Surfboards and surf accessories

Once you have purchased your first surfboard, it is inevitable that you will want to securely transport your surfboard to and from the beach. When you first begin your search for a surfboard rack, you will quickly find that you have three options. Tie down straps, soft racks, and hard racks. If you don’t want to spend a solid $100 + or more on a hard rack, you can either get a soft rack or some simple tie down straps. If you already have a rack on your vehicle you can expect to spend a lot less money compared to one without. Although with some ingenuity, securely transporting your surfboard can still be fairly cheap for those without pre-installed car racks.

The first, and cheapest option, is to go with some simple tie-down straps. These straps wrap over your surfboard and go through the doors of your vehicle. Most can be tightened and loosened from inside the vehicle, although this usually depends on the strap. Cheap surfboard pads can also be purchased which you can lay your surfboard on. This protects both the roof of your vehicle, as well as the your surfboard. If you would rather not purchase surfboard pads, some form of a towel is a good idea, especially if you are driving a short distance. If you use a towel, be sure to wrap the board completely where the straps will be placed. Just placing the towel between the vehicle and surfboard can cause it to come out and flap in the wind, or even worse wedge its way out. If you have racks already on your car or suv, you can purchase pads that are designed to go over the crossbars of these racks. Then you can use your tie down straps in the same ways as you would without pre-installed racks.

If you don’t like the idea of straps or towels, or don’t have pre-installed racks, you can always purchase a soft surfboard rack. Soft surfboard racks are essentially the towel(pad) and strap idea combined. They work in the same manner as most tie-down straps, but have a pad already in place for the surfboard to lie on. This makes things easier and you don’t have to look for your straps and pads every time you want to head to the beach. However, they are a little more expensive than the strap/ towel combo, but are usually quicker to set up. Take down time is about the same for both straps and racks.

Please be advised that any soft rack, towel or strap that comes into contact with salt water will eventually scrap your vehicle. When the water evaporates salt is left 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 raps and straps from getting wet with salt water. This can be done by storing you 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 on your vehicle. It would also be wise to rinse off your soft rack and straps every once in a while with warm fresh water to help remove salt build up.

By Simon Stock

Article Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Surfboard-Racks-Vs-Surfboard-Tie-Down-Straps&id=5940267