Really it doesn't matter either way,the big thing is not to leave a wet board in a board cover in the heat as there has been on occasion people saying that bubbles have formed on the skin of the board,also if it really hot best not to leave the vent plug screwed down when in a van etc,however a lot of people do without issue.
Also with sails there is some merit in not hosing them down as the salt stops mildew from forming,however if you dry them out its not a problem
So I guess its a matter of how particular you want to be with your gear

^^^^ând he pokes the sand out of his eyes with his finger through his nose?

Maintenance??? What's that. I'm with Mark, in salt water, I don't bother with the sails, I just roll them up wet. Everything else gets the same attention to detail. The only real maintenance I do is oil the pulley on my mast base.
I should mention that my boards are at least 10 years old and don't look so pretty anymore.

Iceman said...
Maintenance??? What's that. I'm with Mark, in salt water, I don't bother with the sails, I just roll them up wet. Everything else gets the same attention to detail. The only real maintenance I do is oil the pulley on my mast base.
I should mention that my boards are at least 10 years old and don't look so pretty anymore.

I guess like me if you dont hose em down (understand sails) you use a crappy old car....cos that salt wreaks havoc on the duco etc....my goto car for surfing and now windsurfing is a 1998 Commodore wagon...dont even have to put em on the roof for the short trips....just check em in...the handholders on the side allow me to occy the nose to prevent it sliding and causing damage to the occupants.

I used to rinse everything off in fresh water after windsurfing and let it all dry but I couldn't be bothered to do it now. Maybe I'll give my sails a clean soon as I like them.

evlPanda said...
Man. I've seen Japanese guys dismantling, cleaning and wiping down their booms before placing into their car. Everything is hosed and thoroughly cleaned. Those guys are neat.

Personally I do nothing. You can tell because sail bags don't zip up anymore.

Ah... so thats why mine died..?

If it's hot outside and I want a post-sail beer, I'll wash.

If it's freezing outside I won't wash and I'll take the beer in to the shower with me. Then the wettie will be the only thing washed.

jusavina said...

MikeyS said...
If it's hot outside and I want a post-sail beer, I'll wash.

If it's freezing outside I won't wash and I'll take the beer in to the shower with me. Then the wettie will be the only thing washed.

^^^^ Same thing but I try not to leave anything in the direct sun...

Its ok to leave the sail out to dry off a bit isn't it? c 30mins or so as you talk..

There's no question washing off with fresh water extends the life of just about everything. I think it depends on your attitude to gear. If you're an upgrader you're not going to see any benefit, but if you're a keeper you might get a couple of years more use out a component. In fact one of the reasons I joined a yacht club is because they have a lawn and a hose :)

The vent plug thing varies by board size. If I leave my 420L black-hulled raceboard on the roof rack on a hot day with the vent plug closed it'll just about blow my hat off when I open the plug, which is more pressure than I care to have rampaging around looking for a weak spot. On my wave board though the vent plug seems to be there mainly for decoration.

I feel that my gear is in very good condition, even the older stuff. All I do is towel it dry after a sail. Only wash bits I see sand on.

Every couple of months when I go up the coast it gets a full hose down and only because it's convenient. Ie. the gear stays rigged on the lawn for the weekend and theres a hose near by. When I use fresh water I always make sure gear is fully dry to avoid mould.

Seems like that once every six months I take my board out of the shed and rinse the dust off in the ocean, then stick it back in the shed to collect more dust.

I've never heard of any evidence to suggest that washing your gear makes it last longer. Removing sand minimizes scratching but salt doesn't hurt at all. The thing that kills sails is UV.

Drying your sails in the sun is about the worst thing you can do to them. That really does shorten their life disproportionately because the UV they get lying flat in the sun is much worse than the exposure they get when they are upright and being used.