When practicing inflatable paddle boarding, the handling and equipment management steps are essential to keep your gear healthy and reliable over time. Deflating is a key phase to properly store your SUP.
In this article, we will answer the following question: how to deflate and store your paddle board? We will also cover the problems you may encounter and how to avoid them. We will start with the equipment, then the procedure itself, and share a few tips along the way.
1. Preparation
To store your paddle board, you will need the following equipment:
- The storage bag,
- a cloth
- and your hands.
To deflate and store your paddle board while respecting your equipment, it is essential to follow these steps during your preparation:
To prepare, find a suitable place, avoiding areas where your paddle board could blow away or be damaged. Ideally, use a large mat or carpeted floor to protect your SUP.
Then, make sure you have everything you need within reach.
2. Preliminary steps before deflating
- Before deflating your paddle board, start by using your cloth to wipe it down, so as to protect it from mildew, sand that could damage it, and odours.
- Then, remove your fin so that the SUP lies flat on the ground.
- Dry and store your fin.
3. Deflating the inflatable paddle board
We now come to the most important part, deflating the paddle board.
To do so:
- Open the cap of the inflation valve, then open the valve by pressing the central button and lock it in the open position with a quarter turn before releasing.
- Let the paddle board empty of air.
- While the air escapes, store or remove the leash from the paddle board in the way that suits you best. Removing it prevents it from dragging once the paddle board is rolled up.
4. Rolling and storing the inflatable paddle board
We will now move on to rolling the paddle board:
- Position yourself at the back. The SUP is right side up.
- Start by folding it forward so that the three fin boxes are visible.
- Then, fold the fin box furthest back over the other two, bringing it towards you.
- Finally, resume rolling in the original direction. Roll the paddle board while applying pressure to expel the remaining air in the SUP.
Once rolled up, put it in its bag and close the bag.
For storage, choose a dry, cool place, sheltered from direct sunlight.
The SROKA tips
- The first small tip: be wary of algae, which can react with materials and risk staining them, so make sure to rinse your paddle board thoroughly, especially if you store it for a long time.
- Regarding storage in the garage, avoid putting weight on your paddle board and ideally store it upright, not flat.
- Finally, although it may seem obvious, avoid deflating your paddle board in the water, because even though it prevents sand, letting water get inside your SUP would be disastrous.
Conclusion
In conclusion, pay attention to the place you choose to deflate your paddle board, make sure it is as clean as possible when storing it, especially for long-term storage, and above all, learn our home-made rolling technique to avoid damaging your fin boxes.
All that remains is to enjoy our paddle boards which, we assure you, if you take good care of them, will last a long time.
How to deflate a paddle board? Now you have the answer. Always take care of your equipment, it is the guarantee that it will last a long time! All that remains is to go and enjoy the water. Many other articles are available on our site to support you in your paddle practice, don't hesitate to take a look!
If you still have questions on this subject, or any other request, don't hesitate to contact us!
