I'm gonna keep asking dumb questions for quite a while!
It never really even occurred to me, as after lessons we just left the stuff on the beach and the school did whatever they did with it afterwards. Because it was sandy on the grass where I rigged up (and took apart), I ended up with sand packed into the cleats and the pulley wheels on the extension and sail. I've rinsed it out with some fresh water, but now I'm wondering if I should rinse the salt off everything else or just leave it? I rinsed the harness (which my friend wore) and hung that out to dry just like I would with a wetsuit. I assume the sail and board should be fine covered in salt and sand? They'll be back in the water tomorrow anyway.
Select to expand quoted11wtq said..
I'm gonna keep asking dumb questions for quite a while!
It never really even occurred to me, as after lessons we just left the stuff on the beach and the school did whatever they did with it afterwards. Because it was sandy on the grass where I rigged up (and took apart), I ended up with sand packed into the cleats and the pulley wheels on the extension and sail. I've rinsed it out with some fresh water, but now I'm wondering if I should rinse the salt off everything else or just leave it? I rinsed the harness (which my friend wore) and hung that out to dry just like I would with a wetsuit. I assume the sail and board should be fine covered in salt and sand? They'll be back in the water tomorrow anyway.
I suppose the correct answer is that you should wash all your gear, but I never have and haven't seen any deterioration in my gear. Monofilm, aluminum, carbon fibre don't really suffer from salt water, well from what I've experienced. Older booms needed sand washing off them to stop the clew end getting stuck, but new ones don't have that problem. Just make sure you have no sand on your 2 piece mast when you stick it together.
If you wash your sails don't leave them drying in the sun. UV kills monofilm.
If you just pack your salty gear up you shouldn't leave it in the car because it will rust the car out.
Never washed or dried any of my gear, just try to take it from the water to a grassy un-rigging area without getting sand on it, let it drip dry and then pack it all up. Seems to all stay in good nick.
With me, if the gear has sand on it, I wash it. I wash all base, fin, extension in the rigging area at the local. I don't like washing gear at home as I don't want to contaminate my lawn with salt. Also, salt will stop mould growing on your sails, and repel insects (snails, earwigs etc). However, I do wash my wet suit, harness, buoyancy vest if I use it.
When I first started I used to always wash off my sails but I found I was doing damage to them by hanging them up and creasing them. As long as you are in salt water, I wouldn't bother. The only maintenance I do is to wash off the wetsuit and booties and before I rig my sails I give the pulleys a quick squirt with WD40.
never washed or dried anything
i like to rinse stuff before i de-rig (to get the sand off) and let it dry a bit if possible, but that's it
no ill effects to date
If there is little to no grass area to de rig on I will usually do it in the water if its calm, this keeps most of the sand off the sail. I will then roll it up and stand it up to drain off for awhile before packing it into the sail bag. I usually wash down my boards, booms and mast. And as someone said.... Don't get sand in your two piece as it will get stuck together. I still cant get my fiberglass mast apart even after trying all the usual remocval techniques.
The above news is very disturbing to me because at 30 min cleaning per outing I have wasted several hundred waking hours of my life
I do a good clean up from time to time (or I used to) but after every session, I dry up the sail and board with a towel. when the towel get dry, you realize how much salt you took off you sail.
And if you're really fussy, you can use a Chamois leather and wax up the bottom of your board 
Select to expand quoteda vecta said..
Your gear washes itself when you fall in.
in that case I must have the cleanest gear in NSW
The only thing that you probably should wash out is the boom at the end of season, specially around the adjustment holes.
Of course, I would wash all my gear after every time I used it, and then buff it up with some soft chamois leather and possibly finish off with a light polish using eider down.
But we're very short of water over here, not to mention that I can never get the eider to stand still long enough to pluck the down off it's breast,
so,... surprisingly to all I'm sure, I've never washed any of my sails or other gear.
Not even the boom, because I always think I might get another sail in before the season ends,.. and anyway, who knows when it ends?
The reality is, don't bother doing anything that will make the outing less enjoyable because over the years it will all add up towards making you give it up sooner than you otherwise would.
And if you say you enjoy washing your gear,.. the GET HELP! You are in the initial stages of a serious Obsesive Compulsive Disorder.
Signed,..
Doctor Pweedas 
I think its worth checking with the manufacturer... sounds an@l, but I wash all my components bar the sail and board.
Harness, uni joint, extension etc - all in cold water.
Take the end out of the boom, wash everything in cold water rather than hot, leave the end out of the boom but the clips pressed in as per makers spec. For the boards, I open up the vents on hot days and leave a bit of paper rolled up in the vent to remind me.
Wetsuit also gets cold water only wash. And its dried flat roll out on a towel. Hanging them stretches them....puts em out of shape....Hot water kills wetsuits over time too. Doing this I have a steamer still going on eight years, and yes was used heaps. But now I'm too fat to wear it 
Better if you have a bath and can swish it around and soak it, then final rinse.... and they say to use the wetsuit shampoo.... but mine seem to last regardless.... however they are more insulated... think there is silicon in that stuff.....
Polishing your board every now and then also gives you the chance to look over it, check it for nicks etc... not a bad habit... and opening your vent, check the rubber on the vent plug from time to time... you can get them from Clarke Rubber....better safe than sorry....
Cribbs said something about washing your sails in fresh water removing the salts, then people store them all winter (UK) and roll them out only to find mold and decay. The salt protects the sail or something.... at least mold won't grow on it.....something something...
I want my gear to last 
*think I just stepped on a crack on the pavement - crap*
I hose out everything thoroughly, then dry it in the shade (inside the house actually). My 10 year old gear could be passed off as new. Still didn't stop my uni joint failing last week in the middle of Botany Bay.
Select to expand quoteHarrow said..
I hose out everything thoroughly, then dry it in the shade (inside the house actually). My 10 year old gear could be passed off as new. Still didn't stop my uni joint failing last week in the middle of Botany Bay.
haha - how old is it? Paddle back in?
Select to expand quoteK Dog said..
haha - how old is it? Paddle back in?
About 6 years old. Lucky enough to have another sailor bring out a spare.
May have been mentioned but zippers to board bags and sail bags are really prone to seizing up. I try to rinse them off with fresh water and spray with Inox especially at end of season but as that can be a moving undefined date of time, clean as much as possible. Salt seems to accumulate and corrode around my boom as well so I try to give that some attention as well. Hope this helps, nothing worse than a board bag with no zipper, I know I be got one
Correction - I do rinse and then hang to dry my wetsuit, harness, booties, Aquapac, etc but not my sailing gear (sail, mast, boom, ext, board, fin, etc). Funnily enough, its my wetsuits, harness, booties, Aquapac that seem to need replacing regularly!
Select to expand quoteAUS02 said..
Equipment care. Do you clean your stuff once home?
I shower up to once a day
Serious, how was the paddle from the middle of B-Bay ?
Have done it once, fair ride with the tide coming out...
I only rinse my kit if it has gotten dirty/sandy but leaving the sails with salt on them will stop mould or mildew growing (especially through the winter when its probably not getting used as much.) I always wash wetsuits because it keeps them better and they stay nicer to wear for longer.
Select to expand quoteskipd said..
May have been mentioned but zippers to board bags and sail bags are really prone to seizing up. I try to rinse them off with fresh water and spray with Inox especially at end of season but as that can be a moving undefined date of time, clean as much as possible. Salt seems to accumulate and corrode around my boom as well so I try to give that some attention as well. Hope this helps, nothing worse than a board bag with no zipper, I know I be got one
Spray them every now and then with silicone spray - you can get it from boating shops , Sailmakers etc c $10-12
Why would you wash your gear? It means that it will be longer before you can buy new gear!
I give the hardware a clean and spray once-twice a year as mentioned above, but sails last better with a bit of salt.
Back in the Early '80's. I used to wash my (traingle) sails with freshwater after every sail. They all went moldy!
Now I wash the sand off my gear as I de-rig in the salt water. Let the sails drain before bagging. Have not had any mold for 30 years!
I always hang my wetsuits under the veranda in the shade to drain and dry though. UV kills them dead, and quickly too!
I only sail in salt water. Salt is a natural preservative. Its not corrosive as long as your gear is dry.
After sailing, I let my sail dry for 5 to 10 min in the shade while I change out of my wet sailing gear before derigging, then I derig and roll them up without washing. I store them vertically so any remaining moisture drains.
I rinse any metal and rotating equipment at the derigging area in clean water if available. I do nothing if water is not available.
I rinse sand, mud, dirt from my board, at the waters edge, then let drip dry on my board bag before putting in the board bag. If its a good grassy rigging area, I do nothing.
I always tape the joint on the mast and hence never have a problem with sand in the joint
At home, I dry, in the shade, my harness, impact vest, wetsuit and booties before packing in my sailing box. I do not rinse before hand.
None of this takes any time or distracts from TOW
I wash my gear every time keeps it looking good never had problems with stitching wear in my sails some gear I never wash like fins, boards, masts & carbon booms they don't corrode.
I put a water tank and 12v pump on my trailer just to wash all my gear so it looks as good as the day I bought it. You could pass all of it off for brand new. Even some of my 15 year old gear looks new. Each to their own I guess as I don't see washing my stuff as a chore. It's just another part of windsurfing as I like everything as clean as possible.
Cheers
Marty
