I was out at Pt Henry today and talking to a cpl of guys there and the subject about washing gear came up. Both had differing views. One guy was saying that washing the sail can cause mildew if not dried properly.
Myself, I rinse my boom and other aluminium fittings and wetsuit etc, but dont wash the sail or board.
Any ideas on what is the best thing to do?
Btw its was awesome out there today.. 20 - 25 knots 
although still only managed to hook in a cpl of times- arms and shoulders are sure to be sore tomorrow lol
i reckon it depends where you sail.
when sailing in the surf i tend to get a lot of sand on the gear and that needs to be washed off.
sailing brisbane type flat water spots which is my main choice tends to leave the gear free of sand so i don't wash.
main thing here is to make sure the kit is dry before packing it up.
one downside with not washing is the salt residue on the sail which scratches mono and wears the stiching.
It depends on where you are, what facilities are there, how much you care for your gear and what sort of vehicle you use.
Personally I take a short water hose and fitting in my car and wash my gear if a tap is around. The real killer is sand, adjustable booms and two piece masts. I always wash out my booms and masts. Crystalising salt would be a killer for two piece masts too.
I have never had a problem with mildewing gear, even stuff stored for years without use. I have had problems with rats chewing the same gear though.
yep....Crystalising salt in the boom cleat and mast extension cleat 
always worth a quick rinse if you know ur not going to be sailing for ages...
I wash every time unless I will out the next day or the kit is filthy, when river sailing always give the kit a bath.
GT
I bought a 240L wheelie bin and connected it to the downpipe - this is my rinsing tub. My neighbours used to give me suss looks when I would pull out the hose....
An alternative to the wheelie bin is a food grade container - they sell em cheap in the trading post.
I rinse everthing - takes bloody ages
From the Ezzy Wave 2007 rigging instructions:
Do I need to rinse my sail with fresh water after sailing? NO
Do I need to dry my sail before rolling it up? NO
See also www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10389
Not... unless you can do it when it is all rigged up OR is absolutely necessary to get sand/dirt out... I don't see the point in unpacking and washing and either putting away wet, or hanging up to dry. Surely the extra UV or moisture as well as extra handing (especially while not rigged) is more harmful to sails than a little dirt...
I had a guy lose his retro plastic board in the wind while washing it a couple of season back, it tumbled a few times before coming to rest and putting a hole in my carbon board[}:)] Perhaps this was the start of anti-wash for me
Whenever I leave the water I make sure on my last run or so I don't crash in the shorebreak doing something stupid as to not get the rig etc covered in sand. In probably 10 years of windsurfing I have washed a sail once...and that was after I broke a mast and had to swim it in, it was 50% sand, 50% sail hahaha. The only time I'll wash something is if it obviously going to get ruined by sand (IE sand all over boom extension pieces etc). Other than that I see it serves no other purpose than to waste water.
I wash the board, boom, mast foot and extension. Basically anything with moving parts. Washing the board isn't really necessary, but I don't want salt water dripping from my board when it's put away on the rack and is still a bit wet. I only wash the sail out if it's full of sand, otherwise just stand it up to drain and dry.
The case for washing:
Salt crystals and sand scratch monofilm. Saltwater takes longer to dry than fresh, and contains organic matter that will smell bad if left wet and warm for any length of time (probably the same can be said for river water?). My luff tubes seem to shrink slightly when dried with salt still in them which means that they stretch out again when re-wet (so, downhaul needs to be adjusted as soon as the luff gets wet). A nicely washed sail probably has better resale value than one that has got 'murky' from all the little salt scratches on the film.
The case for not washing:
Salt prevents mould and mildew. Laziness. Washing involves more handling of the sail, and can introduce more creases. It's another thing to wash, and is tricky to do both sides by yourself without crinkling the sail. If you're going out sailing again tomorrow, there's not really much point because it'll still be wet anyway. I stand the sail to drain, and dry, so there's not much chance of stinky organic stuff going on. If you've had a decent sail, you're probably too knackered anyway..
We don't have water restrictions here though..
only wash your sail when you cant see through the monofilm anymore or going to sell it, basically everything that has stitching, wash as minimal as possible, the chemicals in tap water these days will rott stitching way faster than salt water will. try not to store your gear wet, stuff like wetsuits footstraps sails..
I've a lot of yachting and spoken to sailmakers from time to time and the more common view seems to be that chlorine in tap water is worse than salt. I reckon give your gear a wash down if you're not using it for a while, otherwise let it go.
Also I broke an alley boom once and I could see the evidence of salt corrosion on the break. Aluminium should always be washed because it corrodes.
I reckon wetties and booties are easier to get on if you wash the salt crystals out.
Never have washed a sail and if you sail as often a we do in wa the monofilm will be stuffed way before the stitching will rot out.
I've just bought some cleaner for my boat clears its called Plexus Its $22 a can from BCF.
will try it on my sail window to see if it can make them clear again.
Will post the results
I always rinse my gear off, just don't want the salt rusting car or trailer away. In 15 years, rot or mildew has never been a concern. But then, except for this cr*p year just gone, my gear gets a regular work out.
Also plenty of freash water in FNQ (too much), so why not use it up 
My gear was thoroughly rinsed at southpassage on saturday.Thats good enough for me
Hey Gazza, years ago a mate bought a well used s/h sail, we gave it the old armarol treatment and it came up trumps 
My idea was cos the sail drys out through UV, the armarol would preserve it, never found out how it went, I left town and have never hit one of my sails with it
Some one will come and tell us we're stupid, welome mate
hey bob, i seem to remember u had a unique way of preserving your sails - with monofilm tape. counted up to 60 patches on one sail if i recall. : )
I think all you guys who get out often enough for the UV to affect your sails should all be happy about the fact. I think my gear will still look like new after a decade. 
Before rigging, whenever possible I rinse the mast where the 2 halves join. It only takes a few grains of sand in there to get it stuck.
I never rinse anything else, even if I've derigged on the sand and rolled up my wet sail with sand all over both sides. This is my one small concession to hardness.
OK, if I won't be sailing for a while I'll rinse the metal bits...but I'm usually sailing pretty often these days.
Hey Tacky, if that was when I was in west aus, I thought it was about 90 patches 
That might be why I can't go fast now days, my Ezzy doesn't need tape.
Got me thinking who's Tacky, are you the mate who's sail we armouralled
Yep it's you, can't believe you're 35 Junior
Your work emails were bouncing, thought you got married and a picket fence
