Finding a place to put your surfboard in your home can be hard. If you don’t have a big room, they can probably take up half the space. Wherever you put them, they just seem to get in the way. But that’s where knowing how to hang a surfboard on a wall comes in handy.
Surfboard wall racks not only keep your board out of the way, they make for a cool wall decoration too. Whether you buy one, or do it yourself, these can save a lot of time and energy.
Purchasing a Surfboard Wall Rack
Before you can hang your surfboard on the wall, you need to have a surfboard wall rack to use. Depending on what you want to accomplish, certain wall racks will be more useful for you than others. For example, if you need to hang multiple boards then you’ll need a wall rack that has multiple place holders.
There are different styles of hanging your board as well. From a minimalist style that highlights your board like art, or a nice-looking hardwood design that stands out, there’s lots of good-looking options out there. It’s also very important to find a rack that won’t dent or damage your board. When you determine what you need based on one of these factors, then you can buy the one you want to use.
To find a huge selection of surfboard wall racks, you can check out Amazon for high quality wall racks that are durable and budget friendly. Once again, all these wall racks have instructions and details that will be helpful for you to decide which wall rack is suitable for your surfboards.
Installing Your Surfboard Wall Rack
If you’re not familiar with using tools or doing any home improvement, you might want to ask someone for help with this part. Before going into this, make sure you keep the manufacturer instructions of your rack in mind.
Some of these steps may not work for the particular surfboard wall rack you bought. For example, setting up a horizonal rack is different from setting up a vertical rack. Be sure to know which kind you bought first.
Horizonal Surfboard Rack
First you need to know the distance between the points you want your rack to touch on your board. Get your measuring tape and measure the points. In general, it’s best for the points to be right where the surfboard begins to curve.
Next, you’ll need to use a stud finder to know where the wall stud is. Once you’ve found the stud, use your measuring tape to measure from the wall up to where you want to position the bottom of your rack, and mark the stud. Once you’ve made the mark, have someone use a self-leveling laser to line up with the mark made on the wall. Use your measuring tape to measure out to the point where you planned the distance between the racks.
Make a mark for the installation point on the laser line. Grab the rack, and make sure the bottom of it is on the first mark. The screw holes will have to be marked as well. Once you’ve done that, drill holes into the mark, position the rack, and secure it to the wall. After you’ve done that, you do the same process for the other rack.
Tip: If your other rack isn’t positioned over a stud, drill into the pilot holes and place wall anchors into them. This way you can secure the rack through the anchors.
How to Hang a Surfboard on a Wall Horizontally
After all the work of installing the wall rack, hanging is the easy part. Some racks are intended for your board to lie flat. All you do is place the bottom of your board on to the rack, and position it in. Then it’ll be safely in place for whenever you’re ready to go surfing.
Other wall racks are intended for your board to lie sideways against the wall. All you do is place the edge of your board on the rack, and slightly angle it against the wall. That way there’s less chance of it falling forward, and it doesn’t get damaged.
Vertical Surfboard Wall Rack
To hang a surfboard on the wall vertically, you’ll need to do something a little differently with installing your wall rack. First you start from the same beginning step you would in setting up the horizontal wall rack. Use a stud finder to find the wall stud and mark the center with a pencil. Starting from the floor with a measuring tape, measure up to the height you desire the bottom of your board to touch.
After you’ve done this, grab an anchor and hold it on the mark you made. Use a spirit level to make sure that its level. Then get a pencil to mark the screw holes and remove the anchor. Use a drill to create some pilot holes and secure the bottom anchor to the wall.
Next you want to determine where the top anchor will be. Start from the bottom anchor and use your measuring tape to measure up to where you want the top anchor to be.
A good spot is where the nose of the board merges with the surfboard deck. Grab your pencil and mark the point. Once you’ve marked it, get your self-leveling laser, and make sure the bottom mark and the top mark are lined up. When it’s lined up, position your top anchor to where the arms line up with the mark. Make sure that the center of the anchor is centered on the mark.
Place a mark for the screw holes, remove the anchor, and drill in the pilot holes. After drilling in the holes, you can secure your top anchor to the wall.
How to Hang a Surfboard on a Wall Vertically
To hang your surfboard vertically, you first need to stand your board up from the tail. Depending on how your wall rack is set up, you’ll either position it with the bottom facing the wall, or the edges facing the wall. Place it in the way it’s meant to be positioned, and it’s all set.
DIY Surfboard Wall Mount
If you’re interested in saving some money, it’s possible to make a surfboard wall rack instead of buying one. All you need is some pieces of wood, brackets and a couple of tools. You can feel free to get creative by using whatever you have lying around in your garage.
Here are the steps to creating your own surfboard wall rack:
- Cut the wood you have to match the length and width of your brackets.
- Decide how far you’re going to space out your brackets, and then screw them into the wood.
- Then place your piece of wood with brackets in the position on the wall that you want and screw it into the wall studs.
- Put wood strips on each bracket and secure them with wood screws.
To protect your surfboard from getting dented or damaged by the wood, you can wrap some foam around it. Your boards will be standing vertically and slipped into the bracket sections sideways. You can put a rubber mat on the floor to keep the surfboards standing in place. For extra security, you can screw eye hooks into your walls, and pull a bungee cord around the surfboards as well.
It may seem like a lot to set up your surfboard wall rack, but it’s a satisfying feeling once you see your board hanging on the wall as it nicely decorates your home. It’ll be a great conversation starter for guests you invite over. Best of all, it won’t take up space, and it’s an easy place to store your board after a fun day of surfing.
Surfboard Accessories and Equipment
If you’re new to surfing, you can check out our beginner’s guide on how to surf. Also, getting a good surfboard car rack is just as important as getting a good wall rack. See the best surfboard car racks we found this year. To go along with your surfboard, you’ll want to get the best possible surfboard fins and leash. For more accessories, equipment or information about surfing, you can check out our blog.
