Building a quiver is one of the fun parts of surfing. It’s great to have choices. However, storing all those boards can be a pain. If you are like me, you have already exhausted every available space in your garage. Longboards, shortboards and all those odd in between shapes. What you need is a good rack. Or perhaps a “Nice Rack”. The folks at Nice Rack have engineered a very simple surfboard rack and were kind enough to send me one to try on my quiver.
While I waited for my rack to arrive I decided to take a look at their website. First of all, they have kept it very simple by only offering one product (unless you want a t-shirt or a hat). I always agonize over choices, so the simplicity was welcome. The site is very straight forward and includes a very helpful FAQ section if you click on the Support button.
I was very happy to learn that they are making the racks out of 100% recycled ABS plastic (I’m not sure why we don’t see this with all surf related companies). Also, all packaging/shipping waste is recycled, and packaging materials used for shipping are re-used materials.
A single rack goes for $29.95, but if you order the quad rack (four racks) the price is only $95 and you get the shipping for free. They also have an option of ordering additional racks with the quad at $20 a piece. That means that you can get a seven board quiver off the floor for just over $22 a board and not have to pay shipping. I love a bargain!
My rack arrived and I decided to install it on the side of my house so that I could clear at least one board out of my garage. The package contained very easy to follow instructions. It’s pretty much a no-brainer, but I thought it was really cool that they explained the 16” distance between studs to help people like me find them when working on drywall. Even though I was installing on a wood exterior, I decided to stick with the suggested 32” stud spacing. Installation was a breeze.
It was obvious that the Nice Rack could easily hold a shortboard, so I started off with some of my bigger heavier boards. First was my 7’ 4” fish weighing in at just less than 18 lbs. The fish was very comfortable on the racks so I switched it out with my heaviest board, an old beat up 9’6” longboard weighing in around 23 lbs. The rack was holding up nicely, although now I could see some visible flex in the arms. I felt uncomfortable attempting the 40 lb weight limit suggested on the website, so I contacted Nice Rack and was told a more conservative weight limit of 30 lbs. I started placing weights on top of my longboard until I reached 30 lbs. The rack was holding, but definitely showing a lot more flex.
Simple is good. The racks are lightweight, well made and easy to install. Each rack is nicely padded to protect your favorite boards. However, I don’t think I would go over 25 lbs. on the rack (but I doubt too many of us are lugging around anything that heavy anyway). The website mentions using the rack for snowboards, wakeboards and kiteboards. I could see myself using it for brooms, gardening tools, golf clubs, etc…. Bottom line, if your quiver is all over your garage, this is a great way to get organized while protecting the boards, and it looks cool.
Check out their website at The Nice Rack – Surfboard Wall Rack System
You guys are ACE! Thanks for the awesome ‘honest’ review. As per your recommendation, I’ve adjusted the suggested weight limit to 25 lbs. Take care, your site rocks!