how to tie surfboards to the roof of a car??

General Discussion
21

Hi Doc -

Brings to mind a guy I saw on the 405 headed north somewhere around Long Beach one day. Cheeseball bungies holding a nice longboard to the roof of his van. I thought about giving him a heads up but decided to mind my own business. I doubt if he reached any speeds over 15 mph… there was intense traffic that day.

Now if anybody has a picture of Darren and the boys and the monstrous pile of boards they had tied sideways on top of there van one year in Big Sur, I could offer another example of what NOT to do. Ohmigod - you would have had to see it to believe it!

22

Personally… i like to attach my boards to the bumper and drag them around so i dont look like a highway surf dude, well used and plenty of dings to practice on !!!anyone know which side to put the wax on does mister Miyagi post here???

23

You can definitely damage the board bag with tail first fin up too…A couple of trips to NH from SB and back proved that for me…Re: tail or nose first, my theory is that it’s the amount of board sticking out in front (alot = major sail = bad) and (of course), you want the wide point forward of the rear-most strap or hope your big single fin will slow down the backslide if your straps are forward of the wide point for optimal safety (per previously mentioned wiggle/losening probs), and (duh) wax melts…so bottoms up.

24
Quote:
http://www.wikihow.com/Carry-Surfboards-on-the-Roof-of-a-Vehicle

[]Never put a board nose first on a vehicle. []Always place your board fins forward and up on the rack.

i think it is plain bs

wrt braking: board will come off the front of car.

wind resistance increased when tail first…

What do you guys reckon—

Wouter

nose first upside down. that presses the board down onto the roof. everyone has their own way.

25

Hey Wouter,

I have driven thousands of miles with the boards strapped directly onto the roof with legropes, looped through the open doors and tied inside.

Or…to the beach with the board under my arm out the open window…

So I don’t stake much on fancy racks.

Depends on your comfort zone…

But, Fins forward is definately cooler.

Josh

26
Quote:

So many cars are, or at least were, designed with ‘styling’ first and economy last, Heh- is there an aerodynamicist in the house???

doc…

You obviously haven’t seen my car. A 1995 Ford Mondao 2L estates, it looks like a cross between a tank and a skip. But no worries about straps coz I can fit all my boards in the back.