Education

How to Mount a SUP to Your Car Roof Rack

We don’t know about you, but when the weather’s warm, we are always trying to spend as much time on the water as possible. Lately, there's been an upwards trend for paddleboarding, more specifically stand-up paddleboarding (SUP).

It’s a great way to spend a summer day, get some exercise, and be on the water! Paddleboarding is excellent because it’s easy to learn, but there’s a lot to master.Learning how to stand-up paddleboard can take a little bit of time, but is worth it, as paddleboarding is a fantastic activity and can help you work on my balance. Practice makes perfect however, so ensure you're down at the water several times a week to best master this craft.

Starting Out as a SUP Renter

When you first started paddleboarding, it is likely you will be renting an SUP from a local shop, but as you got more into it, you might need to purchase one of your own. This presents a problem though. How do you transport a paddleboard; they’re pretty big! That’s where we come in with our range of products. We can help you jump right into your new hobby without breaking the bank. If you drive a truck for example, you may currently just throw your paddleboard right in the back and strap it down and that would have been a fine yet inelegant solution to your transport problems. But paddleboards aren't a cheap purchase and so you wouldn't want it rattling around back there.

Plus, how do you know whether it’s secure? With Yakima’s water ute accessories you will easily be able to turn your vehicle into a perfectly safe carrier for your paddleboards. When you first start, we would recommend picking up the “SUP Tailgate Pad” which help you load your board in and out of your truck easily and also secure your board down, so you won't be worried about the finish getting scratched or anything banging around back there. If you have multiple friends who have also started getting into paddleboarding, you can upgrade to the “Bedrock” system which turns your truckbed into the ultimate storage area. The “Bedrock” can not only handle your paddleboard, but it can also carry bikes, skis, and other items while keeping the underneath free for even more storage room.

This item is really easy to install. The whole process can take as little as half an hour. All you have to do is mount two crossbars to your truck bed, using the “Bedrock” clamp system. Once the crossbars are installed attach the “SUPPup Paddle Board Mount” to the cross bars. Now you can lay your board across the soft pads, strap it down and not have to worry about transport. You can also still use your truck bed since the SUP is elevated above the truck bed. You can even install bike mounts, snow mounts, and cargo boxes easily to the “Bedrock” if SUPing isn’t your thing. Customers are regularly impressed at how easy the whole thing is to put together. All of the tools are included.

What If You Don’t Have a Truck?

But not everyone has a truck, so what do you do if your car is too small to fit your paddleboard, surfboard, or kayak? Yakima’s got you covered. Throw one of Yakima’s water roof rack systems on top of your car and your problems are solved. We would even recommend researching the “Bigstack.” It lets you hold up to 4 boats on your roof. Like the “Bedrock” it’s also easy to install.

You just have to clamp the system to your cars roof mounts. The process is very simple and, if you could get a friend to buy one, you won’t have to be the only one that has to drive to your closest lake. In addition to carrying 4 boats, the “Bigstack” frees up your roof to store tons of other stuff.

No place to store your life vests, snorkel gear, or cooler? With the “Bigstack” you can throw all that stuff AND your boat on the roof of your car without a problem. Additionally, when you aren’t using it you just fold it down so it’s not just dragging in the wind.

At Yakima, we have you covered with all the little things. You won’t find a better selection of high-quality products for securing your SUP or boat. We have boat strap kits that work perfectly with our system. We have solutions for keeping all your SUP and boat gear together, as well as tie-downs and anchors and some real heavy duty straps to make sure your SUP or boat is securely fastened to the rack. A crowd favourite is the “Ripcord,” which, like they say, is basically the James Bond of cargo straps.

It will help lock down your SUP and other gear but you can even use it to lock heavier things, like a motorcycle! It can also hold down a ladder and similar gear for a home improvement, but whatever you need to be strapped down the “Ripcord” is gonna do it for you.

Yakima can provide you with all the assistance you need to start your newest hobbies. We are passionate about providing our customers with the best equipment, allowing them to spend as much time on the water with their SUP. Head over to our products page to see what else we can offer you!

Last updated: 21st August 2018

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