WaterSportHQ

How to Carry a Paddle Board on Your Car

By WaterSportHQ editors · Updated

Surfboards with fins up lying on a car roof

To carry a paddle board on your car, lay it on the roof deck down with the fins up and toward the front, then hold it to the crossbars with two cam straps that go over the board. Without crossbars, use soft racks for short local trips. The steps below come from Starboard, Isle Surf & SUP and Glide SUP, each named where used. The WaterSportHQ editors have not tested these methods.

What you need before you load

  • Crossbars or a roof rack, or a pair of soft racks if the roof has none. Isle Surf & SUP lists installed roof racks, soft surf pads and two tie-down straps for the rack method.
  • Two cam-buckle straps. Glide SUP says to avoid ratchet straps because they can over-tighten and crush a board.
  • Padding for the board. Starboard says to use a foam pad under hard boards, and that inflatables do not need it. Isle Surf & SUP says straps can dent the rails of a soft-top board, so put a board bag, cardboard or EVA foam between the board and the straps. It also says an inflatable should be fully inflated before you strap it.

How to strap a paddle board to crossbars

  1. Center the board. Set it on the roof between the crossbars. Starboard says to use the handle to check it is centered. Glide SUP says to lay it deck down, fins facing forward and up. Isle Surf & SUP says the same, with the fin toward the windshield.
  2. Check the strap. Starboard says to confirm the buckle works and the strap is not twisted.
  3. Loop under the crossbar. Put the buckle end under the crossbar, then throw the strap over the top of the board. Starboard’s rule: both sides of the strap go over the board, never under it.
  4. Loop the far side. Walk to the other side, take the strap under the opposite crossbar, bring it back up and feed it through the buckle from underneath. Pull it snug.
  5. Place the buckle. The sources disagree. Starboard says to place the buckle on top of the board. Isle Surf & SUP says it should sit between the board and the car roof, and warns that the buckle end can damage the board. Pick one and keep the metal clear of the board’s paint and rail.
  6. Twist the strap. Glide SUP says to twist the strap once or twice on top of the board. Isle Surf & SUP also says to twist it so it does not lie flat and hum at speed.
  7. Tuck the tail. Isle Surf & SUP says to tuck the extra strap inside the car and close the door on it so it does not flap.
  8. Repeat with the second strap at the other crossbar.

How tight is tight enough

Glide SUP says “snug but not crushing”. Its test: shake the board firmly, and if it moves, tighten the straps. Glide SUP also says to recheck after a few miles, because straps can loosen in the first 20 to 30 minutes, and at every fuel stop on a highway trip.

What if your car has no crossbars

Soft racks are padded pads with straps that run through the car. Isle Surf & SUP gives this method:

  1. Open all the car doors.
  2. Drape the soft racks over the roof, a few inches from the front and rear windshields.
  3. Thread the bottom straps through the open doors and fasten them together inside the car.
  4. Set the board deck down with the fins up and toward the windshield, then tighten the top straps over it.

Isle Surf & SUP says pads placed too far apart let a board slip, and pads placed too close leave it unstable. It limits soft racks to local trips (about 10 minutes through town), allows 5 to 10 minutes on a highway, and says to avoid long highway drives at speed. It adds that soft racks do not work well on 2-door cars or minivans. Isle Surf & SUP says hard racks (it names Thule and Yakima) are needed for long road trips or highway travel.

Why the load must be secured

Washington state law (RCW 46.61.655) requires any load on a public highway to be “securely fastened to prevent the covering or load from becoming loose, detached, or in any manner a hazard to other users of the highway”. Other states and countries have their own rules, so check where you drive.

Editors’ rule of thumb

  • Do one last walk around the car before you leave: both straps over the board, no strap under it, tails inside the car, board centered. This is a checklist the editors made from the steps above, not a rule from any one source.
  • If a strap or buckle is frayed or cracked, replace it before you drive. This is the editors’ rule of thumb, not a quote from a maker.

Sources