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Best Surfer Gifts - Top 10

by Samuel Wayne in Legacy Articles

If you need to get a gift for the surfer in your life, here is the list you need. Any of these gifts should excite a surfer, but you should try to monitor what they currently have and anything they have been recently talking about to get the BEST Surfing Gift.

Small Gifts:

10). Surfboard Wax - This is the practical gift. It is small, inexpensive, and used by basically every surfer.

9). Surfing DVD - Try a new release or pickup a classic. These should satisfy the surfer need, even when they can't go out and ride the waves.

Larger Gifts

8). Rash Guard - Solid gift, useful yet personal. Get a new style or color if they already have one.

7). Surfboard Wall Storage Rack- It is tough to find a good place to keep and store your board when they aren't out in the ocean. Do them a favor and get them a surfboard rack to properly store their board(s) and also organize their house.

6). Bodyboard - I know these are surfers, but the ocean doesn't always cooperate and produce surfable waves, especially if you don't live nearby a consistent break. A bodyboard is a great way to get out in the ocean and ride the shore break or other waves that are not ideal for surfboards.

5). Surfboard Car/Truck Rack - If they are just getting into surfing or want to take their surfboards to some breaks you need to drive to, a surfboard car rack is essential. There are many different types and styles. Get one that fits their ride and your budget.

4). Surfboard Bag - If a surfer travels with his/her board, then they need a board bag. Most surfers have multiple bags. Even when not traveling with the board, a surfboard bag can keep the dust and dirt away and provide a little protection from dings and scrapes.

3). Wetsuit - If they don't have a wetsuit, they need one PERIOD (with the small exception of some tropical islanders). Having a wetsuit makes it more comfortable to surf in many locations and also extends your season. If they already have one, chances are they could use a different one for different conditions, whether it be a heavy full suit for winter surfing or a spring suit to enjoy the surfing shoulder season.

2). Surfboard - Please be cautioned - you need to know the surfer extremely well before you buy them a board. If you know what they want then make sure to get the exact board. Surfers are particular about their boards, so don't just go get a random surfboard. If you are buying a beginner board to get into surfing, than talk with a surf shop and they can point you in the right direction.

1). Surfing Destination Trip - The #1 Best Gift for a Surfer is a Destination Trip. You cannot beat a surf trip down to Indo or the Gold Coast. This would be an unforgettable experience and something they might even share with you.

Good luck with your choice...all of these are good options for the true Surfer.

Josh Gordon is the owner of StoreYourBoard.com, a leading supplier of surfboard racks.

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Because of the different roof racks, each will be attached differently, but it’s important that no matter what rack you have, you take care in installing it properly. For rack pads, velcro them on your roof rack bars tightly. For straps, clamp them down tightly and check them for any worn or weak spots. For more specialty paddleboard racks, follow the instructions and make sure they fit properly with your car. After you’ve installed the rack, do a quick post-inspection so you really know that everything is snug and secure. You don’t want to lose a paddleboard because you were in a rush and forgot to attach a part of your rack. For cars with roof rack bars, the standard setup is roof rack pads that fasten to your bars and act as a cushion between the bars and your paddleboard, and a strap system to secure your paddleboard to the rack pads. The pads fit around the roof rack bars and secure typically with velcro. 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Paddleboards come in different sizes, but they’re all pretty big, and if you have a small car, the straps on your roof rack setup may not be wide enough apart to adequately secure your paddleboard. For example, if you’re trying to strap a rack to a car without roof rack bars, it secures underneath the roof via the inside of the car. Generally, the front strap runs through the open space created by the front door and the back strap runs through the open space created by the back door. If you have a coupe, you only have a front door. So both your front and back straps will have to be secured via that space. The distance then between your front and back roof rack pads and straps will not be that great. If you strap in your paddleboard the straps may only be 3 or so feet apart. On a 12 foot paddleboard, that leaves almost 5 feet in the front and back of the board without any support. 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Fins in the front: It may sound like a Jimmy Buffett song, but as mentioned, in a worst-case scenario, fins act as a last line of defense against your paddleboard wiggling free and flying off your car. If your boards start to slide backward, the fins catch on the straps and restrict how far backward the boards slide. Also, it’s more likely the tail of your paddleboard is thicker and flatter, so it has more strength and better shape to cut through the air as you’re cruising down the road. Securing Your Paddleboard to Your Roof Rack Once you’ve loaded up your paddleboard, it’s time to strap it down. For cars with roof rack bars, it’s all about feeding the straps around the bars and your paddleboard in the right direction for maximum security. You’ll have two straps, one in front and one in back. Start with the clamp end of the first strap on the outside of the board, underneath the roof rack bar. Run the strap across the top width of the paddleboard to the other side of the board, underneath the rack bar, and back along the width of the board. There it will meet the clamp end, and you will tighten appropriately. Tie off the excess strap and give your paddleboard and the straps a couple of pulls to make sure nothing is loose. For cars without roof rack bars, securing the roof rack straps is a bit more straight forward. The front straps and back straps each extend from both sides of the car. Pull them up from each side over your paddleboard and secure the plain end through the clamp and tighten. Repeat for both front and back straps, once again giving the straps a couple of pulls to double check. Don’t overtighten your straps. Avoid damaging your paddleboard by wrenching your roof rack straps too tightly around it. Different paddleboards are made of different materials, but you can crack fiberglass or other board materials if you pull your straps too tight. Find that just right tightness for your paddleboard. Mind your straps. Take the extra couple of seconds and make sure your straps are straight and not twisted around your board for maximum contact and hold. Then tie off the ends of the straps, as nothing good can come from them flapping in the breeze. Stacking Multiple Paddleboards When you’re heading out with a couple of your friends and need to stack multiple paddleboards on the roof of your car, one on top of the other, a few more issues come into play. Biggest paddleboard on the bottom. The biggest paddleboard goes at the bottom of the stack of SUPs because it provides the best foundation/ stability. Watch the spacing of fins and tails. Make sure there’s some space between the tails of the paddleboards and the fins facing up from the boards below them. If you stack your SUPs too closely together, with some wiggle or if you hit a bump, the tail of one paddleboard could be cut by the fins from the paddleboard below it. 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