never wash my raceboard , or kites or harness .

Wash my lines and wetsuit top down after use if i remember but that is it .

Usually pack my kites away wet .

Salt water won't harm the kite but packing it away damp after washing in fresh water will cause stains on the kite .

Yeah, freshwater bad. Salt Water...ok.

If you get rained out and have to pack your kite away with wet fresh water on it, you've got 24hrs ish (please someone correct if incorrect!) to get it back out and dried off.

NB, no hairdryers etc. to dry it, just natural air. Personally, I take it down the park, pump it up and give 20mins in the air to dry off.

Ok I am clearly an exception to the 'norm':-

1/ Every item of clothing I wear including my 1mm booties goes into the washing machine when I get home for a gentle cycle, even when kiting for days in a row.

2/ My harness gets rinsed with fresh water every wear and because I leave my safety leash attached to my harness I also ensure to give it a rinse, pull it apart and reconnect ready for my next session (always check it before puting the kite in the air as well)

3/ My board gets rinsed

4/ Kites, only get rinsed when the salt build up is disgusting and crusty then they get a fresh water hose down and left up inside my unit to dry overnight. They are never put away wet even when salty, always ensure that they are dry.

5/ Bars/lines - rinsed and left on the laundry tub to dry, ensure that I pull the chicken loop out so that I can rinse any sand that has been caught up to ensure that if and when I need it, it's not jammed up.

Does it make a difference? Don't know but to be honest my gear is holding up well and with regard to point 5 and 2 (leash), I won't comprimise on this because I want to know that my safety is going to work when I need it.

haha - this made me laugh:

"Kites, only get rinsed when the salt build up is disgusting and crusty"

Forcetwelve said...
haha - this made me laugh:

"Kites, only get rinsed when the salt build up is disgusting and crusty"

how ever with a regular dunk every session at least the salt stays fresh

Dl33ta said...
I pretty much follow BoardGirls routine. Anything that has stainless steel, even marine grade 316, in it should really get a freshwater bath after every use. Its the only way to stop corrosion from happening. Depending on your supplier the quality of the stainless and its chrome (the bit that will rust) levels can vary significantly.

As for your lines the salt crystals can actually cause minute amounts of friction depending on how they are stored and cause your lines to debraid over extended periods.. a long time admitedly but hey I'm pretty anal about that sort of stuff.

The main reason I fresh water wash my clothes is that they freakin reek once all the micro organisms in the sea water die off and start to putrify.

They biggest killer to your gear will be UV so keep it out of the sun where possible.

like to wash my investment

I've got really old gear - Still kiting on Switchblade2s. And they are in really good nick.

I did did previous kites and let them dry out. One got mouldy and stained, one got damaged when caught in wind while drying.

My approach now is to do virtually nothing.
I Roll em up sandy and salty (and even wet when I have to). I only wash and dry if caught packing up in the rain as I reckon fresh water causes mould.
I do try and not crash my kite for the last 5 mins or so on the water so they dry out a bit and don't get too sandy. (I actually try not to crash my kites or myself the rest of the session, but you know how it goes if you ain't crashing you ain't trying)

The bottom line imho is that cleaning and shaking and drying and brushing do more harm than good.

BoardGirl said...
Ok I am clearly an exception to the 'norm':-
4/ Kites, only get rinsed when the salt build up is disgusting and crusty then they get a fresh water hose down and left up inside my unit to dry overnight. They are never put away wet even when salty, always ensure that they are dry.

haha, hanging up your kite - inside your unit:D - WTF BG! lol,
I have always washed my B&Ls and snapped plenty of chicken ropes and safety lines. Best thing from what i~ve read for this is to wax the rope, but haven~t tried myself. Cab~s IDS is good, never had one of them break yet.
SS is another story........

I don't know anyone who washes their kites. What a waste of time!

Geez a lot of crew don't even bother putting kites back in their bags. Just roll up and chuck in the boot.