Hey there. I am headed to hawaii and want to take my longboard with me.
It is a family trip, so much to my dismay we will be staying in waikiki.
I will be renting a van large enough to accomodate a longboard but I
have a few questions for those who might have done this before:

Do most hotels allow you to bring your board (9'0") inside?
Do rental cars in HI have a surfboard rack option? (I am thinking of
taking a soft rack or straps of some kind)

How much was the extra charge from NRT for a board on the plane?

How far outside waikiki will I have to go to find waves in late Nov.

Thanks!

I paid 8000 Yen single way with JAL last year, but that was for a 6'4 board.

But can't answer on a 9' board though, but I've seen japanese logboarders who have stayed at the same hotel. One thing though is you might have a problem gettin' up using the elevators.

Wakiki should have some waves in November, but I guess North Shore could be the best option.
Diamond head or Sandy beach might work too, a bit closer than the North.

A popular surf point for locals with their families is Barber's Point near the base. It's about 30 minutes by car (H1) from the Ala Moana shopping center.

It's pretty mellow but there are always waves there. At least when I was there for a month in December 2004.

I'll be going there again for a couple weeks this Christmas vacation.

Hope this helps!