How To Properly Tie Down a SUP/Surfboard

Depending how you will carry your stand up paddle board or surfboard, there are a couple ways they can be tied down. We'll go over the basic pads and straps first. If you just place the board on the bars directly or on a pad, the best way to start is by setting your straps up before you load your board. Loop one strap around your front bar, and one around your rear bar. Take both ends of the strap and lay them down the hood and trunk of your vehicle. With your board loaded take the ends of your straps and walk them up and over your board so that they are now laying on the side of your vehicle.

Next loop the non-buckle end of the strap underneath the bar of your roof rack. It’s best practice to always try to loop the strap on the inside of the tower or rail so that the strap can not slide off the edge. Slip the strap through the backside of the cam buckle and start to tighten down the strap. Before fully tightening the straps, adjust the cam buckle so that it is roughly positioned near the top edge of the board. Then, fully cinch down. Higher end board carriers have a strap integrated into the system. Instead of having to wrap around the crossbars, you can simply just load up the SUP then bring the straps over the boards and insert back into the carrier. These make for easier tying down and loading/unloading. Most have universal mounting hardware and locking capabilities as well.

Bow and stern tie downs are always needed as well for added safety, especially if you are traveling at high speeds. Typically there are some kind of hooks underneath the front and rear bumpers to tie a line to. If not, we offer hood and trunk loops that serve as anchor points for these straps.

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