When you get a surfboard, you must take proper steps to guarantee the longevity of the board. Seeing that the average cost of a quality surfboard is $600, and you can easily end up spending far more, you are going to want to make the board last for as long as you can. One of the most important things that you can do to keep your surfboard in good shape is to create a place to properly store it, like a surfboard storage rack.
Surfboard storage racks can be made at home with wood found in most common hardware stores. It can cost around $20 to $50 to make a simple surfboard rack that can hold multiple boards. To build a surfboard rack, a bit of wood, several dowels, a yoga mat, screws, a saw, and a drill are needed.
The reasons why you should have a surfboard storage rack and what you need to do to build your own are below.
Surfboard Longevity
It doesn’t matter if you are out surfing every single day or only surf every ten years—if you have a surfboard, you are going to want to protect it from being damaged. Most surfboards are not very cheap, with the cheapest one that you can find on Amazon being the Rock-It 4’10” CHUB surfboard, which costs $200. With other surfboards on Amazon costing upwards of $2,000, you are going to want to avoid any damages to your investment.
If you take the proper steps to take care of your surfboard, you can extend the board’s lifetime from a year to several decades. One of the first things that you can do is to have a board bag. This will protect the board from the heat and rays of the sun while you are transporting it and prevent it from degrading. It will also make your surfboard slightly easier to carry, as most board bags have a strap that you can sling around your shoulder.
You also should rinse your board each time you finish surfing. Like with nearly everything else, surfboards will be damaged if you leave saltwater on them. Most beaches have public showers that you can use to rinse the board. You will also want to avoid leaving your board inside a car for a long time, as getting too hot will cause the lamination on the board to fail, causing damage and making it dangerous to use. (Source)
However, the important thing that we are going to be focusing on is the proper storage of your board. If you fail to place your board in a safe location, it can easily be damaged or get hit by something. A storage bag is a good first step to prevent minor things from damaging your board. However, a surf rack will prevent your surfboard from falling and prevent things from falling onto it.
Another reason that you will want to have a rack for your boards is that stacking them on top of each other can cause the wax to pool and collect onto the bottom board. This can cause dirt to build up on your board and can be dangerous when you use it, as too much wax can make your board slick.
So, most surf shops and websites will recommend that you use some kind of storage rack to prevent any damage from occurring. However, the majority of surfboard racks that are available on Amazon cost around $100, so many people decide to build their own to save money. Fortunately, these homemade racks can be well-made and look great while they provide needed protection for your surfboard.
DIY Surfboard Storage Rack
Before you even get started on your new surfboard storage rack, you are going to need to have a plan or outline for what you want it to look like and what you will need. These plans can be ones that you drew up in order to figure out what you will need, or they could be a popular design that was made by someone else that they are offering to others for free or for a low price.
Whichever one of these options you choose, once you finally get your plan made and have figured out what you will need, you have to get your supplies. With the plan we will be using, which you can find here, however, we will explain the majority of the design and steps in order to make it.
Materials Needed
- 2400 x 1200 x 18 mm marine plywood, 2 sheets (95 x 48 x 1 in)
- 25 mm nails, box (1 in)
- 55 mm stainless steel screws, box (2.2 in)
- 12G x 32 mm galvanized screws, box
- Power saw, jigsaw, handsaw
- Router and 6mm rounding bit
- Electric sander, sandpaper
- Clamps
- Drills & bits
- Clear exterior finish
- Foam or padding material (Yoga mats or AstroTurf are great options) (Optional)
Begin Cutting Pieces
You are going to want to start by cutting all of your pieces to their final lengths so that once you begin putting the storage rack together, it can be quick and seamless. It is easiest to understand cutting directions when you can see and visualize what the stand will look like, so here is a pdf diagram available so you can see what the final project will look like.
The first piece that you are going to want cut will be the two long L-shaped pieces that will make up the outer frames acting as the supports for your storage stand. These L’s will be 1925 x 850mm (75.79 x 33.46 in). When cutting the L’s, make sure to immediately cut the L shape, otherwise, you will need more wood.
Then you will cut two bottom blocks that will be 315 x 110 mm (12.4 x 4.33 in). These will help support the arms that are going to hold the board. Next, you will cut 10 blocks that have one side that is flat, and another that is cut at a 2° angle. The size of these angled pieces will be 170 x 110 mm (6.69 x 4.33 in). Now you can cut the top blocks, which will be 160 x 110mm (6.29 x 4.33 in).
Now that you have cut the arm supports, it is time to actually cut out the 12 needed arm pieces. Each of these support arms will measure 850 x 100 mm (33.46 x 3.94 in). Next, you will cut out the internal supports which will sandwich the arms and support pieces with the outer L pieces. These internal supports will measure 1925 x 120 mm (75.79 x 4.72 in).
To finish up cutting your pieces out, you will cut out two back pieces and two cross pieces. The two back pieces will measure 1925 x 120 mm (75.79 x 4.72 in) and the cross pieces will measure 1200 x 100 (47.24 x 3.94 in). Now that you have cut out all of your pieces you are going to want to sand any rough areas so they are smooth and connecting nicely.
Add Curves
In order to make your surfboard storage rack look nicer, you aren’t going to want every single piece of it to be sharp edges, so now you will go an add some curves to different pieces, making them look nicer. On your large L pieces you will want the ends on the L to have a gentle curve, so use a saw or sand down to make this nice curve.
You will leave the bottom pieces and all of the angles pieces as they are, but you will want to give the upper piece the same curve that you gave the top of your L pieces. This will be the same for your internal support as you will only match the top of it to the other top piece you are using.
For your arm pieces, there are many different curves or patterns you could use to give a unique and original look, however, to keep it simple you will want one end to finish in a curve. However, feel free to try something different on these as it can set your storage rack apart from others.
With your back and cross pieces, you won’t need to add any curves as they sit in the back. However, with the back pieces, you can add some unique designs to set your rack apart and make it more unique to you.
Bringing it all Together
You will now start to place all of the pieces together. First, you will want to lay the L piece down and place the bottom piece onto the L. Using a supporting arm as a spacer place one of the angled pieces. You will want to have the angled cut on the top, and have it so that the supporting arms point slightly upwards due to the angle.
Repeat this process until you reach the top when you will place the top piece. The top of the L and the top piece should line up, but if they aren’t perfect, don’t worry as they can be evened out after everything has been assembled.
Now, take your bottom piece, and using the 25 mm nails, pin the bottom piece to the L piece. Repeat this process on each of the angled pieces, however, DO NOT PIN THE SUPPORTING ARMS TO THE L PIECE. after paving pinned each of the angled pieces along with the bottom and top pieces, you will want to remove the supporting arms and then place the glue onto each of the now pined pieces. Once the glue is applied, set down the internal side piece, with its bottom lining up to the bottom of the L piece.
Mirror the same thing to the other L piece while waiting for the glue to dry. Once dry, use several nails to act as extra support for the internal side piece. Next, you will apply the back pieces, using the 55 mm screws, but you will want to be careful to screw them into the centers and not into the areas where the supporting arms site.
Next, you will add the two cross pieces to connect what you have made thus far. The first cross piece should be placed about 18 mm (1 in) above the bottom, and should be held there using three of the 12G x 32 mm galvanized screws. Next place the second cross piece about 18 mm (1 in) from the top and secure it with three more of the 12 G x 32 mm galvanized screws.
Add a Finish
To finish up building your surfboard rack storage, you will want to smooth out any areas that you find rough and then add two or three coats of the clear exterior finish. With this Storage rack, you will be able to place or remove the supporting arms to have however many you want in it at one time, making this rack very customizable.
You can also add foam or padding materials to the top of the arms in order to add more protection to the arms and support your surfboards even more.
Other Build Plans
There are many different plans that you can use to create a wide variety of styles of surfboard storage racks, and the one that we have just built is only one. To find other plans, you can look at places such as Pinterest for ideas or find links to other people’s plans.
If you would like to watch a video that tells you how to build a surfboard storage rack, watch the video below.
Where to Purchase a Surfboard Rack
For those who don’t want to have to go through the effort of building their surfboard rack, worry not as there are a wide variety of different options available for you to pick and choose from. For a vertical surfboard storage option, one of your best might be with Steves Rack Shack Free Standing Vertical Surfboard Storage. However, like most other vertical surfboard storage, this is an expensive option and costs $170. Most other options typically cost around $80, like the StoreYourBoard Metal Surfboard Storage Rack.