surf board rack

[Devon Fathauer]

i have a 2003 trac looking to put a nice-looking but inexpensive and reliable surf board rack on my roof..i have wanted to for some time now because everytime i want to go surfing i either have to stick half of my board thru the rear window or let it hang out of the bed (ive actually lost it a few times going about 50 mph)

ive looked at yakimas website and i really dont understand why i need like 2 different $100 parts from them so could someone please point me in the right direction...



thanks in advance

 

[Les]

Easy solution. Get some cross bars, original equipment is about $125 or I believe Lund makes them. Then,get some roll bar padding and using ties, attach it to the cross bars. You will also need some straps available at Lowes or Home Depot. I know this works because this is exacety what I did for my son. Good Luck...

 

[Devon Fathauer]

i found a pair of lockable crossbars for around $70..if anyone has a link to a good deal on the equipment i need please let me know..im broke until i get paid tomorrow.

 

[Clay Campbell]

i just hauled one 450 miles with just my cross bars some pads and a strap. it worked great. just like les said. ill get a pic up

 

[Clay Campbell]

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[Devon Fathauer]

very nice..what kind of ties are we talking?

 

[Les]

Large electrical ties for attaching (holding) the roll bar padding on the crossbar.

 

[Devon Fathauer]

i meant to hold the board down?

 

[Les]

Lowes or Home Depot has adjustable straps. Just loop the strap under the crossbar, over the board, under the crossbar and back over the board and buckle.

 

[Keola P]

If you want a clean look, get the cross bars and use the rack pads from Dakine...they secure to the crossbars and they make straps to specifically go with this set up. Had these on my mazda. Draw back is it's quite pricey after you factor in the cross bars.



Personally, I use the tailgate rack...a much cheaper alternative, and more user friendly than roof racks IMO. I'll post a pic when I get home from work.

 

[Keola P]

So I'm home now...thank God, and here's the pic. Took this back in July of last year when I took the trac over to Maui on the Superferry.



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Most local Hawaiians with pickups use this kind of rack. This one I got from T&C surf for about 30.00. The rack secures itself to the top of the tailgate, and the straps go around the tailgate and locks on the inside of the bed. My board isn't secured in the pic, but there's a strap that exits either side of the pad and secures around the board/boards.

 

[Stephen Smith]

they also sell soft that go on top of the roof if for some odd reason you were opposed to the tailgate rack.

http://www.surffcs.com/home.cfm?region=1



fcs sells great products and are a trusted name. their fins are great and i used to use their soft racks till i got a truck. they also back their product. i knew a guy who's rack broke and not only did they replace his racks but they replaced the damage boards as well. thats the only time ive ever heard anything bad about them either.

 

[Stephen Smith]

also i didnt know so many people on the site surf. where's everyones local break and what do you ride?

 

[Devon Fathauer]

i ride an al merrick m13 when the break is big (rare)

and i have a longboard that has been in my family since the 60's that i use most often...

the reason im opposed to the tailgate rack is that my beloved longboard sticks about 5-6 feet out of the 4 ft. bed and i want to be able to take several boards to the beach..therefore im going more for the roof rack...thank yall for all the helpful advice..keep it coming..i already ordered lockable crossbars off ebay for about $70