so how do you secure your board on roof of ya van/wagon?
What type of roof mounting bars and straps...

Big fan of Lockrack, no straps required and secure www.lockrack.com.au

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Tonz said..
so how do you secure your board on roof of ya van/wagon?
What type of roof mounting bars and straps...

I like oval shaped rack bars.... minimal wind noise.

I only use the "One Rope System"
one rope, with a simple loop at one end

Fast, safe and cheap
no strap noise

Safe to load in high wind:
never have to take a hand off the board, till it is secured by the rope!

Pics are easier than explanation.

10's of thousands of miles, no issues.
I double up the front rope on long, high speed road trips.

also.... not the cool surfer way.....
I put fin back and up
nose forward

Wind pushes down on the nose, so no strain on ropes or rack at high speed
Less chance of killing someone with a board flying forward off the car if in an accident, because the rope may stop the fin.

reda7777...I like the idea bu, yikes wind resistance on those arms would be something I think.

supthecreek... simple I like that, presume its nylon rope ...slight stretch?

sup creek - i did something similer but then noticed the racks strated sliding towards each other along rails

Carry your board to the beach??

Lockrack got my vote and select the model that suit your board's if your carrying one or two boards at a time.

I

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normster said..
sup creek - i did something similer but then noticed the racks strated sliding towards each other along rails

I used a similar technique with tie downs and obviously applied to much tension. A gust of wind hit and the boards and rack flew through the air and the boards broke in two. Id use a tie down for each rack if youre travelling any distance and any speed.

STC you need to put all your how-to's in a book!

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normster said..
sup creek - i did something similer but then noticed the racks strated sliding towards each other along rails

I hear ya Norm.... I put my racks on my daughters new car, with a wax job and I had the same thing happen because the pads on the roof didn't have the same grip on wax.

You have to have solid racks to use this method.

I buy good quality braided rope.
I like braided nylon because it's strong and soft, so easily shapes to board and rack.... easy to pull tight.
Plus it comes in colors

I bought a second hand set of bars from thule off ebay. JUst check often and you should find some. THen i use ocean and earth tie downs sup, 2 years going strong. Your local shop will have them.
IF you live more than 20 minutes from beach get the lock rack. The thule barsvdo make freeway whistle.

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reda7777 said..
Big fan of Lockrack, no straps required and secure www.lockrack.com.au

Wow they look cool and I see it was developed by a South African. How do they work at highyway speeds? Can you keep the board in a bag and clamp it down?

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WCC said..

reda7777 said..
Big fan of Lockrack, no straps required and secure www.lockrack.com.au

Wow they look cool and I see it was developed by a South African. How do they work at highyway speeds? Can you keep the board in a bag and clamp it down?

Lockrack are great period, no more sore hands when it's cold, no excess time waisted tieing down, no chance of overtightening and just so convenient. Had mine a few years no problems, oh yeah no problem at speed on the highway with next to no noise but this may depend on racks and vehicle. I have the whispbar on an Impreza

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micksmith said..

WCC said..

reda7777 said..
Big fan of Lockrack, no straps required and secure www.lockrack.com.au

Wow they look cool and I see it was developed by a South African. How do they work at highyway speeds? Can you keep the board in a bag and clamp it down?

Lockrack are great period, no more sore hands when it's cold, no excess time waisted tieing down, no chance of overtightening and just so convenient. Had mine a few years no problems, oh yeah no problem at speed on the highway with next to no noise but this may depend on racks and vehicle. I have the whispbar on an Impreza

Great thanks.

After 3 years plus of SUP I finally put a down payment on racks today ....and then I see this post . Hopefully I made a decent choice . Lockable Rhino Rack with Aero Bar . Up to now I have always put boards in vehicle . Problem was for holidays I had to use inflatable which was ok but obviously not ideal in surf . Also can now take family to watch the kook in action .
I am nervous about a 2 hour drive with board on racks so I think I will be conservative and use two or more tie downs . I think Insurance is a grey area and you may not be covered in your board flies off and damages another car or causes injury . So best to be conservative on this one in my opinion

Hobie straps. Had a couple of spares for my Hobie kayak. Strong straps.

Gboots if its one board, one set of tie downs will be fine,

A set of these are handy if you have to leave boards unattended on the car in a dodgy neighbourhood.

Are there heat risks whilst on a long drive with board on racks (e.g during summer ) or does the board stay at a reasonable temperature ?

Docks Locks

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Gboots said..
Are there heat risks whilst on a long drive with board on racks (e.g during summer ) or does the board stay at a reasonable temperature ?

If you are moving at a reasonable pace no probs. Stuck in traffic on a 35C day not good. Reflective boardbag that is vented with zip undone a bit helps. Driven 1000s of ks with boards on roof in the heat with no issues. Light colour sups helps.

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hilly said..

Gboots said..
Are there heat risks whilst on a long drive with board on racks (e.g during summer ) or does the board stay at a reasonable temperature ?

If you are moving at a reasonable pace no probs. Stuck in traffic on a 35C day not good. Reflective boardbag that is vented with zip undone a bit helps. Driven 1000s of ks with boards on roof in the heat with no issues. Light colour sups helps.

I've seen top brand white SUPs delaminate even here in Tassie when left in the hot sun, a board sock seems to work pretty well to protect from the Suns rays.

There are real risks in overthinking putting the board on the car......

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Nozza said..
There are real risks in overthinking putting the board on the car......

I am with you there

Maybe .... but I'd rather be responsible. Too late after the fact.

are you guys really serious? are you saying its not wise to leave SUP board tied down on ya vehicles roof.

I have 2 SUP's and 2 wave boards plus a box on my roof. I use Kanulock straps to tie it all down. I travel up to 600kms up and down the coast for comps and have no trouble.

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Tonz said..
are you guys really serious? are you saying its not wise to leave SUP board tied down on ya vehicles roof.

Yes, in hot weather when not moving the board will delaminate. Especially if there are dark colours on the bottom of the board eg black logo. Just to test it stick your board in the sun for 10 minutes and put your hand on the black logo.

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riverider said..
A set of these are handy if you have to leave boards unattended on the car in a dodgy neighbourhood.

For those using Kanu Locks what size do use for SUPs 3.3 or 5.4 m ?

If the 5.4m ones are blue, not them - ridiculously long.
I've got orange covered ones, whatever they are

Thanks Nozza

orange ones 3.3
blue ones 5.4.....must be for kayak or multi layers of SUPs