Roof Rack for Surfboards

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SurfHawk

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2016
Messages
86
Location
Santa Barbara
Hi, found this 5 year old thread http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=2757 about putting surfboards on top of the Leaf, but wondering if anyone has any updated experience with boards on top? I am putting my shortboards inside the car, but looking for carrying two longboards on top for two occupants inside when the waves are small, about 1-2 days a week on average.

To increase my range when I don't have a longboard on top (99% of the time), I'm not planning to install a permanent roof rack like I had on my last car. I'm close to buying soft roof racks on Amazon which strap through the car and take a few minutes of assembly time every time you want to install them. Is this the preferred method or are there some faster to install removable roof racks for the Leaf? Are there any mods/improvements you have made to stock racks to make them work better on your Leaf?
 
I like the foam and strap roof rack things, but they can scratch your roof. You can also get pool noodles, micro fiber cloths, ratchet straps and a little ingenuity. The micro fiber cloth is a must even if you buy the pre made rack.
 
Hi SurfHawk.

I hope you're still active on this forum! Been looking at roof racks for my SUP on a 2018 Leaf SV and getting good advice from two others here. It seems soft racks may be the way to go both for cost and because they're removable so won't cause drag when not in use. What brand did you end up with and was there any issue clearing the antennae? (Your Amazon link doesn't go to a specific page.)

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Robin

SurfHawk said:
Hi, found this 5 year old thread http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=2757 about putting surfboards on top of the Leaf, but wondering if anyone has any updated experience with boards on top? I am putting my shortboards inside the car, but looking for carrying two longboards on top for two occupants inside when the waves are small, about 1-2 days a week on average.

To increase my range when I don't have a longboard on top (99% of the time), I'm not planning to install a permanent roof rack like I had on my last car. I'm close to buying soft roof racks on Amazon which strap through the car and take a few minutes of assembly time every time you want to install them. Is this the preferred method or are there some faster to install removable roof racks for the Leaf? Are there any mods/improvements you have made to stock racks to make them work better on your Leaf?
 
Hi, I did go with soft racks and I am on my second set now because sun and salt eventually corrode the straps and they need to be replaced. I try to take them down when I am not using very much like in the winter when the waves are better and I ride smaller boards that fit in the car, and the straps can often let rain drip into the car.

For both of them I go went with the Double style straps so that the board wouldn't be over the antennae in the middle.

The first set that lasted nearly three years was the Block Surf Double Wrap Rack for under $40: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J44S7S

Just a month ago I got the FCS Premium Double Soft Surfboard Car Rack for under $70: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Q4ATA

They are both pretty good, the FCS Premium one has wider straps that are of higher quality material and use a D ring that doesn't involve a spring clamp, which I have seen fail before. They do take a little longer to strap down to wind through the D ring but I think it's worth the security. Best of luck.
 
Hi, just saw this discussion, though a bit dormant...

I did the following

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=31804

whereby, I put on a hard rack that was under $50 (from ebay) and used the Thule surfboard carrier kit (which is sort of unnecessary with good 1.5" cam straps, double wrapped)

https://www.nrs.com/product/1445/nrs-15-heavy-duty-straps


I like the hard racks so I can use it for hauling, and with a 62 kWh battery, I'm not as worried about range loss as I was with when I had the 24 kWh battery. On my old battery, I did used the soft racks, which while being a PITA, are really good for all the reasons stated.

Notice, I attached the Thule kit with hose clamps. Seemed 'fitting' for the occasion. And then I attached a 10' board and a garage door opener, well, because I could.


Aloha!
 

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Nice, thanks for sharing. I want to upgrade to hard racks but didn't want to invest money in the car if I'm going to get one with a bigger battery soon. How do these handle rain, any water get inside?
 
@Surfhawk. Yes, the racks are well worth it when you score them for under $50. By design, there is no rain coming in, unlike the soft rack system. Also, they're (the racks are) pretty universal, so just save all of your pieces (if you get this style) for when you've upgraded to a different car?

Me, my 2011 Leaf was upgraded from 24 kWh to 62 kWh just last month (see some of my posts about that experience). It's so very nice to just use the car as though it was a surf wagon. I know I can even squeeze my 10' board inside. But sometimes I just want the room.

And the other day, after surfing, my buddy gave me an old garage door opener and a wood shelf that fit right next to the board on the rack. (Hint, always carry extra cam straps).

Also, here's a hitch with an ebike attached. The Leafs are so versatile.

Aloha!

p.s. (where are you surfing regularly)?
 

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Nice, have a link to the ebay auction, I see some for $55 but reviews on sellers' aren't great.

I hadn't thought of upgrading the battery, didn't know it was that economical. Was looking at 2017 Bolt's for around 19k but if I could keep my 2013 Leaf and put a 62kWh battery in it for $8,800 it may be worth looking into.

I'm in Santa Barbara, CA so the local spot is Rincon, what part are you from.
 
We used to live in SB, now further South. Mostly surfed Leadbetter in those days, now County line...

Yes, numbers could make a lot of sense... check with installer , sometimes he has a line on battery supply; and when he does have it, jump on it... as for whatever reason, the stock went way down shortly after I did the swap,

This is how I did the numbers

$7500 battery (62kWh)
$1000 installation (but it cost me $1300 because he had to open the battery case).
a few dollars back (for the old pack, or really, just sell your old pack, you could pick up 2k that way).

At the time, he had leads on 40 kWh for about $2k less, but I figured it was worth if for distance and future degradation ( I plan to get 10 years out of it and still have range).

In terms of Bolts:

2017 Chevy Bolt on craigs is going for $15K +... and you get a decent warranty (but crappy seating compared to the Leaf and little more range).

If you could come in around half of that +/- with a swap... then you know the car.... and why not?

On the other hand, if you sold your Leaf for 3kish (if was in the 6 bar range), then you're spending 12k -ish, which is only 4.5 more k than a transplant... and you've got a better warranty...

Still, one month in, I pretty stoked to have surf car that I can treat as pretty normal in terms of where I go.

Totally biased picture here (this is before I was going fast on the 101)

Aloha, hope you're catching some of this swell...

addendum 5/2021: Turns out installer was / is really really flakey. He doesn't have physical address, doesn't return phone calls. Go elsewhere
 

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I haven't done it yet, but I would think soft racks are the way to go. What do you guys do for the key fob when surfing? I have another ICE car I take surfing just because it has a lot more room and an easy physical key I can wear around my neck. I'd like to take the Leaf it was easy.
 
@sptleaf

You can pull off the physical key, if that's what your question means from the fob itself. I would also for just a few bucks, get a copy of that physical key made from the dealer... super cheap... [me, I stash it in one of the many secret places under a Leaf :) ]. Again if you get into extended battery territory, then the hard racks are pretty awesome and cheap...

Aloha!


and see: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=31804 for cheap hard racks
 

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Thanks, good idea on just making a copy of that so it doesn't get rusty as I just go old school and wear the key around my neck normally. I suppose you just wrap the key FOB in a faraday cage or something then, so the doors don't open up, since you need the FOB to start the car, right?
 
You leave the FOB in the car, close the door, then lock it manually with the physical key. Stash the physical key in your wetsuit or in a lockbox attached to your car handle and you are good to go.

I got the hard racks BTW, on my 85% life left 24kWh battery. Nice not having straps inside my car and rain entering the car, still working on calculating hit on range, maybe 10%.
 
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