I always put boards on the roof racks of my car deck down, fins forward. A couple of oldtimers back in the 80's taught me to do it that way with the theory being if a strap came loose, the fin might save the board from flying off. I see a lot of boards coming to Assateague and Ocean City mounted with the nose forward. A lot of these folks are coming from the Baltimore/Washington/Annapolis area. Are these guys on to something? Or are they just clueless dweebs who should be made fun of? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to carrying the boards nose-first vs tail-first?
Much ado about nothing. Either way works, and your fins will NOT save your boards from flying off of your car on the highway, ever, period.
Nah. i cinch mine down to where they almost crack. i've seen it a few times though. wind picks the board straight up. no sliding.
if the straps are loose: fins forward, accelerate away with impunity, disaster at the first red light. fins back, break with no fear, bad news when racing that civic with the huge whale tail. moral being, doesn't really matter if the boards are secured. maybe nose first is more aero-dynamical and will save you mucho colones on gas
I used to strap'em down fins back. Seemed to make sense, seeing as that is how they are designed to go thru water. But people, a lot that didn't even surf, would give me crap for it. Nothing like a 40 year old woman who's never surfed giving you the business about surfing. So I started strapping them fins-first. The only thing I've noticed is that it most definitely HAS NOT improved my surfing any.
or you could always just put them in the vehicle. one of the reasons i bought my truck. ppl just like to look cool with boards strapped to their cars. it's so corny.
Not really. I have an SUV and my 9'6" needs to go on the roof, especially if anyone else wants to come with me. I put mine on the roof, fin up and tail forward. If nothing else, it is what the rack manufacturer recommends.
kinda related: with my soft rack system water always leaks in via the strap through the door, any sage advise how to stop this and if someone says don't strap it then you're a dweeb. Damn, I just said it! Seriously though, it's really annoying so if there's a trick, pls share... For the record I always put fins first
I was reading this in surfing magazine.(the one with jordy doing a rodeo on the cover.) It does not matter which way the board goes on the rack because both ways are the same aero dynamic tested. If you put your board in a board bag however the nose should go front words, so the zipper does not face forward. If the zipper faces forward, air can open up your bag and allow air to inflate the whole thing like a parachute. So the answer is either way doesnt matter. If the fins come loose your board is gone either way. Remeber nose first with a board bag!!
What I've found . . . is that Super Glue works well, and Gorilla Glue works even better. The only catch is it's a one time use.
Learn to ride a short board..problem solved. You can fit it in your car. Nothing worse then gearing up at your favorite local spot and seeing a bunch of kook cars roll up with long boards on the roof, backwards or forwards!!
I cut like 3"x3" squares of foam rubber, the moisture resistant kind like from a sleeping bag pad, and hold them in place over where the straps pull the door seals in. It fills the gap and mostly keeps out the water. Holding the last one in place when closing the door from inside can be tricky. It's not a 100% fix but it does a pretty good job. Everyone says get a hard rack to me, too. But it's nice to be able to throw the pads on the wife's or a friend's car if I have to.
Ride a really short board and prevent the peril this could present to other drivers if one itty-bitty thing goes wrong:
