Rack System Recommendation for Surfing

Hey everyone - I'm curious for those of you who surf, what type of rack system do you use? Or recommend?

I have plans in the future of hoping to use the rack as extra storage if we are traveling especially with our pets, so wanting to see what other options I may have other than just using cross-bars to hold our boards on top.

Some of you may think, why not just open up the rear window and throw it in the back? Unfortunately for us, we travel about 1.5-2hrs each way to go surfing every weekend, and most of the time when we leave or come back, the temperature is in the 30's and we're traveling around 50-70mph. Makes me a little uneasy throwing it back there, plus we'll be freezing lol. Our smallest board is about 7'11 and have another one being made around 9'6 and there are times where we have friends coming and would be carrying multiple boards.

Thanks!

Edit: 2021 Torp

 

You are a dedicated guy if you’re surfing in anything close to 30 degree weather. I can’t help with the rack question but I’m sure someone here can. I suggest you start saving money now. The more you read here the more you’re gonna need it. Welcome to the forum.

 

For my SUP, i just use the stock rails and crossbars. I have the isle pads and straps and works very well. I also have yakima rack with the old round bars that work, but find the factory setup works fine.

for kayaks, I have to put the yakima on to get more clearance between the bottom of bars and the roof.

 

I have a Gobi no rise. Not specifically for surfboards but a combination of everything I do with my truck. That being said, the Gobi no rise is excellent for carrying surfboards because you move the crossbars further forward than the stock rack. One thing that sucks about the stock rack is how far back the crossbars sit and strapping up a longboard is not ideal.

The downsides to Gobi are the wait time and lack of communication along the way. Other than that, they are great.

But you don't specifically need a Gobi. There are plenty of other options out there. My only recommendation is to look for a rack that you can move the crossbars forward.

I don't normally travel like this but this was moving day with a prone paddleboard, two longboards and 4 shortboards strapped up top.

 

Thanks for the Welcome! I have a lot of projects I want to do just from reading in here, but trying to prioritize them from what I can get the most usage first. Since I'm in the PNW, it's always wetsuit season for us. Makes you appreciate not having to wear one when we do surf trips somewhere warm lol. But to be honest, my wife is the more hardcore surfing out of the both of us. Which is completely find cause I can sit back on the beach and get some videos and photos of her and other surfers.

That's actually the info I was looking for! I have been looking at Gobi and now I understand the rise and no rise a little better. And you're right, I would like to have the cross bars a bit more forward to secure towards the front from the up force of the wind since I normally have it fins front/up. How's the quality holding up for you so far? I noticed that the "stealth" the front has a little lip that curves up, do you know if it interferes with the curverture of the board or is it pretty well balanced that it won't be in the way? I'm used to my wife's crv, where I know the perfect spot is if I can see the board just barely overhanging and i can see it at the top of the windshield, for multi-stack. Then again, it's a shorter base on the crv.

 

The raised bar of the stealth rack would absolutely get in the way with longer boards.

The no rise option is the call because it essentially turns the rack into both a basket rack and a flat rack (for longer items). Best of both worlds IMO.

Quality on the Gobi is fantastic. No issues whatsoever. I followed the installation instructions to a tee and everything has been extremely solid with no water leaks.

The only thing I would do differently is get my roof vinyl wrapped (clear) prior to installation. It's near impossible to clean under the roof when washing. Of course I can always pop the roof rack off (12 bolts, I think) and do the vinyl wrap when I have the chance.

 

May be a dumb question, but are you running the Stealth, or a different one?

 

It's a Stealth but it's an "off menu" rack called the no-rise stealth.

You just have to ask for it.

Here's a better picture of it without all the clutter up top.

 

When I was still living in SoCal, I was driving from Riverside to San Onofre with my 11 footer strapped to the factory bars. No issues. It’s secure enough that I feel confident strapping it up top again for the 300+ mile drive down when we visit in June.

 

OHHHH ok - I see it on their website! I am definitely leaning more towards this. I was worried about the riser that most of them have. Thank you very much for chiming in!

Currently we have cross-bars on my wife's CRV, except we find ourselves sometimes, having to leave some things behind for a weekend trip, and could use the extra storage on top or bigger bulkier items. Waiting for the Winter swells to calm down a bit and we'll find ourselves back out on the OR/WA coast to surf again.

 

I don't surf but I couldn't help it to chime in, but I do have to recommend the Gobi Rack hands down. I have the Gobi Ranger with No rise and I love it 1000000% (you get the idea). The only downfall is a long wait time but worth the price IMO. It comes with 2 crossbars as well (I haven't used mines yet) but the rack is super effective. I need to upload some pictures of my car what better yet, check out these videos of the rack. You can skip throughout the video but towards the end of them I have pictures so you'll get an idea. Going on 2 years now, I've banged it up on certain parts and need to retouch it up since there is very little rust with the paint/powder coat chipping off. The color has started to fade little so eventually I plan to recoat the whole thing again following this post (https://trail4runner.com/2022/09/13/everbrite-metal-coating-review-application-guide/). Like the previous guy said, super easy install, good if you have an extra hand because that thing is heavy. I like in CA and during the crazy rain, no leaking at all so I'm happy. A lot of people have the Stealth, I don't like it because its to "thin" IMO. I like the Ranger because it sits higher and I can fit my garage still (2.5in front and 3in rear with Eibach Pro Stage 2 Coils with Dobbinsons UCA with 285 Wildpeak AT on TRD pro rims). Skim through the videos and see for yourself! Good luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYBDRi21Tbc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7sNbrq3P0

 

Also forgot to mention, it spans basically the entire roof of the car too. So your boards should be perfect!

 

I mainly ride short boards and they fit in the back with the seats down. When we go to baja and take multiple boards (plus camping gear) the boards go on the roof. I took off the trd pro rack and replaced with the standard rack and factory cross bars. Added pads to the bars for the boards to rest on then use a ratchet strap to secure them for road trips.