof rack, simply place a couple of foam pads at either end of the roof (one to support the nose; one to support the tail), rest the board(s) on top, and strap both sides down, going through your car.
Rather than throwing the straps over the board and then hooking them underneath the roof rack, you’re bringing one end through the passenger side and the other through the driver’s side (so that they meet on the inside roof of your vehicle) and then tying them in place, before repeating the process in the back.
How to Tie Down Surfboards in a Truck Bed
To transport surfboards using a pick-up truck, just grab a tailgate rack.
This straps to the back of your truck and secures your surfboard.
Alternatively, slice a foam roller in half, place one half over the lip of the tailgate, and create a loop by feeding each side of a strap through the bottom of your tailgate, looping it over the top of the surfboard, and tightening it.
For extra protection, slip your surfboard into a board sock or bag before tying it to your truck.
