I would have thought washing the salt off would help stop the rust???????

I've got stuff that's 05 gear I bought new and there's still very little rust on it.

I've never washed my stuff except to maybe rinse the sand off my boards and lines (this is usually just done in the water, not at a tap).
My boards are both still my original 05s that I bought new also. they are in perfect condition too.

D

If my kite is really wet i will hang it to dry when i get home or the next day. If its covered in seaweed or sand i will wash it off then let it dry. I do however have a big shed where i can just hang it and forget it for a few days till i have time to roll it up and hang it on its hook at the front of the shed all ready to go for next time. For the many years i have sailed off the beach boats i have NEVER washed my sails. just let them dry while i take the rest of the boat down then roll them up. Bit off topic but I have heard a rumour and dont know how much truth is it it. That if you wash your sails with a hose the pressure from the water can actually damage the sail fibres and make your sail not last a s long.

To counter the Melbourne water shortage, I have a black crate (Milk crate size) that I take my gear down to the beach in. All my wet gear goes in it after the session. When I get home, I fill up the crate with water and rinse all equipment except the kite in it. It all drip dries and by the next morning it is pretty much dry (in the summer). I then chuck the water from the box at the foot of a small tree on the nature strip.

I don't wash my kite because if you put it back in the bag slightly damp, the kite can go mouldy.

If you don't rinse your harness or wettie out, it will go hard with the salt, and it itches like buggery when you wear it the next time!

I always rinse my gear off bar the kite. i hate sand in my gear

when i get home i hang the wettie out the rest just stays in the tub

I have had wetties last 6 years cause they always got washed out

I wash my kite with fresh water if its not dry and covered in sand and let it dry for a few days never had any issues

I do the same as Macca, rinse off everything except kite, seems to make quite a difference to longevity of gear, when I get back from a session I wash everything together (not the kite) in a tub then tip that water onto the plants. I also give the kite a rinse maybe once or twice a year, again its only to stop build up of salt and crap on it.

Good winds

Wayne

My wettie is about 5 years old. Never been washed (other than in the sea).
It is starting to look a bit tatty.
Only was my bar & lines - I heard salt crystals will ruin your lines & broken lines are not much fun!

When i use to sail every week, we would come home and wash all our gear(wetsuits, life jackets etc) in a big bucket of water with a splash of wool softener, then hang in the shed to dry till the next week. The wool softener would make your wettie super soft and easy to put on the next week. Now i just hose all the sand and crap off then hang in the shed to dry and just grab it off the rack when i need it.