Windsurf gear lasts many years if you look after it properly. The sail is sensitive to UV and creases, the rig suffers from salt, and the mast foot joint is a safety part you have to keep an eye on. A few minutes after every session are enough. Here is the honest routine, part by part: what to use, what to watch for, how to dry, and where to store it over winter.
The 5-minute routine after every session
- Rinse: rig, mast foot, board and wetsuit with fresh water, salt eats clamps and joints.
- Get the sand out: out of the mast track, the lines and the boom clamp.
- Dry: airy and in the shade, never leave the sail rigged in blazing sun for hours, UV makes the monofilm brittle.
- Don’t pack it wet: don’t leave sail and wetsuit damp and rolled up.
The sail: UV and creases are the enemies
- What to use: fresh water and a soft sponge, no harsh cleaners.
- What to watch for: don’t crease the monofilm and film, check battens and tension, seams and lines for wear. Avoid constant UV.
- Drying: dry completely before de-rigging and rolling, in the shade.
- Storage (winter): rolled loosely around the mast or in the sail bag, cool, dark and dry, not tightly folded (crease cracks in the monofilm).
Mast & boom
- What to use: fresh water, especially into the mast ferrule and clamps.
- What to watch for: salt and sand out of the ferrule (or it seizes), check the boom clamp and lines, carbon for cracks.
- Drying: let the mast drain and dry inside before you join the parts and store them.
- Storage: lying down and protected from knocks, mast not permanently under tension, protect the carbon from impacts.
Mast foot & joint: the safety part
- What to watch for: the rubber joint (power joint) ages and goes brittle from UV. Check regularly for cracks, a broken joint means a fall and a lost rig.
- Care: rinse it, keep the mechanism and screw connection clean, replace wear parts in good time.
- Storage: dry and dark, don’t store the rubber in the sun.
The board
- What to use: fresh water, the right key for fin and mast foot screws.
- What to watch for: fin and fin box tight and clean, mast track and screws in order, pads seated, no dings.
- Drying & sealing: dry it off, seal small dings promptly before water gets into the core.
- Storage: dry, not permanently in blazing sun (pads and finish suffer).
Wetsuit
- What to use: cold to lukewarm fresh water, now and then a mild wetsuit shampoo, no regular detergent, no washing machine, no dryer.
- Drying & storage: dry through completely on a wide hanger in the shade, never on the heater or in the dryer, store hanging, not tightly folded.
How to get rid of musty smell is in Removing musty smell from your wetsuit. Which thickness fits is shown by the wetsuit calculator.
Storing it away: the winter check
- Dry everything completely first, sail, mast and wetsuit.
- Packing: sail rolled loosely, mast separated, board dry, wetsuit on the hanger.
- Check the mast foot joint and replace it if cracked, this is safety-relevant.
- Storage spot: dry, cool, dark and frost-free, not next to the heater.
- In spring: retighten screws, check lines and joint, then into the season safely.
In short: what really matters
- After every session, rinse rig, mast foot, board and wetsuit with fresh water.
- De-rig the sail dry, roll it loosely, avoid constant UV, don’t crease it.
- Keep the mast ferrule free of salt and sand, or it seizes.
- Check the mast foot joint regularly, replace it if cracked.
- Rinse the wetsuit cold, dry it gently and completely, care for it with shampoo.
- Store dry, cool and dark over winter, go over everything in spring.
Note: as soon as our shop and partner links are live, you’ll find concrete recommendations for care products, repair kits and accessories here. Until then: the content stands on its own, even without a single click.