How To Tell If A Skateboard Is Waterlogged (Explained)

skateboarding in the rain

You can tell if your skateboard is waterlogged if it feels heavy and feels malleable or flexible. Even though it might feel like there is more flex in the board, it is also much weaker and can easily break or chip.

If you skateboard in the rain, through puddles, or forget to bring your skateboard in the house while it’s raining then there is a chance that the deck can become waterlogged.

A waterlogged board will lose all of its luster and will make skateboarding much more difficult.

How To Protect Your Skateboard From Getting Waterlogged

The best way to protect your deck from getting waterlogged is to not get it wet. However, that’s easier said than done. There have been plenty of times that I’ve been caught in a storm with my board and to be honest, you need to think fast if you want to save the integrity of your deck.

If you have a rain jacket, sacrifice yourself to wrap up your skateboard. You won’t melt but your board can take a pretty bad beating from the rain.

If you don’t have a jacket or backpack that can fit your skateboard, then another thing to do is just weather the storm. Wait it out in a dry area and then walk home or to your next destination with your board in hand.

One Last Tip: If you skateboard after the rain just make sure not to ride through any puddles. 

Not only can water cause harm to the deck, it can also rust the bearings and trucks.

What To Do If Your Board Gets Wet Or Waterlogged

If your deck gets really wet, the best thing to do is hand dry your board with a towel, use a blow dryer if you have one, and store it in a dry room for 12 to 24 hours with a fan to circulate the air. If you have a dehumidifier then hook that up in the room and put it on full blast.

Check on your skateboard every couple hours. It is possible that the board can still get waterlogged but this is the best defense and it beats having to buy a new skateboard.

The only other thing to look for is if the wood warps. Water influences wood very easily and it’s totally possible that the board can become warped. If it does become warped or waterlogged then it’s best to ride it out just until you can afford to purchase a new skateboard.

How To Tell If Your Skateboard Is Waterlogged 

There are a few different ways to tell if your skateboard has become waterlogged.

  1. The deck will feel more flexible. It can even feel like standing on a thick piece of wet cardboard.
  2. Your skateboard will feel much heavier and will lose a lot of its pop. You can test this by attempting ollies on your board.
  3. The deck will become way more brittle.
  4. You may see delamination on the nose or tail. Delamination is when the plies of the deck look like they’re pulling apart from each other.

How Else Can Water Affect Your Skateboard?

Not only can water cause your deck to become waterlogged, there are a bunch of other issues that may arise from it getting wet.

The bearings can rust or seize up. If this happens, the only way to fix it is to purchase a new set of bearings

The trucks can also rust which will affect the integrity and strength of the metal over time. Not to mention that you won’t want to get yourself cut on it. Rusty trucks also look terrible.

Conclusion

If your skateboard gets wet, take everything apart. Remove the wheels from the trucks, disassemble the trucks, remove the bearings from the wheels, and dry everything by hand with a rag or paper towel and a blow-dryer if you have one.

Then, store all of the pieces of your skateboard in a dry room with a fan on and a dehumidifier for 12 to 24 hours. 

If the board still feels damp, keep it in the room and reassemble all of the other components as long as they look and feel okay. Check on your board in another 12 hours and then take it out for a test drive to see if you saved it from getting warped or waterlogged.

If your deck unfortunately becomes waterlogged, then start looking at some other professional grade decks. Shopping for a new skateboard is never really a bad time.

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