iSUP Maintenance
Updated: May 10
How to Maintain your VAST iSUP!
In order to keep your VAST paddleboards and products in their best possible condition, they will need a little love, care and attention. Over time your iSUP will pick up dings, scratches and even slight stains, however, for very little time, effort and money you can keep your board looking like the day you bought it.
Lets take a look, below, at a few simple steps, you can take, to keep your board in top shape:
What to do when Leaving the water
Once you've had your fun out on the water, its time for a little maintenance. This first step is particularly important if you have paddled in Salt Water, but is still a very good habbit to get in to for Fresh Water.
However, before you begin this process, please remember to remove your fin. Any pressure on top of the board whilst on land with the fin still in place will cause the fin to bend out of shape, or even worse, snap.
Step 1: Rinse
Salt from the sea and other salt water sources can corrode and degrade the material of your iSUP, particurlarly around the seams and ancillary D-Rings. With a very quick rinse over with some fresh water you can quickly remove this abbrasive salt and give your board a better change of longevity. If you have been paddling in fresh water, utilise this opportunity to remove any debris, dirt or staining from your board. This wont affect the construction of your board the same way salt will, but it will go a long way in keeping your board looking they way you want it to in the long run. You can also
Step 2: Clean
Once you have rinsed your board, you may wish to give your deckpad and PVC a quick clean. You can get a little elbow power in to scrubbing the PVC board, but please be very gentle and caring when cleaning your deckpad, anything too over-zealous may result in a damaged deckpad that will no longer offer the grip you require.
This cleaning process can be done very economically with a sponge and some mild soap, however, for a thorough clean that we can really recommend, head over to https://supscrub.uk/. The team at SUPscrub specialise in fantastic, environmentally friendly cleaning products, specifically for paddleboarding.
Step 3: Rinse the Soap
Nice and simply hose down the board a final time to remove the soap and grime from the board.
Step 4: Dry your board
A nice and easy final step before packing up your gear is to give the board a quick dry, all over with a towel if you need to get going, or if your not in a rush you can allow your board to air-dry. This will ensure that your board does not maintain moisture whilst stored, leading to the possibility of mold growing and staining the board.
Annual Service of your iSUP
Once a year, we at VAST strongly recommend that you carry out an annual service of all of your iSUP package. You can tick through the below checklist:
Thourough inspection of the surface of the board, looking for any imperfections or cracks that may need to be repaired. This would also include the fin, which naturally can take a bit of a beating under the water from rocks etc. If anything needs to be repaired, please utilise your VAST repair kit that arrived as part of the iSUP package.
A small amount of oil, such as WD-40 can be utilised on the metal components of the board, such as the D-Rings, to ensure that they stay rust-free through out the year. Be careful not to overspray this on to the board. Our top tip would be to spray a small amount on to a rag, and gently smooth over the metal components.
Give the deck pad a thorough, but gentle clean, to esnure that all nooks and cranies are free of debris.
With this little bit of extra care, you can ensure that your board maintains its superior quality and lasts as long as you need it to with the ultimate performance it requires.