Unless you are one of the lucky few, you drive to the beach when you go surfing.
Youʻll see people put their boards in the front seat, out the trunk or window, through the sunroof and on surf racks. Surf racks are definitely a better way to go than having your surfboard sticking out of your trunk, but how fast can you drive with surfboards on the roof?
If you’re using a soft rack to secure your surfboard to the roof of your car, it is advised to keep your speed below 60 mph. For a permanent roof rack, you can go as much as 80- 100mph.
But, it’s always best to stay cautious. I would personally recommend sticking to a maximum of 60 mph, regardless of how your board is secured.
Let’s dive in deeper and find out what else you need to know in order to get your board to the waves safely!
Are Soft Racks As Reliable As Permanent Roof Racks?
| Soft Racks | Permanent Racks | |
| Affordable | X | |
| Easy To Strap Surfboards | X | |
| Can Exceed 80mph | X | |
| Transportable | X | |
| Safely Secure Boards | X | X |
When it comes to securing your surfboard on top of your car, you have two main options: a soft rack or a permanent roof rack. Of course, you could always forego the use of racks and bring your board with you inside of your car. But before you do that you should read this article.
Soft racks are great because theyʻre cheap, collapse down into a little bag, and can safely secure surfboards to the roof of the car. If youʻre in the market for soft racks, you canʻt go wrong with these ones.
They are great if you are traveling with surfboards and need racks for a rental car or for just taking quick trips to the local beach break.
However, soft racks do have a few drawbacks that you should be aware of.
I used to use soft racks as my primary racks when I first started surfing. They worked great, but came loose in speeds above 60mph over longer periods of driving. Besides that, they could only carry up to 2 boards at a time.
Soft racks arenʻt hard to take on and off, but they are a bit of a chore. I would leave them on the top of my car almost full time.
I always had straps in my face, (soft racks strap thru the interior of the car) and eventually, the strap and pad material on the roof began to degrade in the sun.
And quite frankly, they didnʻt look cool.
The switch to permanent roof racks was life changing for me. While a bit more costlier than soft racks, permanent roof racks are definitely worth the price.
The number one perk is that they stay on all the time and make strapping a surfboard to the car really easy. No more fiddling like I had to do with soft racks.
Not only that, they are so much stronger. Properly installed roof racks can hold a number of surfboards at speeds exceeding 80mph. Perfect for long road trips.
So, if you surf a lot or you’re going on a long road trip, then I would definitely recommend using a permanent roof rack (this one is my favorite!). You may have to customize a permanent roof rack to fit your car, but no matter what, spend money on a decent brand. You donʻt want your boards flying off.
And remember, no matter what type of rack you decide to go for, always make sure to double check that everything is secure before you hit the road (but more on that further down in this article, so stay tuned)!
Do I Even Need Surf Racks?
Now, I can hear you thinking: if I’m just driving to the beach for a day of surfing, do I even need surf racks?
If your car has some type of roof rack already, you do not need to get a surf rack.
However, if your car doesn’t have a carrier or if you’re worried about causing accidents or damaging your car’s roof, then I would surely recommend getting a set of surf racks.
You can get away without using a rack at all, but I would advise laying down some padding between the roof of your car and your surfboard and using some really long straps that can run around your boards and through the interior. Even then boards can still shift around.
Soft racks really are not that expensive. If itʻs between no racks and soft racks, I would go ahead and get a pair of soft racks like these.
Itʻs going to take a little investment to get yourself setup properly to go surfing, thereʻs no way around it. But, you can save money by learning about exactly how much surfing should cost by reading this post.
What Straps You Use Are Just As Important As The Racks
Soft racks typically come with their own tie down straps and pads, but with permanent roof racks youʻll need to provide your own.
There are several pad and strap options that you can choose from.
If you went with the Thule roof racks I recommended above, you should go ahead and get the Thule surf pads. Theyʻll help protect the deck of your board from pressure dings that could lead to delamination.
To tie your boards down, make sure you use high-quality straps that are designed for securing a surfboard. My favorite are these cinch straps, they make the job really easy.
You don’t want to take any chances with cheap straps that could break and cause your board to fall off the roof of your car.
Strap That Surfboard Down Properly, How To Do It
If you’re driving, you have to be extra careful about how you secure your board on the roof of your car.
You don’t want it to fall off and get damaged, or even worse, injure someone.
Now in order to actually strap down your surfboard, there are a few things you’ll need:
- Your surfboard (Thank you, Captain Obvious!)
- Racks (either soft or permanent)
- Straps
Now let’s look at the steps you’ll need to take in order to properly strap down your surfboard:
1. Before you do anything, first properly check your equipment. Make sure the racks and straps are in good condition and that there are no holes or rips. If everything looks good, then you can go ahead and start strapping down your board to your car.
2. To properly secure your surfboard, place your surfboard on the roof of your car on top of the rack with the fins up. I like to have my fins facing towards the front of the car as a safety measure in case the surfboard slips.
3. Put the straps around the rails of the rack and over the top of the surfboard.
4. Take the end of the strap and thread it through the buckle.
5. Pull the strap tight and then secure the buckle.
6. Make sure the straps are tight and secure before you start driving. You don’t want any loose straps because that could cause your board to move around and potentially fall off.
In order to make sure everything is safe and secure, you can easily check this by giving the surfboard a little shake. If it feels loose, then tighten the straps some more until it feels nice and steady.
Now that you know how to properly secure your surfboard, you’re ready to head down to the beach!
Just remember to drive safely and always check both your rack and your straps before hitting the road.
