How to Transport a Paddle Board Safely
In this article we will look at:
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Transporting a paddle board by truck
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Transporting a paddle board by car
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How to tie down a SUP on a roof rack
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Soft rack systems for paddle boards
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How to transport a paddle board without a rack
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Hard rack systems for paddle boards
Transporting a SUP Safely
Transporting a paddle board correctly is an important part of the activity that often gets neglected. Paddle boards are not cheap. It’s easy to ding or damage your board when moving it around. The worst dings on a board occur outside the water and dings add up quickly if your not careful.
By the end of the year that nice new board could look like crap and have serious damage. If you ding your board badly and expose the foam it could result in serious water damage. If the core is exposed to water it can permanently ruin your board. It definitely pays to be careful when moving your surfboard or SUP.
I am going to assume you can’t fit your board(s) inside your car and that you have to mount them on your roof. Most shortboards will fit inside a car but longboards and stand up paddleboards will not.
Transporting a Paddle Board by Truck
Trucks beds can work fine for transporting your board. In fact, it is my preferred method for moving my 11′ longboard and 10′ paddleboard.
It’s important that you use plenty of padding and that your board is secure and will not move around and bang against the side of the truck. The nose of the board is heavier and should go in first near the cab of the truck.
I place plenty of padding around the nose of the board and place the nose up against the bottom back of the truck bed. If the board is long I will put a sandbag on the nose to keep it down.
Now I use bungee cords to secure the middle of the board. I wrap a bungee cord around the board and then hook it to the clasps inside the truck bed.
It Don’t Look Pretty But It Works
Then I lift the tailgate and place the back end of the board on top. The fins should be facing upward to the sky. You will need some tailgate padding to protect your board and the tailgate. You can buy a fancy foam pad created for a truck tailgate (like this one by Yakima you can see here on Amazon) or use any piece of foam or a thick towel.
Next use spring loaded cam straps to secure the board to the tailgate. I would not use bungee cords here. And for sure don’t use ratchet straps. You can easily over-tighten them without knowing it and damage the rails of your board. If your truck bed is short and the board is real long you may want to put a red flag on the end to alert other drivers.
Truck Bed Extenders for a Paddle Board
Truck bed extenders have become popular for transporting paddle boards by truck. Most of the paddlers I know who own a truck and have a hard paddle board use extenders.
Truck bed extenders seem to work well and are multi-purpose. You can use them for hauling ladders, lumber, etc.
If you decide to go with an extender to transport your paddle board just make sure you use some type of padding on the metal support bar to protect you paddle board.
MaxxHaul and Erickson make popular truck bed extenders and you can see the price on Amazon here.
Transporting two paddle boards
If you are transporting more than one board put the longest board in first. Then place them one on top of the other with a towel or t-shirt between them. The fins should all be facing up. Wrap the straps and bungee cords tightly around all the boards.
Transporting a Paddle board by Car
Most surfers and paddlers transport their boards on the top of a car. To secure your board to the top of your car you can use either a soft rack, hard rack or no rack at all. A longboard or a SUP will actually act like a wing on your car. While your car is not going to take off flying the wind will put an enormous load on your rack testing its stability. So you do need to take care to make sure your board is very secure.
Soft Racks
Inexpensive but not as stable as hard racks.
Soft racks will do the trick but are not as secure a hard racks. The main benefit to soft racks are that they are much cheaper to buy than hard racks. Soft racks will cost you $30-$50. Good soft racks are available from FCS, OAM, Ocean Earth and Curve. I own a Curve and it works fine.
These are soft pads that you place directly on top of your car and your board goes on the pads. Soft racks are removable systems that are not as secure as a fixed hard rack. Soft racks are installed when moving the board and then removed and stored after the board is transported. They take little space to store as you can see from the photo below of my Curve rack. You can see the Curve soft rack I use right here on Amazon
To secure a board with a soft rack you lay the pads on the roof of your car. There should be two pads. Although there are different systems, for most brands you run the straps through your windows so you create a loop around the roof of your car. Lay your board on top of the pads. The fins of the board should be facing up to the sky and in the front of the car, with the nose of the board in the rear.
Secure the board with the two spring loaded cam straps that came with your system. Do not use ratchet straps. They overtighten easily and can damage the rails of your board. And you might consider a board board. Day bags will protect your board from dings and the sun. They make good sense and I am always surprised I don’t see more of them.
Nose & tail lines for peace of mind
Bow & stern straps are always a good idea. If you are securing a longboard or a SUP I would definitely use nose and tail lines to secure your board. This will give you more security if you are traveling at high speeds or a long distance.
Yakima makes a nice ready-to-go nose and tail tie-down system called the Brah Tie-Down System (see here on Amazon). The Brah system ties down quickly and doesn’t need to use anchor points on your board. These will help secure your board down solid and offer peace of mind when you are on the road.
You can use a soft rack to secure multiple boards. Put the longest board down first. Place a towel between the boards. All the boards should have the fins pointing upward, and the fins should all be in front of the car, the nose in rear. Tie them all down tight and secure.
How to Strap a SUP to a Car Without Roof Racks
DIY Soft Racks for your Car
Most softs racks are basically just two foam pads and two spring loaded cam straps. If you have a couple of long thick pieces of closed cell foam laying around and two cam straps you can rig up your own surfboard or SUP car rack. Place the pieces of foam wide on your car roof, close to your windshield and rear window. Put your board on the pads with the fins in front and facing upward toward the sky. Run the straps through your car windows and tighten the cams inside your car, keep them there. This will offer a little bit of security, someone would have to cut the straps to steal your board.
While these DIY racks will get the job done be sure that your boards are secured down snug and won’t move. Do not use ratchet straps that will damage the rails of your board. If you use this DIY method it would be a good idea to use nose and tail tie-down lines. For about $25 you can buy the Yakima Brah System that will secure your boards from bow to stern and give you piece of mind on the road.
How to strap a SUP to a car without roof racks (video)
The Theft Problem Using a Soft Rack or Truck Bed
If you use a soft rack or your truck bed your paddle board can easily be stolen when you go for a post session beer with your buddies. Granted an 11′ paddle board presents a challenge for a theft but they do get stolen off soft racks.
However there is an easy solution. You can buy a cable lock system for your SUP that attaches to the fin box or leash plug bar. These work great and are a game changer if you have been driving directly home after your session. You can even lock your board to a bike rack or lampost while you take a break. Here is a good SUP cable lock system on Amazon
Hard Racks
Expensive but secure
Better than soft racks are hard racks. Made by companies like Thule and Yakima, these racks are very stable. These systems are real slick and make it easy to transport your board without any hassle or worry. However they are much more expensive than soft racks. What much will a hard rack cost you? If you need a hard rack base system that will set you back $350-500.
If you are lucky enough to have a vehicle with fixed crossbars or already have a base system, you can buy a SUP/Surfboard attachment like the Thule SUP Taxi (see current price on Amazon. which will set you back about $270. Or you can just buy a couple pads designed to fit over the crossbars (see on Amazon here). Then you strap your board down with a cam strap. This is much cheaper. You can get a nice set of these pads for $20-70.
A hard-rack setup with cross-bars is the way to go if you have the money. The same rules apply as when using a soft rack. The boards are placed with the fins up and on the front of the vehicle. The nose of the board in the rear. Make sure the boards are properly balanced with the weight evenly distributed on the cross bars. Secure with cam straps and never use ratchet straps that can damage the rails of your board.
I would still use nose and tail lines to make sure everything is secure. Yakima Brah is a good nose and tail tie down set up. Better safe than sorry. And a board bag is always a good idea to protect your board from dings and the sun.
Thule and Yakima are the industry leaders in hard rack carriers for stand up paddle boards, surfboards, bicycles and anything else you want to carry on the top of your car. In the first video below you can see the Thule 810 SUP Taxi in action. In the second video you can watch the Yakima SupPup being installed. Besides being easy to use and super stable you can lock your SUP or surfboard up with a key and don’t have to worry about it being stolen off the top of your car. If your boards are going to be on the top of your car for most of the day I strongly suggest you buy a reflective day bag to protect it from the sun and heat.
