You must properly maintain and repair your windsurfing gear daily. Some repairs are obvious, such as checking the board for cracks and other scratches. Other repairs you may not have thought of on your own, such as paying attention to your vent plug. Read on to get some of the most important tips for maintaining your windsurfing gear you need this summer.
Maintain the Inflatable Board’s Valve
One of the most essential parts of your windsurfing board that you need to maintain is the valve plug, a component that allows you to inflate or deflate your board. By design, the valve, when screwed in a counterclockwise position, enables easy inflation for your board. Conversely, screwing it in a clockwise rotation causes it to deflate. Be aware of any audible hissing sounds around your valve plugs, as it may be leaking air and slowly deflating your windsurfing board.
Don’t Forget To Pay Attention to The Fins As Well
Besides the vent plug, fins are another thing to pay attention to on your windsurf SUP board. Fins have a propensity to scrape and scratch against rocks and other debris that float in the water. It may be a good idea to visually inspect these to ensure that the fins don’t have damage. After you are done doing this, take some time to wash off your fins and ensure that the surface finish of the fins remains undamaged. Finally, take some time to realign your fins to ensure that they are all parallel with each other and the center of the board.
Inspect Your Board for Damage
The last thing you need to do to maintain your stand-up paddle board is inspect the board itself for any damage. Depending on the type of board you have, whether it’s inflatable or hard, you probably will look for different types of damage. With inflatable stand up paddle boards, you’ll want to look for pinhole scratches. Any tears in the fabric will deflate the paddle board. With hard material paddle boards, you’ll want to look for scrapes, gashes, or any other surface damage that may harm the hydrodynamic capabilities of the board.
We hope you enjoyed our recap of the best tips for maintaining your windsurfing gear. Be sure that if you take your time and effort to ensure after every ride that your gear is properly maintained, it will last you for years to come.