surf rack for car?

[surfernoob]

so my bros getting into surfing also and probably going to buy a longer type board, which means i'll need to get a surfboard rack for my vw golf cause up to now 1 board has been fitting fine into my trunk through my psgr seat. does it matter what kind of rack i get? i was looking at some cheaper ones like this. im a really poor student and cant get anything expensive.

https://surfing-waves.com/shop/itemHC9307.htm

will this be secure enough for two boards around 7'6 ish in size. and i need to get straps for this or can i use some old ropes from the garage? i really dont know anything about racks, never used em. itd be ok to stack the boards on top of each other? do i need to pad them in between when racking, etc. how do i even strap them on? clueless, any info will help. just dont want my boards flying off my car on the freeway. and i dont have any type of case for my board if that makes a difference.

[Sillysausage]

it will be secure for 2 boards, it had tie downs attached to the rack already, yea on top of eachother is fine, (better to have boardbags), instructions in the bag. but you could get a double soft rack for cheaper than that, shop around (maybe you'll want to take some mates or something??) and with the double racks you can put more boards on the roof!

[Hopupu]

I am in the same situation with a VW Bora and a brother who surfs.

I bought a thule roofrack with locks and it’s very, very solid. I actually leave it on my car all year round (also handy for transporting bikes).

i really dont know anything about racks, never used em. itd be ok to stack the boards on top of each other? do i need to pad them in between when racking, etc. how do i even strap them on? clueless, any info will help. just dont want my boards flying off my car on the freeway. and i dont have any type of case for my board if that makes a difference.

I usually stack some of the boards as well and put a wetsuit between them. Works so far. I just use straps to attach the boards to the rack.

[Stone Fox]

First of all can I be the first to say:





No offense meant, but people really need to use the 'SEARCH' button. There's loads of threads on this already. Here's the most recent:

https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8557

since then i've bought a soft-rack. They work alright but I'd go with a hard rack if you've got the money. The softrack I have is fine, but once you go past a certain speed it sort of 'lifts' and starts making all sorts of alarming noises.

[.Jen.]

The softrack I have is fine, but once you go past a certain speed it sort of 'lifts' and starts making all sorts of alarming noises.

Thats a sign that you havent got yer music up loud enough

I havent really got any noise/vibration problems using my softrack... mind you our speed limit is 40mph . And I've always got the music up loud enough to block anything out

[surfernoob]

i NEED to get a rack as soon as possible. besides the fact i'm looking for a board for my bro and will have 2 boards going in the car now, my board is making a mess of my car. the car is sand filled and starting to smell like the ares of the shore where old seaweed is sitting around. i need to starting wiping things down before bringing it in the car. thanks for all the tips everyone.

[Chris369]

Might as well use this thread ...

I've got a Mini Cooper (BMW one) and it only has doors at the front and the rear windows do not open. Also, the front doors don't have a frame a long the top of the window .. it's just glass like a convertible car.

Would these soft racks be any good on my car? I'm guessing not due to no frame and only front windows but a guy in a local surf shop said it would be fine having both straps on the front (I don't think he knew about the lack of frame though).

[Chris369]

Anyone?

[Rocky789]

Looks like those soft racks will do for short distances, I just installed a yakima rack with their strap thang to my car today, which looks like it will be a really good system especially for long distances, just needs some pads on the bars like most systems. But its not cheap at about $250 total for my car (I work at the store that I bought it from so it was like $170 ), but if you are like me you also haul kayaks sometimes so its worth it. Just noticed though that it does make a little noise at higher speeds.