Surfing can be expensive and it’s worthwhile to take care of your surf gear. Properly maintaining and caring for your surf gear will extend its lifespan and save you money.
A little extra effort at the end of each surf session combined with properly storing your surf gear will leave you and your gear a lot happier over time.
It’s important to properly care for your surf gear. Continue reading to learn how!
Why do you need to care for your surf gear?
Surf gear, like any outdoor sporting gear, takes a beating. Surf gear is exposed to natural elements like the sun, wind, salt, water, sand, and yourself!
Each time you go surfing, you put a little bit of wear on your gear. Your surfboard might get a small pressure ding from an awkward wipeout. The stitching in your wetsuit will get tugged during another awkward wipeout.
Also, the sun’s harsh rays and the salty seawater are brutally attacking your surfboard and wetsuit! Okay maybe the elements aren’t that intense. But you should still take care of your gear.
Proper and consistent care for your surf gear will increase its lifespan, saving you money and time.
What kind of surf gear needs maintenance?
The two main pieces of surf gear are your surfboard and your wetsuit. The leash is also a very important piece of equipment. Gloves and booties are also important if you live in a cold water location like myself.
All of these pieces of gear need maintenance and care. They each serve a unique function in helping you catch waves. You want to thank them for their help right? You should!
Treat your gear right and it will take care of you. This also applies to other gear that is required to go surfing like your car, backpack, and frisbee! However, those items are beyond the scope of this article.
What kinds of maintenance or care is needed for your surf gear?
Every surfer has their own rituals, including those that pertain to maintaining and caring for their gear. Some surfers are hyper-sensitive about their gear and they keep it meticulously clean and well kept. Others, maybe not so much.
You probably want to be closer to the former, but you don’t have to get too crazy. In my mind, there are three major components to caring for surf gear: storage, repairs, and post-session cleaning.
Storage refers both to long term storage and short term storage. By long term storage I mean when your gear sits in your garage for a while between surf sessions. Short term storage means during surf trips but not while you’re actually using your gear!
Repairs are an unfortunate but manageable part of owning a surfboard. This is particularly true for a fiberglass board. Even epoxy and foam boards may need a repair. Your wetsuit might get torn too!
Post-session cleanings are essential to keeping your gear salt and sand-free. Salt and sand are enemies of just about all human-made materials, including your wetsuit, leash, and surfboard.
How to properly store your surfboard
Don’t overlook or over think how to properly store your surfboard while you’re not surfing. Like guests, your surfboard should be comfortable but not too comfortable. Find a cozy place in your garage or a storage shed. Heck even your living room or bedroom is an option.
The important thing for your surfboard is that there are no sharp edges or corners around for you to bang it on when you put it away and get it out. Lots of people store their boards vertically on racks, kind of like those vertical dish racks.
Other people prefer horizontal racks. Either way, make sure there is some padding for the weight to rest on. Pool noodles or other foam are cheap ways to do this. Also, buying a board bag is a good option both for long term storage and protection during transportation to the beach.
If you don’t have a surfboard, make sure you learn how to buy a used surfboard to save money.
How to properly store your surf wetsuit
Just like your surfboard, you have to store your wetsuit correctly. Although it’s not rocket science, you don’t want to put extra unnecessary wear on your wetsuit.
Store your wetsuit in a dry, clean-ish place out of the sun. I prefer using a plastic tote so it doesn’t get dusty and dirty in the garage. You can also store it in a duffle bag.
Don’t let your wetsuit come in contact with any sort of chemicals that might damage it. Make sure you wash out any bag or tub before storing your wetsuit in it.
How to clean your surfboard after surfing
Ah, the surfboard. Man and women’s best friend. It’s important to keep it clean. Salt water can harm your surfboard if you don’t wash it off after you surf.
It’s a good idea to rinse your surfboard with fresh water after each time you use it. It is especially important to wash your fin boxes because the metal screws are susceptible to rusting.
One of my old surfboards also had a metal bar where the leash was attached to the surfboard. I made sure to wash that part extra well so it didn’t rust.
To be honest, it’s not the most important thing in the world to rinse your surfboard off with fresh water. But it is good practice and will extend the lifespan of your surfboard.
To rinse my surfboard, I just hose it down. Nothing fancy! Also, every so often, I will remove old wax from my surfboard, when it starts to build up.
How to clean your wetsuit after surfing
It is also important to rinse your wetsuit, and gloves/booties, with fresh water as well. You want to get all the salt and sand off your wetsuit, otherwise it will get crusty and can’t be good for the neoprene. Also, you don’t want to put on a salty sandy wetsuit the next time you surf.
To wash my wetsuit, I lay it out in the grass or on concrete and rinse it with a hose. I make sure to flip it over and inside out too, otherwise sand will be inside your suit when you put it on.
I’ve also seen people fill up a plastic tub with water and dip their wetsuit in and swish it around. However, I don’t think this method gets the suit quite as clean. Although it probably does use less water.
How to protect your surf gear while at the beach
Your surfboard and wetsuit get exposed to the elements each time you go surfing. The sun, salt, sand, and hard objects like rocks can be damaging to your gear. Protecting your gear at the beach is a big part of proper care for your surf gear.
Try to keep your surfboard and wetsuit in the shade as much as possible when you’re not surfing. You can use a board bag to cover your surfboard and wetsuit from the sun.
Fiberglass surfboards will yellow over time from the sun, although this does not cause any functional damage it might look less appealing to some. The sun will fade the color of your wetsuit and damage the neoprene fibers.
Avoid setting your surfboard down on hard surfaces like concrete or rocks if you can. In addition, try to avoid setting your surfboard in a place where the wind might shift it and cause it to hit any hard surfaces.
What additional options are there to protect your surfboard?
If you own a fiberglass surfboard you may want to consider some options to protect it from damage. Fiberglass is fragile and can damage easily.
Fortunately, board bags and board socks are good options to add protection to your surfboard. These coverings protect your board both during storage and transportation.
Surfboard bags are great for adding a little cushioning to your surfboard. Your surfboard slides right into the bag and it zips up. They are a little pricey but are usually worth it if your board is pretty nice, however, it might not be worth it for a beat up board.
Surfboard socks are less popular but are another option for protection. However, they are thinner and more of a hassle in my opinion than board bags. They are cheaper though.
The best protection is using both together, but this is a little overkill unless you have a really nice board.
How to make repairs on your surfboard
A comprehensive instruction of surfboard repair methods is beyond the scope of this article. However, the main ideas are as follows.
If you have a foam or an epoxy surfboard, the repair methods will vary from a fiberglass surfboard. Fiberglass surfboard repairs will generally be easy for smaller damages like punctures, dings, and small cracks.
There are products you can buy that allow you to do these repairs by yourself. I’ve repaired a number of different types of damage on several of my own surfboards. I plan to have a full article on fiberglass surfboard repairs. Youtube videos and online articles are your friend.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are a lot of things you can and should do to care for your surf gear. You want to follow these best practices to get the most out of your gear and expand its lifespan.
In general, keep your gear out of the sun, rinse it off after each session, and store it in a place where it is protected from the elements. Invest in a board bag to protect your surfboard and reduce the likelihood of damage.
I hope you found this information helpful. Happy surfing!
Heads up! Surfing is awesome but it can be dangerous! Learn more about how to stay safe and avoid dangers while surfing. If you are a beginner surfer, check out my other articles about surfing and my ultimate guide to learning how to surf.
