GARMENT AFTERCARE
Your paddling equipment should need very little aftercare. Rinse garments in cold, fresh water after every use. Store paddling gear in a dry, dark, and cool place, away from any strong fumes such as diesel or resins. An ideal storage temperature is 10-20 degrees C. Make sure your gear is fully dried inside out before storing away. Store One Piece Suits with the zip fully closed, folded gently. Avoid piling kit on top of your suit as this can put unnecessary pressure on the zip.
If you leave gear wet in your kit bag for a few days it will go mouldy and lose its performance. If your gear begins to stink, hand wash it with Granger's Performance Cleaner and hang to drip dry. For difficult to clean items such as PFDs, topdecks, suits (or for a quick refresh!) try some odour eliminator. From time to time reproof the garment’s outer fabric with Granger's Clothing Repel.
If your garment is fitted with a waterproof zip, service this from time to time as dirt & grit in the teeth will affect the seal. Clean the zip using a stiff brush and fresh water. Re lube it before every use with specialist zip lube.
Latex seals on jackets can be cut to fit. If they are too tight, cut them down carefully and evenly with small sharp scissors, taking care not to leave any nicks. Cut off a small amount at a time, remembering that the seals will stretch a little with use. For information on replacing Latex seals please contact info@atlantickayaks.com. You can also buy latex seals from our store.
Check your spraydeck for wear regularly. If you do tear or nick the deck, any small holes can be covered and filled by using Aquasure / Seamgrip glue. If you find water leaking into your boat, first check that you have the correct size spraydeck for your boat, then check the water tightness of all the screws on your fittings. Check around your cockpit rim for any sharp protrusions, edges or screw heads. For composite canoes / kayaks (i.e. slalom, freestyle, sea / surf kayaks) apply a couple of layers of electrical tape to the cockpit rim to help protect the spraydeck from the sharp edge.
Try to avoid continual rubbing of your paddle shaft against the neoprene too. This will wear the deck through in no time. Using a Happy Thruster or similar device under your spraydeck may cause it to wear out far quicker than expected. This is due to excessive stretch placed upon its neoprene material. If you find a problem - sort it, or you may damage your new deck. Avoid storing your spraydeck anywhere near man-made chemicals such as petrol etc. Contaminants such as DEET and suncream can cause the latex to degrade and become sticky and unusable.
Our PFDs require no servicing. We suggest they are replaced ten years after the date of manufacture, after around 500 hours of use (if cared for properly) or immediately if they shows signs of wear and/or damage. A good check is to annually test the flotation of the device by trying to float a 6kg ( approx. 60N ) steel weight. If the pfd is still good enough it should float the weight. PFDs should be rinsed in fresh water and hanged to drip dry after every use. For more info check out our PFD Guidelines.
Items such as Grangers products and latex seals are available from our store.