The winter period isn’t solely about keeping yourself safe and warm from the changing climate, it is also about placing your watersport equipment into a safe place of storage, ensuring that it keeps its quality until the outdoor adventures begin again. Those who take the time to store their equipment properly will not only find that it maintains its quality, offering the best performance on the water, but also that it lasts much longer over the years.
If you’re unsure about how to ensure watersport equipment is best kept safe or want to ensure that you are currently doing everything you can to maintain the quality of your purchases, here are four essential considerations for your winter practice.
Out Of Sunlight
There are a number of environmental elements to consider when choosing a storage location for your watersport equipment, with one of the most important being sunlight. While it may not seem like there is likely to be a great deal of sunlight during the winter period, even a small amount of exposure to regular and direct sunlight can damage watersport equipment, causing designs to fade and exterior materials to crack.
This not only applies to items with sensitive surfaces, such as surfboards and paddleboards, but also wetsuits. Neoprene wear and tear, for example, can be expedited with prolonged sunlight exposure and should be kept in a shady spot over winter.
Safe From Harm
A common issue encountered when storing watersport equipment occurs when considering its size. Certain pieces of equipment and their accessories can be rather bulky, such as boards and paddles, leading them to be prone and often damaged.
To keep assets safe, especially in a high traffic environment, such as a garage, it is worth investing in cases. There are even options to protect SUP paddles with their very own casing, ensuring they don’t get knocked when not in use.
A Dry Environment
It may seem odd that one of the most harmful environmental elements to watersport equipment is, well, water but when taking into account slow exposure to moisture over time, even a small amount of water can ruin equipment. Boats, boards, and swimwear that is not properly dried off before being stored, or those items that are kept in damp environments, can attract mould and even see their quality worsen rapidly.
To prevent such damage, ensure that a storage area is not only dry but well-ventilated. Some watersport enthusiasts even check up on their equipment regularly to ensure that it is kept thoroughly dry.
Effect Of Pressure
The final consideration involves how equipment is stored. If a surfboard is stood on its tail, for example, the prolonged pressure can begin to flatten or crack the back end of the board. A similar issue can occur with wetsuits and those hung in inappropriate ways may soon become ill-fitting with the weight of the neoprene sagging over time.
As such, it is worth considering the way in which equipment is stored and whether it is worth investing in appropriate hangers or mounts that not only optimise home storage space but also help to retain the quality of equipment.
