How We Transport Surfboards by Dinghy Without Damaging Them -

So we love to surf. To get to the surf, we need to take the dinghy; and to be able to surf, we need boards. Inevitably, we have to transport surfboards in the dinghy — without damaging them in the process!

Top 5 Surf Destinations We’ve Found While Sailing (So Far)

What We Use

Okay, let’s start with the gear:

Highfield 360 dinghy
30hp Yamaha Enduro outboard
Six surfboards ranging from 5’2” all the way to 8’0”
Two bungee cords with plastic hooks (these are key!)
A sarong (or two)

Quick Disclaimer!

Our boards are well-used (and loved), so we’re not exactly precious with them.

That being said, we do everything we can to make sure they don’t get damaged so they can continue to be used for as long as possible.

Right then, onwards!

Stacking the Surfboards

This is a crucial step — get it wrong, and your boards could go flying or get damaged.

First things first, if you have dinghy chaps (the covers over the tubes), then you’ll want to put a sarong down before placing the first board; this will prevent wax from getting on the chaps.

Here’s our stacking method:

Place the biggest board across the middle of the dinghy evenly.
Stack the next board in the opposite direction — the nose near the fins of the bottom board.
Alternate directions as you continue stacking.

Now they’re all across the middle of the dinghy, with the biggest on the bottom and the smallest at the top.

A small dinghy with six surfboards stacked securely in the center, held in place by bungee cords

Another thing to note: If you wrap your leg rope around your board — like we do — make sure to put the nose of the next board on top. This helps distance it from the board underneath.

Woohoo! They’re all in the boat, and we’ve come this far with no damage!

Strapping Them Down

Now that your boards are stacked nicely in the middle of the dinghy, it’s time to secure them.

Take one of your bungee cords and hook it under a handle in front of the surfboards.
Pull it over all of them and hook the other end onto a handle behind the boards. Voila! One end is secured.
Do the same on the other side, and your boards should feel pretty snug.

Covering Them

This last step isn’t a must, but if you’re in a sunny spot and want to protect your boards from heat, then covering them is a good idea.

That sarong we mentioned earlier? Here’s where it comes in handy:

Simply drape the sarong over all the boards.
Tuck the ends under the bungee cords.
This will keep them shaded, and you don’t have to worry about the sarong getting wet!

The Final Product

Great! We now have all the surfboards in the dinghy — stacked, secure, and covered!

And to answer the question I know you must be asking: Yes, we do all fit!

Usually, Mum, Dad, and Archie stand at the back, and the rest of us sit up front. It results in a very full dinghy, but hey, it works!

Aerial view of a dinghy speeding across crystal-clear water, with islands, reef, and a surf break visible in the distance.

Alternative Options

Sometimes, you might not have all the gear we mentioned, so here are some good alternative solutions:

For bungee cords: Use any long ropes, just get them as tight as possible. Ratchet straps also work, but beware of corrosion and where you place the metal parts.
For a sarong/padding: Soft board bags are a great (and potentially better) option, providing both sun protection and extra padding between boards. The reason we don’t use these is because they get wet, and with six boards it would get pretty annoying.
For smaller dinghies: If you can’t stack boards in the middle, try placing them further up in the bow (front) using the same stacking and securing method.

A Few Extra Thoughts

You may be wondering how we know this method works…

We’ve been figuring this out for several years. Trust me, it wasn’t always this smooth! We’ve learned these tricks the hard way.

We’ve done up to 8NM runs using this setup. I can recall several times when we’d anchor in a nice, protected bay, load up the boards, and head out to the surf break.

All of our boards have survived. Yep, no major damage in the process of transporting them by dinghy. It’s all gone relatively smoothly, and the boards haven’t suffered.

We did it today (not kidding). This is exactly how we do it, right now! We went for a session this morning and stacked them just like this.

Close-up of the back half of a dinghy, showing the end of a neatly stacked surfboard pile. A girl sits at the front, gazing out over the clear blue water.

Yeah, we like it. It works for us, and I hope it works for you too!

Want More Surf Tips?

If you’re interested in how we care for our boards, including where we store them, check out this post: Surfboards on a Catamaran: How We Store and Care for Them.

That said… I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you have any suggestions or alternative methods? Drop a comment below!