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The Importance of Proper Wakeboard Storage

by Samuel Wayne in Legacy Articles

Wakeboarding is a great sport. There is nothing like flying through the air on a glassy lake on a nice summer morning with your friends in your new MasterCraft (well maybe not everyone has one but just getting out there on the water is a blast!). The question we want to address is what do you do with your wakeboard after you aren't riding?

Wakeboards are rather bulky items that need to be stored in specially designed racks and bags. There are three main places where your wakeboard needs to be stored.

•Boat Storage 
•Home Storage 
•Transport/ Traveling - Between Home and the Lake

Wakeboard boat storage has been pretty well covered and is well known in the industry. When you are out on the boat there it limited space already and the last thing you need is a couple wakeboards laying in the center aisle. Wakeboard Tower racks are the best option for boat storage. They now make all kinds of tower racks for wakeboard boat with a lot of great features like swiveling arms and no rattle mounts. If you do not have a boat tower some boat has ski locker large enough for wakeboards to fit in.

Wakeboard storage at home is something that is not usually considered. If you are like most wakeboarder's your probably leave your board in the boat or bring it out of the boat and throw it in a corner at home. This is not ideal for the wakeboard or your living space. A proper wakeboard wall rack is key to maintaining your board and keeping it looking like new for years to come. Having a dedicated rack at home is a great way to store and display your wakeboard when you are not riding and let's face it, for most of us that is a majority of the time. A wakeboard wall rack is also a great way to organize your house.

A rack specifically made for a wakeboard will safely store your wakeboard until the next time you are ready to get a set in. It will also protect your board from those unwanted chips, scratches, and dings that happen when you just put the board somewhere around the house. We know wakeboards are not cheap, so why not protect your investment.

When you are traveling/transporting your wakeboard you also need to have it properly stored. This is usually best done in a padded wakeboard bag. If you are flying somewhere, if you are lucky Orlando, it is important to add additional cushioning inside your wakeboard bag because we all know airport baggage is not really handles gently. If you are just taking your boat down to your favorite spot, I would still recommend a wakeboard bag but there might be a cushioned place in your boat or car for a short ride. I know I have had a wakeboard chipped going down the highway and hitting a bump.

As a wakeboard owner it is important to consider the storage of your wakeboard. As a wakeboarder it is not our top priority but a little consideration for wakeboard storage will keep your board riding like new for years to come and all those new tricks you intend on landing on it.

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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. Secure the two pads, one on the front rack bar and one on the back rack bar, and make sure that they’re straight, so when you set your paddleboard on them, it won’t be rubbing up against the roof rack bars at all. For cars without roof rack bars, the focus while using the one piece rack system is on securing it to your car. Set the pads out in the general area on your roof where they need to end up, One towards the front, and one towards the back. Straps will be protruding on each side of the pads. Run the straps underneath your car’s roof so that they meet in the middle, than clamp the front 2 straps together and the back 2 straps together. You’re free to clamp the straps as tightly as possibly because they secure against your metal car (different when strapping down your paddleboard). Double check that your paddleboard is resting fully on the pads and is straight (parallel with your car). If you have a small car, there are other things to consider. 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. A potential solution is to take a page from the transport of other large equipment, like canoes and kayaks, and to get additional tie downs straps that secure the front and back of the paddleboard to the bumper and trunk of your car. The point is, it is tough to transport big paddleboards on small cars without roof rack bars. Keep this in mind when planning your next SUP adventure. Paddleboards on Your Roof – Upside Down and Backward Here’s how to load your paddleboard onto the roof of your car: Bottom of the paddleboard up: Logistically, if your fins are in, the rack will only work with the paddleboard fins facing up in the air, or else your fins would hit your car’s roof. Also, you prefer not to expose your wax or board pad to the sun, so top side faces down. And generally strapping the board upside down is better for travel, based on any concave of the paddleboard. 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. Put something between paddleboards. If you’re not using a SUP bag, then the something between paddleboards can be as simple as an old towel. It’s always better to put something between the boards you stack on your roof rack rather than nothing. The best solution is a foam board spacer block. Now, you've got your paddleboard securely placed on top of your car, and you are ready to go. We hope you have an amazing session on the water. Stay safe and ride on!

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