leaving vent plugs in place?

Question
For some reason I feel leery about tightening vent plugs to only "quarter-turn tight"...especially when your board sits in a hot van or truck compartment and you are dropping it into fairly cold water i.e. The Gorge.  I would prefer keeping the vent plug in all the time and making sure it is in good and tight.  Am I asking for board troubles by doing this such as de-lamination or other problems?

Answer
Hey Max,

Some boards are made from materials that tend to offgas for a period of time and are also affected by high temps (ie; inside a hot vehicle or similar). The vent plug is designed to allow minor gas build up to release and also to release pressure build up from heat.

There has always been a controversy over leaving the plug tight all the time or loosening it during non-use. Some say nothing will happen if left tight and others feel that it was put there for a reason by the board maker. Do you question the guy designing the board or the average sailor that may or may not be educated on the reasons for vent plugs.

I say, it's there for a reason, loosen it when you are not sailing, tighten it before sailing. If you are concerned about it cooling too fast in cold water (ie; the Columbia or similar) I really don't think that will have much effect on the board. Cooling the board will cool any inside air and reduce the pressure which shouldn't be any problem.

Keeping the vent plug tight could possible cause separation issues.

As for remembering to tighten the plug before sailing, most folks figure out a method of remembering. Tie a short piece of rope or bright ribbon on your rear footstrap or something similar to remind you that you need to tighten the vent plug.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover