After a great HOKALI Surf Lesson, you may want to invest in a surfboard of your own! One of the most important parts of owning a surfboard knows how to care for and store it correctly.
Your surfboard is too expensive and holds too many great memories for it to be treated like nothing. After you’ve spent all of your hard-earned savings on a new, or even your first surfboard, you will want it to last a lifetime.
We must make sure that our surfboards are in great condition, and we can do this by prioritizing taking great care of our boards.
The better we care for our surfboards, the longer they will last!
Surfboards require a great deal of time and care for them to stay in great condition, this includes taking the time to repair and store your boards correctly!
Here are some tips and tricks to storing your surfboards safely and efficiently!
BEFORE STORING YOUR BOARDS:
Rinsing Your Board:
After coming back from a great session, make sure to rinse your board with clean, freshwater to get rid of any saltwater, sand, and dust on your board before storing it away.
Saltwater is extremely corrosive and can degrade the fiberglass on your board. Rinsing your board with fresh water ensures that the fiberglass on your board stays intact for longer.
Repairs:
Serious dings are one of the worst things that can happen to your board. Not only do they change the look and feel of your board, but they allow saltwater to enter the foam if there is a crack in the fiberglass.
This makes your board heavier, and harder to use. Lowered performance of our surf gear is something that we do not want to run into while out in the water!
Dings and dents on your board are not uncommon and suck to come by, but they are not the end of the world!
To fix this, invest in a surfboard ding repair kit!
Ding repairs can take less than 10-20 minutes and can be done at home rather than taking it to a surf shop to be repaired. Common surf repair kits include resin and hardener, fiberglass cloth, and sandpaper.
The most common and reliable surfboard repair kits can be found at your local surf shop, but here are some we recommend!
Phix Doctor SunPowered Epoxy/Poly Repair Kit – ($17.50 – $27 USD)
Solarez Epoxy Ding Repair ($6.90 – $14.90 USD)
DING ALL Standard Polyester Resin Repair Kit ($13.50 USD)
Using these at-home kits to repair your board can save both your surfboard and your wallet!
STORING YOUR SURFBOARD:
When storing your surfboard, you want it to stay in the best condition possible.
Now that we have gone over how to take care of your board before putting it into storage, here’s how to store your boards, so they stay good as new!
Where Not To Keep Your Board:
Outside:
It’s important to keep your board in the right place. Keeping your board uncovered outside can expose it to dirt, sunlight, and saltwater spray/salty air (if you live near the beach).
Salinity in the air can cause corrosion to your board. Keeping your board inside is the best option to keep it in the best shape.
Along with this, overexposure to sunlight causes the foam on your board to turn yellow. Obviously, this will happen over a long period of time as you head out into the water a lot, where your board is in the sun, but storing your board in a sunny area for a long time will speed up the yellowing process.
This problem is purely cosmetic, and will not cause any damage to your board, but for many, it’s important to keep your board looking brand new.
Overexposure to the sun can leave your surfboard’s outer layer thinner by burning away the hardness of the epoxy your board’s outer layer is made of. The middle of the board also expands with heat, leaving your board weaker, and more susceptible to dents, dings, and even snapping.
Your car:
Keeping your board in or on the top of your car for long periods of time is unfortunately really bad for your board in the long run…
If you live in a warmer place like Hawaii, or Jacksonville, when leaving your board in or on your car for too long, the heat can create bubbles in your board.
The heat causes the foam inside your board to separate from the resin/fiberglass on the outside. This is called surfboard delamination.
Due to this issue, your board will have to be sanded down and re-glassed. Not only is the process of fixing your board time-consuming, but it is also extremely expensive.
The heat from your board being in the car for long periods of time can also cause the wax on your board to melt. No one wants to re-wax their entire board every time they go out because their wax melted off! This issue is mainly tedious, rather than damaging to your board.
Leaving your board in your car not only increases opportunities for your board to be damaged but if stored in your car for too long, the probability of it being stolen is much higher.
Where to Store Your Board:
On a Soft Surface:
Laying your board down for long periods of time on a hard surface gives the opportunity for pressure dings to form. Pressure dings are concave dents left in your board after prolonged pressure is exposed to the board.
Pressure dings often come from sitting, standing, and kneeling on your board while surfing, but can also happen while your board is laying horizontally on the ground on its rails, or upright against a wall.
If you do decide to store your board like this, place a rolled-up towel, pillow, or another soft material under your board to prevent dings from forming.
I like to use old yoga mats underneath my boards when storing them on vertical surfboard racks!
Along with this, when storing your board in an upright position against a wall, make sure to secure your board. You don’t want your board to fall on the ground and cause large dings, or even risk your board snapping. Bungee cords, ropes, or your leash attached to the wall to keep your board in place should do the trick!
Surfboard Racks:
Surfboard racks offer a safe, secure, and accessible place for your surfboards! Surfboard racks come in different shapes, sizes, and materials, and are an affordable way to make, or buy.
Horizontal Surfboard Racks:
Horizontal racks are installed into your wall to save floor space and give an opportunity to display and show off your beautiful boards.
Although they do save space and double as a display piece, it is a bit harder to access your board when you need to grab your board and go because they are on a wall, and can only carry a few boards at a time.
Vertical Surfboard Racks:
Vertical racks are a great way to store multiple boards at once in a small space but do sacrifice the “display” factor. This type of rack gives extremely easy access to all of your boards, so you’re able to grab your board and go in case of an impromptu surf session.
LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM STORAGE:
Short-term storage:
Short-term storage is for when you need a few surfboards on hand, that are easy to access, whether it’s your favorite board or the boards you’ll be using for this season.
When storing these boards, rinse them thoroughly with fresh water to rid them of any saltwater and sand from the surface of your board, then store them in a safe spot, away from direct sunlight!
Long-term storage:
When you want to put your board away for a longer period of time (when the surf season is over, you don’t plan to surf for a few months, or when you want to store a board you don’t use that often), it’s important to store it correctly so when you take it out to use it again, its good as new!
Here are some steps to take before long-term storing your board:
Remove Wax:
Before storing your board, it’s super important to remove the wax that’s leftover from your previous surf sessions, as you won’t be needing the wax until the next time you take your board out of storage.
First, place your board in a warm spot in the sunlight for a little while to soften, or use a blow-dryer. Then scrape the wax from the surface of your board with a wax comb. I, among many, like to use old plastic cards, like gift cards or old credit cards.
Rinse with fresh water to make sure that there’s no leftover wax or saltwater on the board before storing.
Remove Fins:
Removing your fins from your board before putting it into storage saves space, and gives you the opportunity to use those fins on another board!
Store in a Surf Sock/Surf Bag:
Storing your board in a Surf Bag or Surf Sock protects it from scratching, dinging, sunlight exposure, and dust while it’s away.
Use Surf Socks and Surf Bags when storing your board short-term too to prevent it from salt spray (if you live near the ocean) and sunlight!
To learn more about caring for your surfboard, and surf gear, click here!
Whether it’s your first surfboard or your 50th, it’s crucial to make sure that you’re storing it properly and taking the right steps to extend your board’s life span.
We hope these tips and tricks help you take even better care of your precious boards! We wish you the best of luck on your surfing journey!
