How to Care for Your Surf Gear
words by aske foyd
Take care of your gear and it will take care of you. We love the gear that lets us play in the water and we want it to last forever. It's even more important in a cold water environment to take care of your gear, as it's what keeps us safe.
Safeguarding your investment is especially important as you progress to buying premium surf goods to increase performance.
In this article you'll find the do's and don'ts of cleaning, storing and transporting the gear that allows us to do what we love.
Wetsuits
Making your neoprene last is the best way to save money in surfing. While most companies offer a decent warranty, they don't cover user error.
Best practice is to rinse your wetsuit in cold, fresh water after every surf to preserve the quality of the glue, zippers and neoprene. Dry your wetsuit inside-out in a cool, but dry, area.
Instead of using a hanger, fold your wetsuit over some kind of horizontal bar. A wet wetsuit is heavy and using a hanger can stretch out the shoulders of your suit. Resist the temptation to dry your wetsuit in the sun. Like warm or hot water, the sun's UV rays break down the quality of the neoprene and the glues that hold the stitching together.
Never throw your wetsuit in the washing machine. Instead, when your wetsuit gets stinky, you can use specialized wetsuit detergent. You can also do what the surf schools do and throw a cup of white vinegar into the water you are rinsing your wetsuit in. This kills the bacteria that is causing your wetsuit to stink - be sure to give in a fresh water rinse afterwards.
Surfboards
Your surfboard is a lot easier to take care of than your wetsuit. Just be careful of leaving it out in the sun for more than an hour if it has a darker tint. Out of the water, your board can overheat, causing delamination.
Delamination is when the fibreglass separates from the foam of your board. Keep this in mind when strapping boards to the roof of your car without a bag. With a bag, make sure the lighter or reflective side of the bag is facing up to keep your surfboard bag cooler.
We have also heard horror stories of people using hot water in their shower to strip old wax off their boards. This can cause delamination and ruin your surfboard. When removing wax from your board, 5-10 minutes in the sun is all it takes to scrape that wax off like butter.
Leashes are another thing that needs some care as there is nothing worse than swimming to shore after a snapped leash. Many people wrap their leashes tightly around the tail of the board and their fins. Fins are sharp and when you put stress on a leash in the same spots repeatedly, it's only a matter of time before they fail. Wrapping your leash around the tail also creates memory in your leash causing it to coil and wrap into your feet. Instead either take your leash off or just leave it untied in your bag.
