In order to keep your paddle board in the best condition, you will need to complete some maintenance from time to time. Find below, details of things that will help keep your SUP in the best condition.
Keep your board away from direct sunlight when not in use and keep it stored in a cool, dry place, where it is not going to be exposed to fluctuating temparatures.
See also How Should I Store the Board?
Rinse the board and accessories with fresh water to remove any salt or debris. It is also important to fully dry the board and accessories before packing away.
See also How Should I Clean My Board?
It is a good idea to check the board for any punctures or scrapes on a regular basis, as the earlier these are spotted, the easier they will be to fix.
See How to Patch a Puncture
Take care not to drag your board on gravel or rocks.
Be careful not to bump into barnacles - these are often found on the side of rocks.
It is important to close the valve and twist the cap on to avoid water entering the chamber when rinsing.
If you have noticed an air leak around the valve on your board, do not be too worried, this is normally easy to fix simply using the spanner in your repair kit. This includes a leak coming from anywhere around the valve area, including the hole where the string emerges to hold the cap, and from around the outside of the information patch.
In the repair kit you will find a black plastic valve spanner- this is for tightening or removing the valve. The below image shows what a similar valve looks like when out of the board. The left hand piece is built inside the board and the right hand one screws into it via a circular hole in the skin of the board, this traps the board skin layer between the top of the inner basket and the underside of the top part.
Heat expansion during use can cause the valves to loosen, this is quite common.
The valves are designed to be removable for cleaning or replacement. This is why they are screwed together in place rather than glued.
To tighten the valve and improve the seal, remove the dust cover and insert the crown shaped end of the spanner into the valve and carefully turn clockwise.
The only trick with tightening up may be stopping the inner valve piece, located inside the board, turning as you tighten the outer part with the spanner, preventing the assembly from fully tightening. To tackle this, with the board fully deflated, kneel either side of the valve to hold it down or hold the inner part of the valve through the skin from below whilst you turn the outer part with the valve spanner. It can be helpful to have two people doing this together.
If you’re lucky you may even just be able to apply enough pressure without holding the bottom part of the valve to stop the leak you’re experiencing. However if the whole valve assembly just spins when you tighten it you will need to get some pressure on the underside.
Do be careful not to over tighten and damage the valve.
If after doing this you reinflate and find that you still have a leak, unscrew and remove the top part completely and check there is no dust or dirt inside the valve that is causing it not to close up completely. Take care when doing this however not to lose the inner part of the valve inside the board!
If after all the above you still have an issue please let us know, but what you’re experiencing is a familiar and regular maintenance issue with these valves.
If you have found that air is escaping, and this is coming from a tiny hole in the side or surface of your SUP, it usually will not need to be patched. Instead you can just use some repair glue to fix the leak.
With a 'pinhole' type puncture, you simply mark the area whilst inflated, deflate the board and then clean the area so it is clean and grease free.
Then smear a layer of glue smoothly over an area 1-2cm diameter.
Allow the glue to cure for 5-10min (use a hair dryer to speed this up if you wish) and then apply another layer or two in the same fashion.
This should then be left for up to 24 hrs before re-inflating.
If you have found that there is air leaking from a hole in your SUP, you may need to patch this.
The method described below, applies to punctures on the side or front of your SUP. If you have found air leaking on the seam, this will require a different repair method.
> You must firstly clean the area with a solvent based cleaner and dry well.
> Deflate the board and cut a suitable sized patch from the supplied PVC material - this should be 2-5cm inches larger than the damaged or cut area.
> Position the patch on the area needed and mark lightly around it in pencil to ensure you can place it correctly.
> Apply two thin coats of glue with 10 mins of drying time between them on both surfaces, do not press the surfaces together yet.
> Try not to leave any gaps without glue where air bubbles could form once glued down.
> Apply a final third coat to both surfaces
> Leave to dry for 2-3 minutes
> Apply the patch and smooth out from the centre to the edge of the pad to expel any air pockets.
> Apply lots of pressure to it whilst it cures over 24hrs.
> Wipe off any excess that will show outside the contact zone of the repair before it dries. You can also use masking tape to protect areas of the board you do not want glue to end up on.
The glue when cured properly is actually stronger than the PVC itself, so you should be able to effect a very strong repair.
When you re-inflate the board, the patch will be stretched so hopefully any minor wrinkles will be pulled out flat.
If you notice that there is a raised air bubble under the foam deckpad, this is generally not a structural issue to worry about (if thre was a hole in the SUP, you would see it deflating).
This is usually indicative of a small air bubble below the deck pad where glue used to affix it has not quite covered the whole surface and a small pocket of air trapped within has expanded creating a bubble. Only a very small bubble can cause this to happen. Please also rest assured this does not make the board structurally unsound.
Deck pad bubble repair
The method used to eradicate air bubble in the deck pad is as follows:
> 1. Push a blunt ended point such as a cocktail stick, sideways into the bubble, through the EVA deckpad only.
> 2. Do this carefully and push parallel to the surface the board, not directly downwards to avoid any chance of damaging the deck beneath.
> 3. Only gentle pressure is needed to pierce the foam and only a very small hole in the pad will be needed.
> 4. Next apply heat with a hair dryer, which will further expand the air inside causing it to escape and you should see the bubble slowly shrink back down flat.
> 5. Once flat, apply pressure with your hand to smooth out the surface and apply more heat with the hair dryer, which will re-activate the glue beneath and allow the pad to re-adhere in place.
The very small release hole you have created should prevent your pad from bubbling up again and it will remain firmly fixed in place.
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