Getting your board ready for winter

Parking a board for the season

A JETSURF sitting unused for weeks or months needs a different kind of care than one ridden every weekend — fuel goes stale, batteries self-discharge, and a sealed engine bay traps the moisture that causes corrosion. The steps split by power source, but the underlying idea is the same: leave it clean, leave it able to breathe, and don't let the electronics sit dead.

Whatever you ride, start with a proper clean

Salt water or fresh, rinse the board down before it goes into storage the same way you would after any ride — see Cleaning your board after a ride (gas) or Cleaning an electric board after a ride. If you ride in salt water, spend the extra few minutes on it — per our saltwater vs freshwater guide, most post-season problems trace back to salt that didn't get rinsed out before a board sat for months.

Gas boards

The short version: if you rode in salt water this season, run a full cooling-system flush before it goes away, not just a rinse — leftover salt crystallizes over a long store and is a common cause of spring corrosion. Dry the board out completely, lubricate the engine bay, pull the fuel tank and store it separately, then close the lid loosely so air can still move through — a sealed bay is what actually causes corrosion, not the cold. Start the engine occasionally during storage to keep it lubricated, and keep the battery topped up — every 30 days is a safe baseline, stretch to 60–90 in a temperature-controlled space, or check closer to 30–45 somewhere cold. The full walkthrough with every step timestamped is in Winterizing a petrol board.

Electric boards

Electric storage is mostly about the battery. Take it out of the board — never leave it in between long idle stretches — and charge it in storage mode rather than a full charge; that holds it around 50%, which is where a lithium battery ages the slowest. Pull the motor-bay and battery-bay covers off too and put them somewhere safe. Full steps in Storing an electric board, and the charger's storage setting is covered in Charging an electric board.

Worth checking before you park it

• Spark plug — if you're near the 6–10 hour mark, replace it now rather than discovering it in spring. See Spark plug check & replacement.
• Cooling — confirm the telltale water spray is strong and steady before you stop riding for the season. See Is your board cooling properly?.
• The six-point check — worth running once before storage and again before your first ride back, so you know exactly what state the board went in and came out in. See Six-point check.