Care and feeding of your surfboard.
Over the last few times I’ve been down at the beach I’ve noticed a few guys do stuff with their boards that just rubs me the wrong way.
There are plenty of recommended care procedures for EPS / Epoxy boards like ‘don’t leave them in the sun or hot car etc. but in reality about every recommended practice for the EPS and Molded boards is what we all should have been doing with our traditional Polyurethane / Polyester boards.
No matter what kind of board you have it’s best to follow certain do and don’t practices that will help keep your board in good health and give you added use.
If you travel to and from the beach with your board in racks on top of your car always have the board in a good bag or board sock. Without the bag your board will be exposed to the sun for whatever length of time you have it on your car. Even on over cast days the UV exposure is not good for a surfboard.
When you get to the beach never put your board on the pavement…. Unless it’s still in a bag. If you absolutely have to put a board on the pavement turn it bottom up so contact with the ground is only on the nose and tail.
Absolutely never wax your board with it laying on pavement… I saw a guy doing that a week or so ago and from across the street I could hear the sound of crackling fiberglass from the small rocks the board had been set on. Geez… made my skin crawl.
If you hang at the beach for several hours don’t leave your board in the sun between go outs. If there’s no shade and you’re close to your car put the board in it’s bag and set it under your car. If you can’t do that put a towel over it on the beach while between go outs.
Strip the wax off your board every couple months. Give it a complete cleaning and when it’s all clean give it a good look for any small cracks or shatters that may need fixing. Check the fin boxes and plugs to make sure there are no cracks around them. It’s real common to see cracks at the front of the long box on a long board, or 2 plus one set up. Always keep your board water tight.
If you take care of your boards they will give you much more lasting enjoyment.
D.R.
Over the last few times I’ve been down at the beach I’ve noticed a few guys do stuff with their boards that just rubs me the wrong way.
There are plenty of recommended care procedures for EPS / Epoxy boards like ‘don’t leave them in the sun or hot car etc. but in reality about every recommended practice for the EPS and Molded boards is what we all should have been doing with our traditional Polyurethane / Polyester boards.
No matter what kind of board you have it’s best to follow certain do and don’t practices that will help keep your board in good health and give you added use.
If you travel to and from the beach with your board in racks on top of your car always have the board in a good bag or board sock. Without the bag your board will be exposed to the sun for whatever length of time you have it on your car. Even on over cast days the UV exposure is not good for a surfboard.
When you get to the beach never put your board on the pavement…. Unless it’s still in a bag. If you absolutely have to put a board on the pavement turn it bottom up so contact with the ground is only on the nose and tail.
Absolutely never wax your board with it laying on pavement… I saw a guy doing that a week or so ago and from across the street I could hear the sound of crackling fiberglass from the small rocks the board had been set on. Geez… made my skin crawl.
If you hang at the beach for several hours don’t leave your board in the sun between go outs. If there’s no shade and you’re close to your car put the board in it’s bag and set it under your car. If you can’t do that put a towel over it on the beach while between go outs.
Strip the wax off your board every couple months. Give it a complete cleaning and when it’s all clean give it a good look for any small cracks or shatters that may need fixing. Check the fin boxes and plugs to make sure there are no cracks around them. It’s real common to see cracks at the front of the long box on a long board, or 2 plus one set up. Always keep your board water tight.
If you take care of your boards they will give you much more lasting enjoyment.
D.R.
Early 90's surf trip
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