#3. Treat you Surfboard like a Baby: Be a Protective Parent.

The sun and heat is your board's enemy, so store it safely in a cool, shady spot. Placing your board in a shed or car on a hot day will cause major delamination issues. Your surfboard will hate you. In addition, the sun's rays will cause major yellowing and weakening of the integrity of your board's fiberglass coating, so don't store your boards in the back yard or leave them on a roof rack uncovered too long.

#4. Surfboard First Aid: Don't Procastinate.

Even minor dings can cause serious problems if left untreated for a long period of time, so be sure to repair any crack or puncture in your board as soon as possible (at least after the swell is gone). Otherwise, water leaking into the inner foam core of your board will cause yellowing, delamination, and worst of all, extra weight which is the worst contributor to lower board performance. Additionally, you should periodically strip old wax off the deck in order to check for any unseen dings or cracks that may be lurking below.

These steps will greatly elongate the life of your precious surfboard, stick, blade, weapon, tool, or any other Freudian term you want to assign it. In addition, remember to secure your board when transporting it in the bed of a truck, place it out of the way of foot traffic and car traffic (I have seen many boards fall prey to vehicles backing out of a parking space), and choose who may borrow your board wisely. Even with perfect care, a board will eventually lose its "energy" and require you you to update to something fresh. Have fun and keep surfing.