Keep your Skim Kayak clean
After every trip you should wash your kayak with fresh water to make sure dirt, sand and salt are removed before you store it. Salt will dry in sunlight but it will absorb humidity when in humid surroundings. Long-term humidity is not good for your laminate quality. Even though all metal parts on your Skim are from the highest grade stainless steel available and should not corrode we feel its still better to keep salt away from them during storage.
Sand inside the cockpit area will grind between your shoes and the hull and work as a sand paper slowly grinding material away and on the long run causing weak spots where your heels are.
So besides the joy of paddling a nice shinny kayak there are plenty of practical reasons why it is important to keep your kayak clean.
Scratches
Have a thorough look at your kayak regularly in order to see if there are scratches that are going through the gel coat (exposing the laminate). Deep scratches like that should be repaired. Its not a acute problem but it should be taken care of and we suggest that at least once per season you do this kind of maintenance.
Gel coat scratches and chips are unavoidable in a composite kayak, they will have no effect on the quality of your kayak and will not effect the lifespan either. Beach and rock landings will eventually wear out the gel coat on your hull,especially at the ends. If possible you should try to avoid this as much as possible. In case of gel coat wear and tear because of beach and rock landings you can always ad a protective keel-strip that will protect your hull.
Deck lines and toggle maintenance
Inspect your deck lines and bungees regularly for wear and tear. Especially the toggle ropes should be checked often, Change them as soon as they show wear, the toggles can be a life saver in case of emergency therefor its important to have the toggle ropes in good condition always.
Storage
Store your kayak in a well ventilated area and make sure you don’t pack it in plastic. Long exposure to humidity is not good for the material and will cause mold to build up inside your kayak. Before storage, clean and dry your kayak.
Transport
There are several good roof rack solutions for kayaks. Make sure you pick one with as little hard parts as possible. Also the straps are important. It is very easy to tighten the straps to much and crack your kayaks so remember: tight is tight, you don’t want to crack your kayak with the strap. Also check that all hatches are closed well so they don’t come lose while driving and damage your kayak or fall of.
Most important
Even though all this is important information remember that the most important thing is to paddle your Skim as much as you feel is right for you and make sure you enjoy every minute of it.
Happy Paddling 😉 !