Storing and maintaining your wing foil equipment is essential to ensure its longevity and guarantee its performance for future sessions. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced rider, it is important to take appropriate measures to protect your equipment from the elements and maintain it correctly.
Maintenance
1. Foil Maintenance (Aluminum and Carbon)
- Systematic Rinsing: After each session, thoroughly rinse your aluminum foil with fresh water to remove salt, sand, and other impurities. As salt is corrosive, thorough rinsing is particularly important for aluminum foils. For an all-carbon foil, it is not necessary to rinse the foil.
- Complete Drying: Carefully dry all parts, paying particular attention to hard-to-reach areas. For carbon foils, avoid direct heat sources that could alter the resin, or ensure your carbon parts are thoroughly dry before putting them back in their transport bag. This will prevent osmosis from appearing on composite carbon parts.
- Screw Check: Before each session, check the tightness of the screws. After each session, check the condition of the screws, especially the screw head, which can quickly get damaged. Use the appropriate tool and do not overtighten. For aluminum foils, remember to apply a light coat of marine grease or Tef-gel to the threads to prevent corrosion.
- Surface Protection: For carbon foils, if you have had a severe impact, check the different parts to see if there are any micro-cracks that could indicate future weakness. For both carbon and aluminum materials, avoid aggressive chemical products.
2. Wing Maintenance
The wing, being subject to significant stresses, also requires regular maintenance:
- Freshwater Rinse or No Rinse?: After each session, some will tell you that you should thoroughly rinse your wing with fresh water to remove salt and impurities. Other practitioners will tell you the opposite. From a pragmatic point of view, if you rinse your wing, you absolutely must dry it completely before storing it. A salty wing gets damaged less if it remains damp compared to a wing rinsed with fresh water but not completely dried. Therefore, we recommend not rinsing your wing after each session.
- Shade Drying before Winter: If you are not going to use your wing foil equipment for a long period, dry and spread your wing in the shade to let it dry completely. Avoid folding it always in the same way. The sail's spinnaker fabric does not like sharp and marked folds in the same place.
- Occasional Check of Seams and Reinforcements: Regularly inspect the seams and reinforcements to detect any wear or damage. Indeed, a wing showing initial signs of wear should be quickly taken to a repair shop for verification. Significant pressure in the leading edges or a spinnaker that begins to tear will lead to potential future breakage. To limit breakage, repair it as soon as possible.
- Storage: Store your wing in a dry place away from direct sunlight. You can use the appropriate transport bag to protect it.
3. Board Maintenance
The wing foil board, whether inflatable or carbon, also requires special attention:
- Freshwater Rinse?: If you are not going to sail for a while, you can rinse your board with fresh water. This is also an opportunity to do a quick inspection and check for any cracks on the deck, hull, or rails.
- Complete Drying: Before storing your board in its protective cover (board bag), carefully dry your board, paying particular attention to areas where water could accumulate. This will prevent osmosis from occurring on your board. Osmosis is a chemical reaction that occurs on composite materials when the board has remained soaked for too long in a humid place without ventilation (like a board bag).
- Pads and Straps Check: Regularly inspect the pads and straps to check their condition and tighten them if necessary.
- Storage: Store your board flat, in a dry place away from direct sunlight.
Additional Tips:
- Lubrication: For aluminum or stainless steel parts of your equipment (screws, mast, fuselage, etc.), using marine grease can prevent corrosion.
- Repair: In case of damage, have your equipment repaired by a professional to avoid further damage and extend its lifespan.
- Winter Storage: If you are storing your equipment for a long period, deflate the boards (for inflatable boards), lubricate metal parts, and store it in a dry place away from bad weather.
By following these tips, you will extend the life of your wing foil equipment and ensure many enjoyable sessions on the water.
Before Going Back in the Water
Before going back in the water, make sure your equipment is in good condition and ready for use. Check the following points:
- Correct Inflation: If you are using inflatable boards, make sure they are properly inflated. The same applies to wing sails. Carefully check the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Too much pressure can damage your wing.
- Secure Fasteners: Check that all screws are tight and secure. Check your board and wing leash.
- No Damage: Inspect your equipment for any signs of damage or wear.
- Lubrication of Moving Parts: Apply a thin layer of marine grease to moving parts if necessary.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your wing foil equipment remains in good condition and ready to provide you with many enjoyable sessions on the water.
Increase the longevity of your equipment
Follow these additional tips to avoid damaging your equipment
- Never leave your equipment in direct sunlight for too long. Hot air expands, and the pressure in the wing will increase and could cause it to explode (Solution: slightly deflate your bladders on the beach).
- The same goes for your board. Carbon boards do not like very high temperatures at all. Just as you wouldn't leave your phone in direct sunlight in a car, the same applies to your board in the car or in direct sunlight. Put your board in the shade or out of the sun.
- Sand is very abrasive. So in strong winds, never let a wing flap in the wind; the sand will severely damage your wing and reduce its lifespan. If you are not using your wing, store it in its transport bag.
- If your pump squeaks, you need to put a little grease on the piston to prevent the seals from overheating with each pump stroke.
In addition to these general tips, here are some specific recommendations for SROKA products:
- Boards: SROKA Elite range boards come with a transport bag. Use this bag to protect your board during transport and storage.
- Masts and Foils: SROKA masts and foils come with protective covers. Use these covers to protect your masts and foils during transport and storage. Make sure everything is thoroughly dry before storing the equipment.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your SROKA equipment remains in good condition and ready to provide you with many enjoyable sessions on the water.
Proper storage and maintenance of your wing foil equipment are essential to ensure its longevity and guarantee its performance. By following the advice in this article, you can ensure that your equipment is always ready for action, whether after a session or after a long period of winter storage.
If you still have questions on this subject, or for any other request, do not hesitate to contact us!