Keeping Your Gear Like New.

We love our watersports and hate when the boating season comes to an end and we can no longer spend precious time out enjoying our time on the water. How can we keep our gear looking and acting like new year round? How you store your gear dictates the lifespan of your gear. You treat it well and it will last.

It really doesn't take much to keep your gear performing in like new condition. Your Wakeboard's edge is critical not only to how it performs, but how it ages. You don't want to stand it up in a corner on a hard surface and forget about it for awhile. doing that could easily crack the joint where the top and bottom of the board come together. If that happens, your board will come apart. To prevent this, always place your board binding side down. You could even go one step further and entirely remove the bindings to dry them separately from the board. 

If you are anything like me, at the end of your day the tow ropes seem to gets pulled into the boat and laid on the floor in a heap while we reminisce about that awesome trick that you just landed. Make sure to take the time to coil the rope after each use being careful to loop it in 1-3 foot long sections. To make coiling easier, give your wrist a little half twist as you are coiling. It will make the rope want to wrap around itself. 

After your adventure on the water, your wetsuit needs to be dried completely before it is stored. There is actually a proper way to do this is to dry it out. Lay your wetsuit inside out on a flat surface out of direct sunlight. Doing this will help to maintain the seams and material. Once it is dry, you can hand it up on a hanger like a normal suit. Better yet, find an actual suit hanger with broader shoulders to help hold the shape of the suit better.

The last piece of gear is your life vest. Did you know that drying your life vest in direct sunlight can actually break down the fibers in the vest drastically reducing its life span? You also do not want to just stick in a storage compartment to dry. Doing this will create some not so pleasant smells and mildew problems. The best way to dry your vest is letting it drip dry in a cool dry area making sure it is vertical to allow the water to drain from the bottom. 

With these tips your gear will continue looking and acting like it did the day you bought it. Taking the extra time to take proper care of the gear you have will save you time and money in the future. So tell us, How do you store your gear?