How to care for your new Glide Standup Paddleboard

Do not keep your new board in the bubble wrap! As soon as your board arrives make sure to inspect it. We can not stress enough to not leave your board in the bubble wrap it will cause damage to your pad. 

Keep your SUP clean

Whether you are paddling in fresh or salt water you should always take time to give your SUP a bath of fresh water when you get it home.

Every couple of months, use a cleaner on your paddleboard and pad. We love ‘On It Pro’s Blue Goo’, a cleaner made specifically for your boards. You can also use a mild cleaner such as Dawn dish soap (especially helpful if you’ve paddled through areas with heavy boat traffic – it’s great at removing oil/petroleum products) and a non-abrasive cloth or sponge.

Store your board out of the sun.

Water is a natural radiator, and it keeps your board cool even during hot days. In many parts of the country the summer sun is quite powerful and it can quickly heat your new board up above 95, when the greatest risk of delamination (separation of the glass and foam) occurs.

I know, it’s a board meant for daytime (or nighttime) sup fun, but you shouldn’t store it in the sun.  Keep your board out of direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time when it’s not being used in the water.

While at the ocean where there is little shade, you’ll probably take your stand up paddleboard along for a full day at the beach. In this situation, we encourage you to bring a board bag or a board sock along. Bags typically have a reflective side, meant to minimize the sun’s heating.

If your board is wet, don’t seal it in the bag – the moisture can turn it into a small sauna, opening up the pores in the epoxy and creating miniature bubbles just below the surface. That can be corrected with minor surgery, but it’s not fun to see or to pay for…

Watch your rails, tails and noses.

This applies to our epoxy boards. Your board is the weakest where the glass and resin is thinnest – on the curved and pointed surfaces (the nose, rails, and tail) making them the most vulnerable to damage.

Rail guard tape and nose/tail guards, although not the prettiest solution, will do an excellent job of minimizing bruises and damage to your paddleboard.

A board with GSS will be much more durable than an epoxy board.

Storage-related concerns, such as concrete floors, shelves, or cargo elevators can be particularly problematic for boards. Use padding (like pool noodles or even a yoga mat) to protect the rails.

Following these relatively inexpensive solutions can go a long way to minimize future repair costs. A well-cared for paddle board holds its value and should last you for many years.

Repairs

Our epoxy boards (race and surf) will always be susceptible to dings. Even our GSS boards which are the most durable sup on the market, may puncture if they run across a sharp rock. (GSS usually just dents a bit when it runs into a rock. Nothing to worry about in that case.) Should this happen, get your board out of the water and turn the board upside down from the ding so that any water inside the board drains out.

We recommend filling the ding with SOLAREZ while in the shade. Then move the board into the sun and the SOLAREZ will cure immediately. After 10 minutes, sand the SOLAREZ and your board so that it matches the rest of the board and you are ready to hit the water again.