GADGETS

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COURTESY THULE Easy tie-down and release are key to a good surf rack.

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State-of-the-art racks
make it easy to hit the beach

Surfboard racks, like surfboards, continue going through design changes.

Forty or so years ago, surf racks were simple: They had to hold boards securely in place and attach and detach from a vehicle easily -- there were no locks back then to prevent thefts.

Appearance and longevity really were secondary. It was a symbol of pride to have racks caked in dirty surfboard wax.

Those days are gone as surfers' requirements have become more sophisticated.

State-of-the-art racks from industry leader Thule can run about half the cost of a new surfboard but will easily last a decade or more.

The basic design is the same: a flat bar attached to the vehicle's roof with lockable footings. The board is set on the bar, then held in place with adjustable tie-down straps.

As materials have gotten stronger, rack attachments, including Thule's new 554XT Hang Two Surf Carrier ($50), have gotten appreciably lighter. That's a good thing.

Like its predecessor, the 554 Hang Two Surf, it has cushioned cradles on front and rear racks to hold the board slightly above the aluminum rack to prevent pressure dings to the board.

The XT uses Thule's high-strength straps, which have mega-strong plastic clips that slide onto a fastener on each cradle. All the surfer does is tighten the straps.

The 554XT surfboard racks can be attached directly to most factory roof racks, including Yakima's round crossbars.

It does take a little practice getting the plastic clips to snap into the cradles. One problem is that the tie-down straps are just barely long enough to use with two longboards. Another foot of strap would be ideal.