9 Foot Longboard Fits Inside 1998 Subaru Outback Sport

Aloha Tribe,

Great news, I've found another car that a 9 foot longboard fits inside of. Yep, my second car is a beautiful fire engine red 1998 Subaru Outback Sport and it will easily hold both of my 9 foot longboards and my 7 foot thruster, or a few bodyboards, my backpack, ukulele, and assorted travel gear, including several Baja California maps, a Baja California travel book, as well as a map or two from Seattle to Mexico.

So, this gives me yet another car that my longboards will fit inside. Of course, my Outback also has a great roof rack on it and that holds my two longboards great too. I simply duck taped some pipe insulation (acquired at Home Depot - 1 inch inner hole size, maybe 2 or 3 inches around, I'd imagine) around the roof rack supports, put my boards in travel bags, and strap them to the roof of the car if or when that is how I want to carry them. It's awesome to have options.

Now with this car, here's what I did. I moved the passenger seat as far forward as it would go toward the dashboard, then, I tilted the seat back as far back as it would go. Then, I took off the head rest from the seat simply by pushing the button and pulling it out. Next, I folded down the passenger side rear seat by tilting it forward toward the front of the car. At this point, I was able to slip my 9 foot longboard in the back hatch, through the trunk, over both tilted seats, and onto the front dashboard, with a few inches to spar both front and back, giving me plenty of room to pad the nose  of the board and the tail of the board with either towels or pipe insulation.

This arrangement gives me room for a passenger behind me (yeah, a surfing buddy), and their 9 foot longboard and my 9 foot longboard on the passenger side of the car, with all of our gear both under the surfboards in empty spaces, as well as in the trunk area behind the person sitting behind me (the driver).

Sure, we can't sit "together," and it's more of a front seat rear seat seating kind of thing, but that's cool, at least we both fit with our surfing gear.


Roadtrip!!!

Hmm, you know, a Fish Taco Surfing Roadtrip, from Seattle to Baja Mexico sounds just about right. And, with my Outback, I could do it. :)

I wonder how I'd make the Outback a Baja Outback, that is to say, lets see, I'd need, larger wheels, sand tires, an outside mounted gas tank (like you'd have on a Jeep Wrangler), an outside mounted oar (if you have to ask, perhaps you shouldn't make this trip) and a front mounted winch. Any other ideas out there? Oh, a Spanish Dictionary, but of course. And lots of water. What a fun plan.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley