Keeping your surfboard in good shape is critical for its performance and longevity. As a result, properly storing your surfboard is essential for keeping it in superb condition.
To properly store your surfboard, follow these steps:
- Place the surfboard as far away from the sun as possible.
- Avoid walking on the hard ground with your rails, tail, and nose in place.
- NEVER leave your surfboard unattended in a vehicle.
- After a session, use fresh water to wash the wax.
Avoid Sun Exposure
Whether you want to keep your board inside or outside, look for a location that receives the least amount of sunshine. The UV radiation from the sun is responsible for ‘yellowing’ your board, causing it to become milky white and lose its brilliant white color.
A board that is frequently exposed to the sun (whether yellowed or not) becomes weaker and deteriorates rapidly. The sun warms up the foam, causing it to expand and burn away some of the protection provided by the epoxy and fiberglass layers over time.
If you store it in this position for lengthy periods of time, the board will be more susceptible to dents and scrapes.
Long-Term Storage
ALWAYS clean your board with fresh water after each session to maintain it in excellent working order for both long and short-term storage. The salt corrodes, and though your surfboard is built for the sea, this does not imply that salt is beneficial to it!
Salt will cause your board, traction pad, and leash rope to deteriorate. So before putting it away, make sure it’s thoroughly rinsed with clean water and allowed to dry.
If you’re planning on keeping the board for a long time (weeks or months), clean it now.
Remove the Wax
If you won’t be using your board right away, it’s critical to get the wax off. Simply leave your board outside for a few minutes to warm up (but not too long). Take something thin, like an old gift card, and peel it right off after the wax has melted sufficiently to strip away.
Remove the Fins
If you want to store a surfboard for an extended period of time, remove the wax as well. Sand, water, and salt love to accumulate in your fin box, so give it a good cleaning once you’ve taken them out.
Don’t Keep Your Surfboard in a Car
Leave your board in the carUNLESS, not even for a day, is an absolute MUST. Your board’s structure may be severely harmed by the intense heat and make an otherwise perfect surfboard useless. On a hot day, cars can reach temperatures near or above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is plenty of heat to destroy a surfboard permanently.
Protect Against the Elements
Storing a surfboard outside is not ideal, but it may be impossible to keep your board indoors, particularly longboards and stand up paddleboards.
If you’re storing your surfboard outside, a surfboard bag is a must-have. Surfboard bags are designed to protect your board while preserving its aesthetics, and they will hold your board safe from the elements until the next time you get to ride it out.
Remember, reducing any exposure to the elements is always a good idea, so consider anything that can provide your surfboard shade from the weather. If you can keep your board in an awning, on a patio, or in a shed, this will help to prevent sun damage.
If you’re propping your surfboard up, make sure the tail is protected. You don’t want your board to touch the hard surface of the ground, so think about how you might rest its tail on something soft, such as a brick of foam or a folded towel.
When riding waves, you need to keep in mind that your surfboard is not only a vehicle for transportation but also a safety device. In this way, the outline of your surfing board should be protected at all times. Any part of your surfboard that comes into contact with a hard surface should be cushioned.
Storing a Surfboard Inside
If you have enough room within your house to store your surfboard, you have a lot of different choices for optimizing the storage capacity.
Surfboard Racks
Surfboard racks are amazing because they allow your board to rest safely on a cushioned surface that prevents any of the board from touching the ground or the wall.
Stand Up Racks
A stand-up rack is a great alternative for shortboards. These racks generally don’t need any drilling into the walls, and they have little slots through which you can slide your board vertically as the tail rests on the soft flooring.
These are the most eye-catching quivers we have seen, as they provide a unique way to display your whole quiver and are rather simple to transport.
Wall Mounted Racks
If you don’t have a lot of floor space, consider using a mall rack. The tail and nose of the board may hang vertically on wall racks, which are installed so that the board’s weight is evenly distributed across two arms extending from the wall. Some are strong enough to hold longboards with ease.
Surfboard Slings
Slings are a popular way to store your surfboard while still having floor space. Surfboard slings are made up of two parts of rope connected to the ceiling. The nose is attached to one section, and the tail is connected to the other. You slide the board in evenly so it hangs from above.
Surfboard Socks
A surfboard sock is a fabric cover that simply wraps around the surface of surfboards and their fins.
They aren’t thick, hefty, or as protective as a board bag, but they do offer an excellent alternative to adding another layer of protection to your snowboard.
Surfboard socks are a bargain.
