Gear Maintenance
do's and don'ts
Each piece of your equipement will last longer, or shorter depending on
how much you use it, and how you treat it. Below are some general
guidelines for getting the most out of your gear.
Sails - Sail
Repair
First of all, listen to sail designers. Those guys know more about sails
than anyone and know what destroys them. New sails usually come with some
sort of sail care guide that is applicable for all makes and models.
1.Rigging - Don't let your sail flap wildly while rigging. Roll it out flat
on the ground and work the mast in by pushing AND twisting as you go. Don't
slide the sail across the ground when rolling it up, walk towards the foot
as you roll to prevent scratching the monofilm. Roll up sails only when
they are clean and dry. This isn't always possible. Washing the sail in
fresh water then rolling them up is counterproductive and a waste of water.
Carry your stuff out of the water properly, and it will arrive at your car
clean. Set it down carefully and it will remain clean. Rolling a sail up
wet and forgetting about it can lead to the stitching rotting, and rolling
it up dirty will scratch the film and make it cloudy prematurely.
2. Sailing - Be careful when carrying your stuff to and from the launch.
There are usually a variety of objects that can snag or puncture a sail.
While on the water keep a lookout for other sailors. The worst sail damage
seems to occur during collisions. If you are getting slammed, try to hit
the water instead of landing on the sail. If you are going to land on it,
try to keep knees, elbows and heads from spearing the body of the sail.
Holding on to the boom seems to help in this.
3.Transportation - Most sail damage occurs off the water. The biggest enemy
here is creasing. Creases in the monofilm will become the weakest part of
the panel, failing sometime later as the monofilm "dries out"
from the sun. Creases are the result of crushing the sail, so don't strap
them on the roof (bars and straps), don't let sails be on the bottom of the
pile, don't let the dogs/kids stomp on them.
4.Storage - Store your sails rolled up in their bags either vertically
standing on the luff sleeve, or horizontally without anything on top of
them. Storing them clew down will crease the film in the clew area leading
to premature failure. Storing them flat with stuff on top of them will also
cause creasing.
Boards - Board
Repair
On the Beach - Regardless of construction, all boards can be damaged on
land. No construction is impervious to sharp, hard objects. Gravel, dropped
screwdrivers and harnesses, and a sudden gust of wind are most often
responsible for dings on land.
On the Water - Be careful launching. Going from a stable medium, to one
moving in 3 dimensions while carrying 5-10 square meters of expensive gear
isn't easy. Go slowly and carefully to avoid unnecessary complications.
When getting slammed, try to keep the mast and boom from contacting the
nose of your board. Farther back towards the mast track the deck is much
stronger and can take much more abuse. And if you can get your weight off
the rig on the way down, only 15 pounds will hit the board instead of 200.
Avoid sailing right into the beach. This is a good way to put holes in the
bottom of your board and blow out your finbox at the same time.
In Between - This is where most damage occurs. Board bags will keep your
board looking pretty longer. No doubt about it. Laying your board on a bag
as you set your gear down after a session will keep it from getting all the
scratches and nicks from contact with the ground.
Masts - New masts last a long time. There
just are not that many breaking due to materials failure. More likely they
break from mistreatment. Masts are either wound or spun carbon fiber and
resin. Regardless of the construction, their weak spot is at the ends.
Chipping, dropping, dragging the ends will cause them to unravel and then
crack. The other way they break is at the ferrule. You must check the
ferrule before applying downhaul every time you rig. Always push the mast
into the sleeve from the very bottom. Whenever you "pull" the
mast into the luff you not only crease the sail but greatly increase the
chances of the 2 pieces separating a little.
Booms - Boom
Repair
There isn' t much you can do to prolong the life of your boom. Over time
the grip will get chewed up, but can be replaced easily enough by re-gripping
all or some of the boom. The real problem is that the aluminum boom arms,
steel mounting hardware and salt water all come together in the front end
causing electrolysis. The only way to slow this down is to rinse the boom
with or in fresh water. This is most easily done in a large trash can
filled with fresh water, but isn't really practical. Booms are relatively
cheap and most sailors just sail them until they no longer adjust or break
and then replace them.
Universals and Extensions - Mastbase
Repair
Universals take atremendous load and should be respected for that.
Also, if they fail it is about the worst breakdown there is. Make sure to
have webbing or line to back up the joint should it fail. The thing about
universals is bolt tension. Enough so that the cup and base twist independently
and easily around the joint, but with no wobble. If it wobbles, the 8mm
bolts will wear out the plastic parts of the assembly. It's not a bad idea
to check those bolts and nuts once in a while. If they are loose, take the
foot apart, clean the threads and reinstall them using RED locktite.
Extensions are pretty simple, but can have issues too. The weak link with
them is the pully system. Over time, plastic pulleys wear out or
disintigrate, and the brass ones seize up. Not much you can do for the
plastic ones except replace the cleat assembly. The brass ones can be freed
with some penetrating oil, or even hot water. Check the adjustment holes
for excessive wear and the very bottom for ovalizing and splitting. Inside
the extension is the backing hardware for the cleat, and seems to corrode
the fastest of all the parts.
Wetsuits and Harnesses - Wetsuit
Care
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