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Maintenance, News, Stand Up Paddle
How To Take Care of Your Stand-Up Paddle Board
When you invest in a stand-up paddle board, you must maintain and take care of the equipment properly to ensure it lasts for years to come. While maintaining your gear is simple, it’s not as straightforward as storing it in the off-season and taking it back out again later. Keep reading to learn how to clean, store, repair, and handle your SUP gear appropriately.
Cleaning Your SUP Board
You might think that because you’re using your board in a body of water, you won’t need to clean your gear. It’s easy to think this, but the water could be dirty, murky, and muddy. Therefore, you must clean your SUP board after each use to preserve its lifespan and ensure your gear is ready for the next paddle board adventure. Let’s go over the proper steps for cleaning your board.
Rinse Off the Board
The first step in the cleaning process involves rinsing off the dirt and debris from your board. Don’t forget that there are two sides to the board, and you must rinse both. You won’t want to skip this step because it helps loosen any stuck-on debris.
Pro Tip
While freshwater is cleaner and better for the material on your board, saltwater could potentially corrode this material or cause the seams to loosen. So, cleaning and rinsing your board becomes more important if you’re paddling in saltwater.
Use Mild Soap & a Soft-Bristled Brush
To ensure your SUP board is completely clean, you must use soap and a cloth or soft-bristled brush to remove more salt and debris. The soap you use must be mild with no added chemicals; otherwise, you run the risk of ruining the material on the board. However, you should scrub around the deck pad gently so that you don’t shred and ruin the material.
Final Rinse & Dry
After scrubbing your board with a mild soap, you’re ready to rinse again! This action removes any soap residue and debris. The final rinse isn’t the last step—you still need to dry the board to ensure no mold or mildew grows on the material in storage.
Storing Your SUP Board
Whether you have an inflatable or hard epoxy SUP board, storing your gear when it’s not in use or during the off-season is paramount for preventing wear and tear. In general, you should cover the board to prevent water or snow from accumulating near your gear. Additionally, you should remove any fins if possible to avoid resting your board on this component and damaging it. Here are a few other tips you might consider for storage.
Indoor Storage
The best place to store your SUP board is inside and away from hot or freezing temperatures. A shed or garage works well for this because you’re probably storing other equipment or tools here too. You could choose to mount a hard epoxy board to the wall or deflate your blow-up SUP board and roll it up for more compact storage.
Pro Tip
To avoid creasing on your inflatable board, you must not excessively compact the material. Gently roll the board up and store it neatly inside your indoor storage. This extra care will prevent permanent deformations to your gear.
Outdoor Storage
If indoor storage is not an option for you, you can always store your gear outside. However, you must follow a few extra steps to ensure the equipment remains dry and unbothered by the sun’s UV rays. We suggest placing your board under a tarp below the eaves of your roof or beneath your deck. Do your best to keep this area dry so that no condensation or moisture causes mildew inside or around the equipment.
Miscellaneous Storage Tips
Regardless of the type of SUP board you use or how you store the equipment, these miscellaneous storage tips can ensure your gear remains in top condition for the next paddle boarding season. Always clean your board before storing it, avoid resting the gear on its pressure points, distribute the weight evenly, and consider using a UV spray to protect your board.
Pro Tip
You can also use moisture-absorbing dry packs to guarantee no water that could cause mold or mildew remains. These packs are especially beneficial for long-term storage.
Repairing Leaks in Your Inflatable SUP Board
During your cleaning process, you might find a leak in your inflatable SUP board. Don’t worry—you can repair your equipment and still use it many times! When you purchase a stand-up paddle board from Green Water Sports, you will receive a small repair kit with your bundle that includes PVC patches. If you find a leak, you can use the patches to repair your gear. That said, our repair kits do not come with glue due to shipping restrictions, so you will need to find your own vinyl adhesive here.
First, start by applying a layer of glue over the leak. Allow this to dry, then repeat this step one or two more times. After the second or third application of glue, apply more glue to the PVC patch and stick this over the leak. Allow your board to dry for at least 24 hours before running water over the leak area to ensure air no longer seeps out. You can also use glue to tack down the deck pad if it becomes loose.
Never Use an Air Compressor
When you need to inflate your blow-up paddle board, you should never use an air compressor. Air compressors can easily over-inflate your board, causing leaks. You should use a hand or electric pump to inflate your board to avoid pumping too much air into the PVC material. While the hand pump that comes with your board are the best to inflate your board, if you want to use an electric pump to inflate your board, use one designed for SUPs. These won’t over inflate your board and will often inflate it more quickly than big box store style air compressors.
Always Carry the Board Properly
You should always carry the gear correctly if you want to take care of your stand-up paddle board. You should never drag the board across the sand or over a hard surface because rocks and debris could puncture the material. Use your board’s handles so that it’s easier for the paddle boarder to carry the gear to the water.
When it comes down to the bottom line, caring for your SUP board is not difficult when you have the proper knowledge. The main takeaway is to ensure you’re cleaning and storing your board correctly, keeping it away from UV rays, ensuring it’s moisture-free, and handling the board correctly. If you have questions or concerns regarding the gear you purchased from Green Water Sports, do not hesitate to reach out. Our staff would love to address any questions you might have to ensure you maintain your equipment!
About the author: Julian Kidd