Howdy, any advice on suitable soft racks for a SUP.
I have bought Ocean and Earth soft racks, although as my Board is 30 inches wide, the board hangs over the sides of the strap platform. This in turn effects the design of tightening the straps, leaving it a little loose.
I want to take my board up to Shoal bay and need some advice before the 2+ hour drive.
Cheers.
Anthony.
My board is 34wide and i can relate. I grabbed the larger double-wide soft racks (not sure if they are O&E or another manuf) and adjusted the straps/buckles such that the SUP fits nicely in the middle. Its still a frustration as nothing is made for SUPs (these are made for surfboards) hence there is a buckle under the SUP and tightening it too much can actually place pressure on the buckle to slightly release. Anyway, I havent had any catastrophic failures and am only on a 3min drive to the beach at 60kms/hr. I havent done any country kms to test it but it wouldnt exactly be very nice to see the SUP sailing in the air in the rear-view mirror.
ps Remember for the board to go upside down on the rack... wouldnt want to hear any tragic broken/runover board stories from it coming off the roof.
Drive slow.. Really slow.. 
Maybe use a board bag that has loops on each end (or sew them on yourself) so you can tie it down front and rear.
DJ
hehe...I only have a 3 min drive to the water too, which I can handle with the current racks.
It's the long drive up the f3 to Nelson bay for the holidays.
If you hear of f3 traffic jams on the news next week, it's probably
me.
yeah, little hard if you dont have permanent racks as most of the soft racks are meant for surfboards
i've got a mate who has a 12 foot laird and he uses these
www.anacondastores.com/water/kayaks
i personally use a set of these, they dont come with tie downs like the other ones, you just use your own
www.jervisbaykayaks.com.au/roofrack-systems/watersports-racks/solution-traveller-soft-racks
i find both of these racks good as they have different widths so they are good for sups, but also good for surfboards, racing mals, whatever you want to put on them
i would probably use these on the highway as long as it was multi lane, i've had em on a single lane road doing just shy of 100 and you get alot of bounce when something comes the other way that is a little bigger than you, probably fine on the highway as everyone is going the same way
Jarryd
I recently scored some Surftech soft racks and they are also double racks but work a treat for a SUP. Cant fault them at all. Cost is $70-$80.
I know of some crew who scored some softracks from Repco or AutoBarn and they seem to work for them too. Cost them only around $40 which is a bargain
