Skateboarding outdoors whilst its raining is not the best idea or situation to be involved in. This is because your skateboard deck is produced from wood, which will absorb the rain water. Moreover the skate bearings do not perform well whilst being wet from water.
Unless it is an emergency situation, you should not skate whilst there’s water on the ground, as it’ll end up damaging your board and costing you money.
Sometimes and especially if you live in a wetter climate, you may not have a choice but you can be careful. If you find yourself to be skating in a rainy season, then here are some top tips to follow to avoid damaging your setup:
- Firstly avoid outdoors completely if it is heavily raining outside.
- Avoid puddles at all cost! – even if you’re tempted to leave trails!
- Dry off your skateboard deck once you have finished! – use a hair dryer and towels to dry the setup!
Table of Contents
Damage That Rain Water Does To A Skateboard
The skateboard deck is typically produced from wood. If this gets into contact with water, the wood can deform and become soft. Moreover if skateboard bearings become wet, they lose their lubrication and bolts can rust.
Damage That Rain Does To A Deck
Due to a skateboard deck being constructed from wood, when it gets wet it will become soft, deformed and begin to peel. Even if you manage to dry your deck out, it may be damaged permanently as it will not have a ‘crisp pop’ to it anymore. This may mean that you will need a new skateboard deck.
Water Damage To Skateboard Bearings, Bolts & Trucks
Rain water can ruin a decent set of bearings as they lose their lubrication. When the lubrication fails it damages the performance of the bearings, as they slow down and become weakened from the inside out. This is true, but if you have Ceramic bearings, they will not be as damaged as their steel counterparts.
Moreover, if your bolts become wet they will become rusted. This is bad because it can lead to breakage, which can be dangerous if it happens whilst you’re riding. If you’re beginning to notice your bolts rust, you should consider getting a new skateboard hardware.
Finally, your trucks are probably the most durable and repentant parts of a skateboard setup. This means that they are much more long-lasting in the rain, although this does not mean they’re invincible as they’ll soon begin to rust over time as well!
What Happens To Your Skateboard Grip Tape If It Gets Wet?
Grip tape is an amazing attribute for skating, as it gives your feet traction(even in wet conditions). Although if your grip tape gets wet, over time the adhesion will begin to start to peel back. This can become frustrating as its ruins your traction and balance whilst skating.
What If I Get My Skateboard Wet
- Definitely remove the deck form the rest of the setup and put it into the sun or next to a warm radiator immediately!
- Remove and separate the hardware and use a towel to dry them!
- Continue to wipe the trucks, grip tape with a towel to dry them off.
- Then with the bearings you should dry them with a towel as well, but be ready with lubricant!
- Then proceed to spray lubricant on the bearings, to protect them from rust.
- Check if the board is then dry – to do this hit it against the floor and if it makes a regular pop sound, then you know its okay and dry!
- Once all of these steps have been achieved, you can then reassemble all the setup back together.
Can Electric Skateboards Get Wet?
Electric skateboards are different in comparison to a run of the mill skateboard setup. They may have similar attributes with regular skateboards, such as wheels, bearings, deck and bolts. But they have electrical components, such as the batteries and motors.
An electric skateboard should have a resistance standard of a decent level to water, although this does not mean it is entirely waterproof. For instance even high rated IP boards have a risk of damaged electrical drive systems from exposure to wet environments.
It is then advised that after riding your electric skateboard in the rain, you must wipe them down until they’re bone-dry.
Always check IP ratings and a manufacturers guidance in regard to riding your electric skateboard in the rain, which we have included in our guides on electric skateboards here.
Conclusion
Ultimately if you get caught out in the rain badly multiple times whilst skating, you may be more susceptible to damaging your setup. This means that bearings can rust and decks can become water-logged. Moreover, skating in the rain can be dangerous as its much more likely that you’ll slip and get injured.
Even if you’re in a skatepark, skating in the rain isn’t a great idea. This is because you’re much more likely to fall as surfaces become much more unpredictable to skate on!
If you do find yourself to be caught out in the rain, its not the end of the world. As long as you follow our kick guide above, which will help you dry out your board and parts of your setup. This is limited damage to your parts as much as possible.
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