Leaving windsurf gear in the car

[atlas.wave55]

Nubie traveling windsurfer question.
Anyone keep gear in there car on a hot summer day say 70-85°F. Even with car windows and board vent scew cracked open a bit. Is it bad for your gear(sails, mast, board, foil)long term?
I prefer to keep it out of the car on a hot sunny day but sometime it's hard to do that.

Any tips or tricks other than parking under a tree?
Leave freezy pack in board bag? Would this even work.

[manuel]

Been discussed before, might get some more info already available.
Park in the shade or with windows opened. Vent screw helps for sure just remember to tighten it!
Car color? I've been setting my board in the sun (vent off), and have seen boards with vent on in the sun, no issues. I also picked a badly delamed board left on a roof for years!

[cgoudie1]

Leaving your board in a hot car can't be good for it (I doubt it has much
effect on masts or sails that aren't rigged). You could go to Glass
boards (there are still a few makers). Leaving the vent screw open
is probably a good idea, but I don't leave mine open and I haven't had
a board delam (due to heat) in about 20 years, so the builders have
probably gotten better at that. I would
recommend leaving it outside it's board bag in high heat, especially
if there's any moisture on the board or in the bag. The best thing you
can do to keep your board from delaming due to heat is to keep water
out of it's core. I leave my gear in my (gold colored) van all season
in the Gorge, but I always leave the windows cracked, and I have been
know to remove boards from the vehicle on days when it hits 100 or
more. Just sit in your vehicle on a day like that and you'll experience 130 degrees
in there, heck you might even delam.

-Craig

[thombiz]

I've not put a board inside a car, but I have stored numerous boards in the attic space of my home here in Corpus Christi without any issues. I do make absolutely sure that the vent is open. Summer temps in the attic vary from 80 degrees at night to 135 degrees in the afternoon summer sun. I actually think this is good for a board because the heating and cooling cycles in the attic causes the air in the board to shrink and expand with the changes in temperature allowing the foam inside to breath and expel any water vapor that might be inside the board. Example, last time I loaned a board to a vacationer, he failed to close the vent plug before use and the board took on a couple pounds of water. I put the board on a vacuum pump for two days and got about 80% of the water out. I then put the board in the attic for about 3 years and it managed to get most but not all of the remaining moisture out. Storing the board in the attic where there were substantial temperature variations was good for the board.

Leaving your board in the car or in the attic could have bad results if the board was thermal formed. I remember a JP Excite Ride board I worked on about 15 years ago. It had developed a large soft spot between the front and rear footstraps requiring a hole be cut and the crushed OEM styrofoam be removed and urethane pour foam put in it's place. The urethane foam is exothermic and it was a pretty dicey keeping the thermal formed outside shell cool enough and in perfect form while the urethane foam swelled and setup. For about 15 minutes I was seriously concerned for the thermal formed shell. Wet rags soaked in ice water and placed against the shell saved the day.

[atlas.wave55]

Thombiz, those are some extreme temps! Its amazing how hot cars and attics can get. how do you tell if a board is thermal formed? Are many boards now adays like that(2018+)?

Manuel. Silver car. So not too bad at least it's not black. Seems like the best advice is not to leave it in the car.

[swchandler]

I've always been of the mindset to not vent boards, unless going to higher elevations. Always stored boards full time in the van in vented shielded bags, or just simple canvas bags that will absorb and dry out. Never a delamination problem since the early 90s, and I've experienced many 100+ days in the Gorge over the years.

I will say that all my boards were custom made, and that just might give me a notable advantage over Cobra manufactured boards, but that's arguable, of course.

[thombiz]

Best way to determine if the shell is thermo-formed is to test a spot like under a deck pad that you had to get under to perform a fix. Heat a metal rod and put it close to the skin. If the heat makes it get soft it's thermo-formed plastic. You can also tell if you cut into the board to make a repair. A non-thermo formed will have fiber layer on top of a high density layer of foam. Under the foam will be another fiber layer separating the high density foam from the styrofoam inner core.

[NOVAAN]

I wonder why board builders go to the trouble to install a vent if they want us to keep them closed all the time.

[swchandler]

"I wonder why board builders go to the trouble to install a vent if they want us to keep them closed all the time."


It's important to vent EPS boards when traveling through higher elevations to preclude any possible structural damage that can happen due to air pressure changes.

Otherwise, there is absolutely no reason to open and close vent plugs. Yet, if you want to potentially invite water and humidity into your board, just open the vent plug regularly after sailing.

[joethewindsufa]

just check out the "boardlady"



https://boardlady.com/heatdamage.htm

locally there is one brand of board that seems to delaminate more than others
it has a vent and typically people did not open it prior to the damage

treat your board like you love it - tender loving care

https://shop.wind-nc.com/blogs/windsurfing-sup-foil-how-to-articles/caring-for-your-new-windsurf-board-how-to-protect