Pack a Surfboard On The Cheap (For Dangerous Airline Travel)

Traveling with a surfboard is dangerous. Most board bags don't provide enough protection from disgruntled airline employees, especially hawaiian airlines. So we need to make sure the board is safe.

Step 1: Ingredients

1" Tubular Pipe Insulation
Saran Wrap
Towels
Lots of Duct Tape
exacto knife
A board bag (of course)
If you have glass-on fins you will also need...
3x Tennis Balls
A wood dowel, or even better, the hard cardboard cehter of your saran wrap.

Comments

[newb]

my dog isnt that ridiculously cute :( , can i still do this?

[Chard]

add this to my new group Surfer's Paradise!

[davez]

Thanks!

Lots of surfers fly with us because some of the competition can't take a surfboard due to the small size of the aircraft. If they fly with then, the board goes with us anyway. I guess it might be a numbers game. The more surfboards you transport the more likely one will get damaged.

Another thing you can do to protect your fins would be to carve slots into a block of foam and place the block over the fins.

I'm bias because I work here... But, I sincerely believe your best bet is is to fly with a Hawaii based airline who employs people who actually own surfboards and grew up surfing versus an airline based on the mainland who is less likely to know the pain of getting your board back with a nasty ding.

This is the plane you want to be on... The Billabong/Hawaiian Airlines Clipper.
billabongclipper.com

Does anyone other airline sponsor a plane like that? (I don't think so)
Surfing is serious business around here. ;⁾

[rightcoastsurf]

FCS fins are the deal, one less thing to break off. Before FCS, I used to use a combo of bubble wrap and inflatable "water wings." Buy two pack of water wings, inflate three, (save the 4th "just in case) slide over fins, wrap bubble wrap around your board to hold the water wings in place.

[onemisterchristian]

FCS are convenient, but they just dont feel the same. I can't get over that little tiny gap between the board and the fin right in between the tabs and I have a nasty habit of busting out those fin boxes when I really lay into a turn. I prefer futures for traveling fins, although they're selection is slightly limited. And good call on thw water wings btw. I never thought of those. I'll have tp try it next time.

[davez]

I was just informed that our Vice President of Advertising & Promotions passed away yesterday while surfing in Australia.

Kirk was a great guy and died doing what he loved. You can read about his favorite surf spots here: http://www.travelagewest.com/articles.aspx?article=4894

[onemisterchristian]

My original plan was to use the foam however, this was on the cheap and the cheapest foam I could find immediately was going to cost me $22.00. So I passed ont that. But ultimately the foam is the best method for protecting fins.

[evy-wevy]

if it wasn't -13 C out, I'd try surfing....

[davez]

Great packing tips! However... I work at Hawaiian Airlines and... According to the Department Transportation... Hawaiian had the lowest % of mishandled bags in nation for both 2005 & 2006. We also sponsor several surfing events like the Vans Triple Crown of surfing. Quite a few of our baggage handlers are surfers so we understand these issues and do our best to keep them safe. I’m sorry if your board got dinged.

[onemisterchristian]

Oh, no problem. I hope I didn't offend. That certainly was not my intent. It was just a joke. It seems everyone I know has some horror story about how wrecked their board got by hawaiian airlines. I personally have yet to have a board ding. So keep up the good work.

[mrmath]

Don't forget to take the plastic wrap and duct tape with you. You'll need it for the return trip!