5 Secrets To Make Your Surfboard Last Longer

You spend hours searching the internet and surf shops to find that perfect board with your dimensions volume and shape you finally find your new perfect board and shes your new life partner your defiantly going to want to look after this one as she’s a keeper. You spend all your hard earned cash on her but making her last as long as possible is the key. 

Depending on the construction of your board might depend on how durable it is and how much you throw at it before it breaks.  If you have an industry standard Polyurethane And Polyester (PU) board the chances are you board will be more fragile than a more durable epoxy board. But the foam will be more resistant to water damage if it does ding.  All in all, surfboards can be pretty fragile and need to be protected as best as we can. We get to grips with that magic board that fits us so perfectly and then ding or snap and its over. There is nothing worse than it breaking or falling off the roof of the car to ruin your session.  Even if you looking to re-sell the board at a later date it’s always good to look after your board and keep it as mint as possible will keep you stoked for longer.

Here are our top 5 secrets to making your surfboard last longer

(1) Store your board in a cool safe place

Surfboards were built to be in the water and natural environment and of course, you going to be surfing it in the sun although modern-day surfboards can handle a bit more of a beating they are still fragile especially with a lot of exposure to the sun. Heat and sunlight can be some of the main causes for delamination on a surfboard and if you board starts it can be difficult trying to stop it spreading. If your storing the board in a shed, garage, or room keeping in a cool place will help the longevity of the board as heat and sunlight can damage the board. Keep it in a rack or a specific place where it won’t fall over or heavy objects can’t fall on it. This will make sure your board is ready to go for the next session.

(2) Keep it in a bag

One of the easiest things to do and give your board that extras protection in storage and transport keeping it in a 5-10mm padded bag will save it from a few knocks and dings especial in and out of cars on the way to the surf or pulling the straps to hard holding it down and keep your wax from melting on your seats. It’s also a necessity when travelling abroad or through airports with extra padding to ensure your quiver arrives safely at the other end. Not worse than pumping waves and damaging your board on the beach. Also helps to keep your board cool if you have a reflective board bag and keeps it out of the sun.

(3) Fix Your dings

When surfing your magic stick it can be so easy to ding a board by hitting a rock of the reef or even yourself or even on land for that matter  so If you ding a board then repair it straight away  and unfixed board can be the end of a board life if the water gets in and not fixed correctly it can lead to all sorts of problems with delamination and weight and loss of performance. Get a ding repair kit or check out our other blog of how to fix dings so to ensure your board remains watertight. Remember to use the right resin and know if your board is epoxy or polyester resin as putting polyester resin on an EPS board can eat and dissolve the foam. If your unsure what foam it is, get yourself an epoxy repair kit, as the resin is compatible with all types of foam.  But Polyester resin most common surfboard resin will melt eps foam in most epoxy boards.

(4) Look after it

Ensuring your board keeps for a few extra months or years can be down to something as simple as General Care and Maintenance Taking the time to really look after your craft with things like washing the board down with fresh water as Salt water is very corrosive, and over time can start to weaken the fibreglass. It’s a common practice for some but it will defiantly keep your board looking and feeling newer for longer. Giving your board a full physical every once and a while giving it a washing over dewaxing the board to check for compressions or delamination or dings it’s a bit like a service for a car just looking over any areas that might be weak or broken will help to minimise those future breaks.

(5) Be careful getting in and out

Another key area where you might ding or snap a board is obviously surfing so by making sure you do a few of these pointers will help keep your board intact. In the surf wear a leash to keep your board from floating off and hitting some rocks or worse snapping on some kids or beginners head. It also gives you more control over what your board is doing in the water. When getting in and out of a reef break put your board upside down so the fins are above the water and can’t hit the rocks, the same thing for the way back in. When surfing back into shore be wary of the bottom as riding over rocks or all the way into the beach can jam a fin straight through your board, so take your time getting in and out.

If you follow these 5 simple rules you will no doubt keep your board it a better condition and save a few pounds too.