Re: Surfboard Rack for Zodiac Mark III HD
Just a couple of comments regarding surfboard racks. Your final solution depends on your gear and the type of floor you might have on your zodiac. I have a friend with a hard hulled boat that has a surfboard rack that is transom mounted. I would hesitate to apply that sort of leverage on my zodiac inflatable transom. If the boards are carried across the boat you will get loading from the wind flowing across the boards like they are wings. You are also limited in the board size, unless you are comfortable having them extend out very far past the sides of the vessel. Carrying the boards on edge is problematic. The wind resistance is significant and the rails are easily damaged as all stresses are focused on one narrow surface. If you have a hard floor you can install a rack that attaches to the floor using a cross floor plate and backing plates installed inside the hollow floor sections. Otherwise the thin top sheet is easily deformed by the leverage and loading.
I chose to install racks that hold the board along the side of the boat. The boards rest above the tubes so they aren't being stressed when the tubes flex (strapping the boards to the tubes with foam "bones" looks like a good idea, but really isn't). The wind resistance with the boards flat and nose first is negligble. I initially had the racks bolted to my benches installed into the zodiac track system, but did not like the racking that occurs due to the play in the track system. My currrent set up has the benches for the console and the seats permanently fixed with the backing plate system. The rack can hold long boards, short boards and often carries kayaks too (because the racks and the benches are securely installed). The arms are easily removable for uses that don't need a rack. The entire assembly is made with Speed Rail fittings and aluminum tube. This might be overkill for you, but maybe it will give you some ideas regarding your own modification. Just remember, the longer the support for the base the more leverage your boards will exert. The more windage the boards are exposed to the more stresses the strapped down board will be subjected to. If you are traveling short distances in relatively calm seas at low speeds that isn't a big deal, but becomes a more significant problem if you are traveling very far and rounding points or crossing bars with swells . Be sure to post how you decide to do hold your boards it is great to see different solutions to this issue!
My current set up has the rear bench seat mounted permanently to the floor using backing plates, but worked well with the track system as displayed in this photo.
This is how my ski pole base is installed into the hollow floor sections. The backing plates hold the cross plate down and effectively key into the side rails when the floor is assembled. Very strong and secure.
