Holidays are the best times for a getaway at the beach. These days, it seems like there are hundreds of eager people hauling their surfing, kayaking, or windsurfing equipment on top of their vehicles, ready to hit the water!
However, there are dangers to transporting windsurfing equipment on your car roof racks.
According to a study conducted in 2016 by the American Automobile Association (AAA), more than 200,000 crashes, 39,000 injuries, and 500 deaths were caused by objects falling from a vehicle. Most of the time these accidents were avoidable and were probably caused by improper installation of equipment, compromised cargo holds, or inappropriate use of tie-down straps.
Accidents involving watersports equipment occur regularly, and many of them happen while speeding down the road.
Before we get into the safety aspects of securing your windsurfing equipment to your vehicle, let's have a quick look at basic setup.
A windsurfing rig is typically made up of a sail, mast, mast foot, and boom.
Image Source: ImproveWindsurfing
The windsurfing boards can be divided into three categories: longboards, shortboards, and mid-length boards. The ideal size will depend on your skill level, with larger boards recommended for beginners due to their better stability.
The length of the windsurfing board typically ranges from 2.2m to 3.5 and its width varies from 0.7m to 1.11m.
The whole equipment can weigh around 30kg, depending on the material the board is made of.
Surf equipment is heavy, bulky, and expensive and so the best way to transport windsurfing equipment is by putting it in a separate trailer. However, this can be expensive.
Of course, you could try stuffing it inside the car, but this is really only possible when you’re traveling alone and in a big vehicle. And all that unsecured equipment can cause a lot of damage to the occupant in the case of an accident.
So, if you’re traveling with friends or family, the best way to transport windsurfing equipment is by tying it down on the roof rack. This frees up more space for passengers and supplies inside the car.
Image Source: Surfer Today
Strapping the equipment on top of your car may seem difficult but not when you have the proper gear like a tie down strap from WRAPTIE™.
Let's get into the best and safest way to secure your watersports equipment for the long haul.
*PRO Tip - Use a WRAPTIE™ GRIPPER for extra grip on the boards
Here are additional tips on how to transport windsurfing equipment safely using a roof rack strap:
WRAPTIE™ is a multi-purpose tie down strap that can be used to secure any item in place. It can be used as a kayak strap, a windsurfing strap, or on almost anything that needs to be tied down to a steady position.
WRAPTIE™ is made of recycled materials sewn together to create a tough tie down strap with a rated strength of up to 50kg (110lbs) when at least 3 x tabs are fully engaged. Check out the short video below to see how quick and effective it really is.
For transporting windsurfing equipment, the best item to get is the WRAPTIE™ Twin Packs. You can use each strap to secure the upper and lower portion of the windsurfing gear on your car roof rack.
After a hard day at the beach it is an absolute must to stow your windsurfing gear properly otherwise you may find next time, rotted, rusted and stinky gear the next time you head out.
Before stowing your windsurfing equipment, remove the foot straps and keep them separate. Avoid storing your equipment in your garage or direct sunlight. The best place to store this gear is within your temperature-controlled house. Temperature extremes or high humidity aren’t good for most sporting gear.
See more of our products by visiting our website or contact us to know more about our merchandise.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Your Promo Code will expire with in minssecs ?
Mark Blackburn
Author