I have a Honda Civic with no factory racks.  I use a soft rack system to secure my SUP to the top of my car (2 pads and 2 buckled straps).  The soft rack is strong and secure, but I get alot more road noise/chatter at highway speeds than I'd like ... especially for a long trip to the coast.     I do the recommended couple of twists in the sides of each strap, which is supposed to take care of chatter, but it's still more than I want to hear.  Any ideas for something that will lessen road noise and will not require factory installation of a base rack?

I don't quite understand--wy don't you use aftermarket racks like Thule or Yakima. Soft racks are a pain in the butt, I only use them for rentals.

Ouch!!!   I have never had my butt hurt from using soft racks.  They work just fine for my use.
I actually paddle all year long, usually three days a week.  I was totally unaware I needed a Thule or Yakima rack.
I need a new BMW too.
I'm retired, but without a lot of income to spend.  I'm not complaining.  It is what works best for my wife and me.  I kept my first board for almost four years.  I'm now paddling a 2010 Starboard.  It was new when I got it, last year.  Ralph had a warranty issue, that had just gotten cleared up.
I'm don't have the newest equipment.  But, my smile at the end of each session says I'm having a good time.  And my breathing says I had a good workout.
That's good enough for me.

MY old mind is slow sometimes.  With one of the racks I have, I wrap a microfiber towel around the strap over the top of the board.  I guess it worked like a gasket, in a sense.

Soft racks are a marketing gimmick. All you need is a couple of straps and some kind of bumper. Even something as simple as folded cardboard is good enough. Zipperless wetsuits and impact vest make great bumpers.

+1 what Yugi and BW said and showed.

I've got nothing against racks, just haven't needed one up to this point. Now, when our son gets his license and takes over the Volvo I'll need to get a rack for my vehicle. Due to the roof shape, the straps will scuff up the finish over time so I'll bite the bullet and get racks for it then.





Will

We use the no rack method to strap boards to rental cars all the time and it works great is done right.  To protect the car roof from damage, use thick, stiff, wide foam blocks and place them at the edge of the car roof where it is stiffer to prevent the car roof from getting dented in from the strap pressure.  This works better than soft racks which usually have more play and allow the board to move around more.  Soft racks also don't allow you to space the pads to where the roof line is stiffer so are more likely to dent the roof.  Like Ponobill said one of the biggest downsides of using the straps through the door method is when there is heavy rain and water starts dripping from the straps into your lap.

Here is a video we recently made on using the foam block with two straps method: