The greatest destroyer of sailboarding gear is salt water. And the majority of the sailboarding sport around the world is done in salt water.
Why Does Salt Water Impact Sailboarding Equipment?
When a sail dries after sailing in salt water, the water evaporates, leaving salt crystals behind. These crystals have sharp edges that move against the material of the sail, cutting into it like minute knives. The stitching is usually the first to go.
If this salt water is not rinsed out with fresh water every time, the sail will eventually fall apart at the seams.
This applies to all sailboarding gear. Wetsuit, harness, footstraps. Anything with material in it will suffer if left to dry and then stored with salt crystals within the material.
Maintaining Windsurfing Equipment
When washing, it is a good chance to carefully check over the sailboarding equipment;
As in most sports 'prevention is better than cure.' After a day’s sailing the rinsing time should be used to check out all the equipment.
If the universal is nearing the end of its days, then it should be replaced. Don't expect it to last, or try and do it sitting on the beach just before the next day’s sailing. The same applies to ropes: outhauls, downhauls, harness ropes. They all wear out eventually and it's best to replace them before they get to the critical stage.
Maintaining Windsurfing Sails
The stitching in the sails should be checked to see if they are coming undone. Or the mylar panels delaminating, or any holes that wouldn't usually be seen during a day's sailing: check for these things.
When storing windsurfing sails, they should be completely dry. Any moisture will quickly turn into mould that can eat away at the material.
Mylar sails should always be rolled. Dacron can be rolled or folded. If a mylar sail is folded a number of times, creases form in the mylar. Eventually the mylar breaks through fatigue and starts to delaminate, resulting in a troublesome repair job.
Maintaining Sailboards
The surface of a board, whether fibreglass, epoxy or polyethylene, eventually deteriorates. Scratches form in polyethylene; fibreglass boards look dull and lifeless, as do epoxy boards.
The surface of fibreglass sailboards can be restored using a fibreglass polish. The local sailboarding or surfing shop should have stocks of this. Using a polish not only makes the board look good again, but also makes it slip through the water quicker and provides a protective coat.
A polyethylene board can be restored using a car polish. This will take away any of the minute cuts and scratches and leave a good, shiny surface. If it is in an extremely bad way, fine grade wet sandpaper can be used before the polish.
The Sailboarding Car Should Also be Maintained
Another piece of sailboarding gear that takes a battering from the salt water is the sailboarding car. The salt water can eat into a car's metal work in the form of rust in a surprisingly short time.
A new car intended to be used for carting sailing equipment should be rust-proofed. Even if taking boards and equipment on a trailer, a car sitting in the face of a stiff 30 knots while its owner is out carving duck gybes or chop jumping gets sprayed with salt water carried by the wind.
Always rinse down the car after a day sailing; and don't forget the radiator. This is made of thin pieces of metal that can quickly rust. Do-it-yourself rust-proofing makes a lot of sense. Spray cans can be purchased in any car shop. Follow the directions on the can, and don't forget the gutters on the roof.
It can take a bit of time to wash out all sailboarding equipment, especially if using two or three sails in one day. But it is worth the effort in the long run. Remember; if a sailor cares for their equipment, their equipment will care for the sailor!
Bruce Iliff - Hello from an Australian freelancer! I’ve been scratching articles together in Australia in a range of subjects for a number of ...
Join the Conversation