How to Take Care of Your SUP

You’ve purchased your first stand up paddle board, and you want to keep it looking as beautiful as it did when it came out of the box. While it’s impossible to keep any board pristine, follow these best practices to keep your SUP looking great and undamaged.

Best Practices:

• Rinse all equipment thoroughly with clean fresh water after every use to avoid corrosion on hardware and clogging of your maintenance free air vent. This is especially important if you paddle on saltwater.
• Store in a ventilated, cool, shaded area when not in use. 
• If you are hanging out on the water and need to take a dip to cool off, most likely your board does too. Flip your SUP once or twice in the water to help keep it cool.
• Take care with your stand up paddle board to avoid cracks, scratches, and dents.
• Remove your SUP completely from the water when not in use. Don’t leave it at the water’s edge to wash up and down with the waves. This prevents potential damage to the fin boxes.
• Keep your SUP and traction pad out of direct sun when not in use. Place the board bottom side up when on shore.
• Remove the fins from your board after each use.
• Store your board in a dry, cool place and remove it from your board bag when wet.
• Rinse the air-vent with water if you have a hassle free air vent like we use on Wappa Paddle Boards.  
• If you do not have a hassle free air vent, remove the cap from your air vent during transport and storage to allow your SUP to breathe.
• When transporting your paddle board, we highly recommend a good stand up paddle board bag with padding to help prevent dings/scratches and to deflect the harsh heat and UV rays from the sun.

Here is what NOT TO DO:

• Do not leave your SUP lying on the shore, in your car or anywhere with direct exposure to the sun for an extended period of time. Put it in a deflective board bag or shaded area when possible.
• If your board suffers a hard impact from surrounding objects, paddle in land to check it out and make sure there are no punctures. Do not keep paddling if you suspect water can enter the accident area.

Following these tips, will keep your stand up paddle board undamaged and looking great.  However, if you get some scratches, don’t worry about it. That’s just a sign of a well loved SUP!

Enjoy your next paddle!

---