Last modified on March 12th, 2022 at 10:24 am
Gone Surfing This Summer: 7 Best Racks for Your Wakesurf Boards
So you've got the wakeboard that you’ve waited for and that you love ripping on. You want it to be handy and ding-free for years to come.
With summer here, you also want to get out and enjoy the water on your board. So how do you carry this beauty on the boat or store it at home so that it doesn't end up all banged up?
It can be a real challenge to store your equipment and keep it from harm. Boards tend to be bulky and can take up a lot of room.
Using a wakesurf board rack to keep your board handy and out of harm’s way will be a lasting solution to storing your board and keeping it ding and scratch free.
Another advantage of keeping your boards in a rack on your boat is that your passengers will not be tripping over them and a rack will keep the boards from skidding around on the deck.
We have listed seven wakeboard racks that will enable you to get out on the water this summer and not ding, scratch or damage your board in the process when storing or securing them on your boat.
You are going to see the Krypt band often in this review. That is no surprise as they have the largest selection of wakeboard racks in the industry.
7 Best Wakeboard Racks
Table of Contents
Made from black powder-coated aluminum, the Krypt Towers rack has a swivel mount. This makes it easy to mount one or two of them on a boat.
This angle mount can be adjusted 360 degrees and has a clamp-style securing method with several heavy-duty rubber inserts.
The inserts help custom fit the clamp to almost any tower size. Once the clamp is tightened, the tower is stable and you can have confidence that the rack and your boards are staying put.
This Krypt tower rack will fit both vertically and horizontally. Boogie clamps hold your wakeboard in place while you are moving across the water.
This Krypt Towers wakeboard rack is made from polished aluminum and the swivel mount is ideal for storing your boards on a boat.
There is often precious little cargo space on a boat, so being able to know that your boards are safe and secure while out of the way, frees up space and gives you peace of mind.
The soft rubber finger inserts and boogie clamps will hold your board securely even when you are traveling at a faster speed on the water.
The clamp swivels 360 degrees and looks good in double polished aluminum that will go with any color or style of boat. .
This rack fits both vertical and horizontal tower bars at virtually any angle. This rack will hold two boards.
This Ultimate Board Sports rack, again from Krypt, is a heavy-duty wall mounted storage unit for your boards and has been designed with sports enthusiasts in mind.
Made to be fully adjustable, this rack system from Krypt will fit all kinds of boards.
The rack will hold snowboards, snow skis, wakeboards, surfboards, kneeboards, wakeskates, wakesurfers, water skis, skateboards, skimboards, bodyboards, freeboards, longboards, and mountain boards.
Not only does it hold various types of boards, and the beauty of this Krypt rack is that you can store four different kinds of boards on just one rack!
Both the rails and fingers are made from heavy-duty solid steel, the rack is adjustable. You can install the rails in any number of widths to accomodate your boards.
Seamless thick rubber finger inserts top to bottom guarantee that you will not need to worry about scratching your boards when inserting them.
The rails are extra wide to accommodate the weight of the board and distribute more weight along the surface area, giving the rack a reliable and stable installation.
This Krypt wall rack kit comes with everything that you will need for installation.
StoreYourBoard has designed a wall storage rack that is straightforward to set up wherever you choose to store your boards.
Perfect for out in the garage, the StoreYour Board will also work equally well in an inside room. Set the rack up wherever you have wall studs, and your boards will be secure.
The rack will also help in getting your boards off the floor or out of the corner. Boards are an investment, and the StoreYourBoard will enable you to protect those investments.
Made of heavy-duty steel, the rack is strong and sturdy. You will be able to store four boards of various sizes, as StoreYourBoard has an adjustable rack system.
Rubber padding will protect your boards from getting dented or scratched when placing them on or taking them off the storage rack.
The Tengchang has an unusual shape compared to the usual wakeboard rack; it is sporty and streamlined. This bat-shaped rack is able to hold two boards; a wakeboard, and a kneeboard.
Made of aluminum, it can attach to both vertical and horizontal bars. The rack also has a bungee strap and rubber bumpers to help secure your board to the rack.
This product from Tengchang comes in a two-pack, which is often handy as you may have more than one board or surf with friends and need two racks.
This two pack gives you rack space for up to four boards and helps free up cargo space in your boat.
Krypt sells more kneeboard racks than any other manufacturer, and this particular rack is the watersport's industry top-selling rack.
Made from polished aircraft-grade aluminum, this rack will keep you from tripping over all the kneeboards onboard your boat.
You won’t have expensive equipment flying off the boat, either. Guests will appreciate not having to maneuver around the equipment, too.
But most of all, your boards will be safe and sound without getting nicks, scrapes, and damage.
The swivel mount kneeboard rack can be mounted to any tower and swiveled nearly 360 degrees. Mount the rack either vertically or horizontally.
The Cor Surf is a wall mounting rack that can both display and store your boards. Beautifully crafted, you can choose the rack in either dark stained wood or bamboo. This rack is nice enough to use indoors and is a great way to display your passion.
Protective soft rubber strips on the rack arms will keep your boards stored carefully without being scratched.
The wood of the rack will display well no matter your decor. With the Cor Surf rack you can display and store your boards horizontally or vertically, like a piece of art.
All mounting hardware is included with the rack and can hold your surfboard, longboard, wakeboard, snowboard, or kiteboard.
What is Wakeboarding?
Wakeboarding is a sport where a motorboat pulls a rider across the water on a board in the boat’s wake.
Wakeboarding is a combination of surfing, snowboarding, skating, and waterskiing. You can enjoy wakeboarding almost anywhere; on lakes, rivers, or in the sea.
A rider stands sideways on a wakeboard; and the board itself is shorter and broader than a surfboard making it similar to a snowboard.
The boat travels at a slower speed than it would when towing a water skier. As the boat cruises, it kicks up a big wake behind it and this is what the wakeboarder rides on that wake.
Riders, depending on their skill level, can do various tricks on the board while riding through the wake.
Executing mid-air-twists jumps and flips are all part of the fun of being towed on a wakeboard.
A Brief History of Wakeboarding
Originally, surfboards were the only equipment employed for the sport of skiing, as the wakeboard had not yet made its way onto the scene.
Boards without straps or bindings were first used in New Zealand and called “skurfboards.”
Wakeboarding went through a few evolutions, as to be expected in any new sport, and was officially recognized in 1993.
In the ensuing years, wakeboarding and the athletes who ride, have honed their skills and developed a myriad of tricks and various divisions of competition.
Today, wakeboarders participate in the sport for pleasure and competition.
The X Games and WWA Wakeboard World Championships host championships for the sport.
What began as a sport that a small group of individuals enjoyed has become a hugely popular water sport practiced worldwide.
What To Look For In A Wakeboard Rack
Rack Type
A tower rack can hold water skis, kneeboards, and wakeboards. Some racks can adjust to hold a combination of different equipment.
Depending on the number of boards you own, or if you frequently take other enthusiats along, you might want a rack on either side of your boat for symmetry and to create additional storage space.
How The Rack Affixes
One of the essential things to keep in mind is where you will want to mount the rack. If you're going to secure it permanently to your boat, look for a tower rack.
A tower rack is handy for carrying the boards without taking up space on board and without concern that they will fly out of the boat once you are underway.
Check to see if the rack has a release feature. The release is a convenience that will allow you to take the rack off easily should you need to do so.
If you are going to store your board at home, look for those racks designed to fit on vertical walls in your home or garage.
Check The Material
Select a wakeboard rack with care and pay attention to the material that the rack is made from.
One of the materials that a good majority of racks use for construction is aluminum. The advantage of aluminum is that it is both lightweight, durable and has anti-corrison properties.
You also want a material that will not rust or pit, as a rack mounted on your boat will spend most of its time being sprayed by the water.
In the case of stainless steel, those racks might have great looking finishes but are less durable than aluminum.
Check For Cushioning
Racks may come in stainless steel or wood, but they all should have some type of cushion or padding to keep your boards from being scratched as you take them off or put them on the rack.
Check to see if the padding is just on the top side of the fork on the rack. If there is no padding on the bottom of the fork, you could scrape up your board putting it on the arm below.
Some of the better racks have padding on all sides of the forks and along the top and bottom.
You find some racks that have the forks dipped in rubber. This type of coverage is a great feature on metal forks, as this will protect your board from getting scratched.
If you are using the rack on a boat, the rubber coating also helps to soundproof the rack against rattling while the boat is in motion. It might not seem like a big deal, but it can be a big nuisance when you are out of the water and the rattling sound is continuous.
Attachment Of The Bungee
When on a rack, a bungee cord holds your board in place while you are traveling across the water.
Check to see how the bungee is integrated on the wakeboard racks. If it is not attached to the rack, a bungee is very easy to lose or misplace.
If the cord is attached to the rack, you won't lose it if you take your board off and forget to reattach the bungee.
It is a small feature that makes a big difference.
The Angle Of The Rack
Something to consider when purchasing a wakeboard rack for your boat is the angle the rack will take once installed.
Depending on where the tower leg of the wakeboard rack sits, the slant of the rack may either curve or sit at an angle.
Once a rack is attached, it might sit crooked because of the tower leg design.
If you choose an adjustable rack, you will be able to have it sit level to the horizon no matter what the rack is attached to. Take the configuration of your boat into account before you purchase a wakeboard rack.
Types Of Boards You Will Store
There are so many types of boards for water sports, such as surfboards, wakeboards, and kneeboards. Each of those types of boards will be different lengths and widths.
Know the dimensions of the boards you want to store before you purchase any wakeboard racks.
Some racks will store just one type of board, like a wakeboard, and others might store two types, like a wakeboard and a kneeboard.
Wall-mounted racks have the ability to store more varieties of boards on a single rack than a tower.
Number Of Boards You Will Store
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing wakeboard racks are how many boards you will need to store.
Like most watersports, wakeboarding is fun when there are more people involved.
You might need a rack that can store several wakeboards, or you may need more than one rack. Think about this especially if you have a boat that you want to transport your wakeboard on, and if you have friends that join you with their boards.
CONCLUSION
Your boards, whether they are wakeboards, kneeboards or surfboards, are expensive pieces of equipment. It is an excellent idea to protect your investments by using wakeboard racks for storing them.
You don't have to worry about losing or damaging the boards when you are out on the water if you use a rack.
At home, you can keep the boards off the floor and out of the way by securing them with wakeboard racks.
By securing your boards with a rack, you are also securing your ride and ensuring that you will be able to have a blast on the water with a board whose performance is not marred by dings and scratches.
