Cons Of Storing Boat At Indoor Self Storage Facility
- If the indoor self-storage facilities arent located near the marina, you might need to rent or borrow a trailer to take your boat from the indoor self-storage facility to the lake or shore.
- Storing the boat at indoor self-storage facilities is expensive in many places and depends on the time .
- Some indoor self-storage facilities may be too small, height and length-wise, for your boat and trailer.
Cons Of Storing Boat At Home
- Storing the boat outside at home may require extra care or maintenance for the boat, such as covering the boat properly to prevent any damages from rain or snow or sunlight and theft as well.
- If the boat is kept for a long time on a trailer without using it, the trailer needs to be appropriately maintained to prevent any problems, such as a flat tire.
- And you need to trailer the boat to the lake or sea to use it. Whereas storing the boat at the marina or dry-stacked doesnt require trailering, they will keep it in the water if the storage is close to the waters.
Without a trailer, the boat needs to be placed on blocks , which is difficult to do than others. To know more about that, check this article on How To Store A Boat Without A Trailer?
Where To Store A Boat
People with a lot of land can store their boat directly on their property. Before you do this, make sure your town doesnt have any regulations against it. Also, pick a spot that is away from any trees. Even if you keep your boat covered, the influx of leaves and debris can be detrimental to your boat in the long term.
Some other inexpensive boat storage options include:
- Garage
- Driveway
- Barn
However, if you have a boat longer than the length of a car or truck, youll likely need to look elsewhere for storage. Depending on where you live, some boats can be kept in the water year-round. However, if you dont plan on using your boat for a length of time, consider storing the boat on land.
Businesses that usually offer boat storage:
- Self-storage facilities
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How Much Does It Cost To Own A Boat
The idea of owning your own boat is luxurious. Go out whenever you want and come back whenever you want. Simple, right? Sadly, the costs of owning a boat do not end after the initial purchase of the vessel. Maintenance fees, storage fees, insurance fees you get the point. Owning a boat sounds glamorous, but is worth it?
Why own a boat when you can have a hassle-free membership at a boat club? Gulfstream Boat Club has been around for 10+ years and has expanded to 3 locations with 28 boats! With new locations on the horizon, Gulfstream Boat Club has built a name for itself by providing the friendliest service, top-of-the-line boats, and memories thatll last a lifetime. No maintenance fees, no storage fees, no transporting the boat and most of all, no stress!
Here are some fees associated with boat ownership, something you wont have to worry about with Gulfstream Boat Club.
Boat Safety Equipment And Accessories:
Youll not only need safety gear , but youll most likely want a stereo, lighting, watersports towing equipment, etc., to fully enjoy your boat. The South Florida sun is as strong as it gets and its effects are magnified when out on the water. You should thinking about wearing not only sunscreen but hats, sunglasses, and sun-safe clothing.
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Colorado Springs Boat Storage
When considering wet versus dry storage, start by penciling out the costs in financial terms. How much does it cost to keep your boat in the water all year long versus six months. One of the conversations that came up was whether a fellow boater should store his boat inside with heated storage or outside under shrink wrap. Several people weighed in for both sides, but now I would like to hear from you. Which do you think is better, inside or out ?
Boat Storage Maintenance Musts
Storage For All Boat Classes
Some states have class designations for boat lengths. No matter how long your boat is or what the clearance height is while trailered, theres a General Steel boat storage solution to suit you.
Class A boats are determined to be less than 16 feet in length at their longest dimension.
For these boats, a 20 x 20 enclosed steel building will provide enough space to protect the boat as well as a moderate amount of boating gear.
Class 1 boats measure 16 feet to less than 26 feet. A Class 1 boat can easily be safely and securely sheltered with a 40 x 40 or 30 x 40 enclosed steel building.
Class 2 boats measure between 26 feet and 40 feet. These are typically houseboats, pontoons, or sailboats.
For Class 2 boats, a 40 x 40 or larger enclosed steel building is ideal.
Class 3 boats range in lengths between 40 feet and 65 feet. For boats in the Class 3 size category, a General Steel building measuring 40 x 80 or larger is suitable.
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How To Get Into Boating: Training Courses And Boat Sharing For Beginners
If there isnt a shuttle service available from a marina or yacht club you may have to take a small dinghy out to the boat every time you want to use it so you will need to find somewhere to store that, and cleaning and maintenance can be tricky as there isnt access to fresh water.
Bigger boats with domestic equipment like fridges will require shore power to stop the batteries being drained, which is something you wont have access to if you store your boat on a swing mooring.
Many of these types of moorings are aligned to marinas or yacht clubs, though, who will help you with the logistics and make the boat storage process as smooth as possible.
Dry-stacking storage is a low-maintenance option. Photo: David Robinson / Alamy
The Importance Of Winterizing
Winterizing your boat every year can be a bit of a hassle.
Lets not forget that youll also need to de-winterize your boat before you use it again.
The effort required in combination with the costs of winterizing your boat may seem daunting however, the cost of not winterizing your boat can be a lot more devastating.
Insufficient of not winterizing your boat at all can result in frozen liquids expanding and damaging your boat. Mildew and mold may grow, ruining the interior of your boat and corroding metal and wiring. These all equate to expensive repairs.
The cost of a new engine is going to be a whole lot more than the cost to winterize a boat. Therefore, winterizing your boat is worth it. The process may seem long and expensive, however the cost of not winterizing it will be much more of a headache. I know far too many people who though they knew better and decided to skip the winterization process, theyve all come to regret the decision and now winterize their boats every winter without fail.
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Types Of Vehicle Storage Units
Open Vehicle Storage
Open spaces are outdoor parking spaces for your vehicle at a storage facility. The storage facility will have an area on the property that is dedicated to vehicle parking. These dedicated parking areas may be paved, permeable ground cover, gravel, grass or a dirt lot.
Open outdoor spaces offer no protection from weather, so you may consider using a cover or wrap to provide protection from rain, sun, snow, etc.
Covered Storage
Covered spaces are also outdoors at a storage facility. These parking spaces have canopies under which you can park your car, truck, boat, RV or other vehicle. While covered storage is still outdoors, covered spaces provide protection from the sun, rain, and hail.
Indoor & Enclosed Storage
Enclosed vehicle storage spaces are indoors. Rent a personal storage space for your vehicle and avoid harmful weather like from the sun, rain, snow, wind, dirt and dust. Climate controlled and/or heated areas are available. Enclosed storage offers the most protection. These indoor vehicle storage areas are only accessible by the vehicle owners and facility staff.
There are many enclosed vehicle storage options. These spaces range from personal storage spaces for your vehicle, to parking your vehicle in a large structure such as a warehouse. In an open floor plan like a warehouse, your vehicle is parked alongside other vehicles in an indoor space.
Why Even Do It
Maybe you think that both the professional and DIY costs are too much and not worth the investment. So let me summarize what shrink wrap is good for so that you can decide if you want to go ahead with the purchase or not.
Shrink-wrap quite simply protects your boat from rain, UV rays and, if you live in a cold area, snow. Plus it does so in a way that after you are done with it, there is no extra maintenance needed.
If you for instance just covered your boat with a large plastic sheet, it might tear as the wind hits it for weeks on end, it might not withstand the sun, temperatures or the weather abuse. Plastic sheets also tend to create pockets under pressure in which snow or rain might pool. A shrink wrap is much tighter than what you would achieve with some plastic sheets and tape.
But then again, if your boat sits in your backyard, you can stick to plastic sheets, provided you can and don’t mind checking it every few days. Which would push your cost to just a few dollars.
And if you are lucky enough to have a garage or a shed for your boat, one that mice can not get in, you can round the shrink wrapping costs to a nice zero.
For a full pros and cons list, check out William’s article discussing whether shrink wrapping your boat is ultimately worth it.
Matej Stepan is a film director & producer who fell in love with sailing a couple of years ago. Nothing else gives you the freedom sailboats do.
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How Can I Save Money
With any storage services, consider talking with at least three units in your area. You are going to find that each will all offer something different and the prices will be all over the place. You just need to decide which feature they offer is the most important for your boat and your location.
The more money you pay up front, the more you are going to be able to save. If you have the cash available, consider paying up to six months ahead of time to save upwards of 25%.
Options such as purchasing a locker are unnecessary. You can take your electronics and personal property home with you instead of paying to leave it there. Saving money on the little things can greatly cut your costs.
Some storage facilities will offer a discount if you pay your storage fees up front for six to 12 months at a time.
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The Cost Of Hiring Someone To Winterize Your Boat
The cost of having someone else winterize your boat is significantly higher than doing it yourself. You can expect to pay about double! Ive found the average cost to have someone professionally winterize your boat is around $300.
Bare in mind, this is just an average price, the cost of having your boat done professionally varies greatly. DIY winterization doesnt vary nearly as much. You could be faced with some extremely high prices or low prices depending on where you go so its important to shop around.
The most important factor when it comes to the price of your quote is whether you get it done by a boat shop or a boat mechanic. Ill go further into this.
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The Cost Of Diy Winterizing A Boat
If you consider yourself a handy-man or youre prepared to get your hands dirty to cut some costs, then it may be a good idea to winterize your boat yourself.
There is a significant cost difference between hiring someone else to winterize your boat and doing it yourself. Ill go into more detail on the pricing, later in the guide.
It may also come as a surprise to some that it is usually quicker to winterize your boat yourself rather than having someone else do it. DIY winterization can be done within an hour. Taking your boat to a shop or marina could take a couple of hours.
Winterizing your boat, yourself may take over an hour your first time however I can assure you that youll get more efficient and will get your timing down to under an hour in the following years.
Pros Of Storing Boat At Dry Stacked Storage
- Dry-stacked storages are safer than marinas because, at the marina, you store the boat in water, and barnacles or corrosions may form on the boat hull, or bad weather can cause any damage to the boat.
- People working at the dry-stacked storage will keep the boat in the water if you call them in advance, and they will remove the boat from the water. Meaning they will take care of the boat entirely by keeping the boat in the water and taking the boat out of the water.
- In dry-stacked storage, they will secure the boat properly using CCTV or some surveillance to avoid theft.
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Is Rv And Boat Storage Secure
In addition to how much space youll need and the type of storage options any facility has to offer, you should pay special attention to what security features are provided for your RV or boat. Site security is a variable you cannot afford to ignore. Paying more for a secure facility vs paying less for a facility with poor or no security, might end up costing you more in the long run, if your RV or boat is vandalized, damaged, or parts and accessories are stolen.
Even facilities with good security procedure, like requiring the use of private entry codes to access the locked storage lot, are still accessible to many renters 24/7 which means dozens of people possess the codes to enter the property. Most facilities keep a record of the codes used to access their secure spaces, so if some misconduct does occurs, they can provide information to investigators, but that might not be enough.
A lifetime ago, I was a police officer, and I handled a few thefts at RV storage lots. Typically, RV owners would go to the lot to pick up their rig and discover that their house batteries or tires had been stripped from their rig. These were not infrequent events. The lots where we had the most thefts, did not have cameras or anyone onsite, so thieves could pilferage other peoples RVs virtually undetected.
Therefore, with regard to security, vehicle owners have some responsibilities to augment the security offered by the facility.
Permanent Mooring And Transient Mooring
If you book a docking place for the entire season, you get permanent mooring. If you book a berth per day, you get transient mooring. As you now know, there are different methods of keeping your boat steady in the water. With a little bit of practice, in no time you will be able to make the difference between mooring, docking and berthing and to maneuver your boat according to each scenario.
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How Much To Winterize A Boat
With ownership of a boat, comes responsibility.
This responsibility involves maintaining your boat and ensuring that your investment is kept safe.
The harsh season of winter can be devastating to your boat. The winter is not forgiving at all. Therefore, its important that you take precautions to keep your boat protected.
This is where the act of Winterizing comes into play. This is essentially the process of preparing your boat for the winter. There are quite a few things which this process involves, such as flushing your engine, draining the boat of all fuel and fluids, disconnecting electronics, washing the boat and more.
You may now be wondering how much to winterize a boat? This comes down to many different factors. Whether youre winterizing your boat yourself or paying someone to do it professionally makes a huge difference in the average cost to winterize a boat.
This article will go into detail on the cost to winterize a boat.
How To Start A Boat And Rv Storage Business
Starting a boat and RV storage business offers income potential for an enterprising small business. RVs continue to be popular as younger families choose to save travel dollars while enjoying more contact with their children.
If you live near a popular body of water, boat ownership may be commonplace, and boat storage is a must for those who do not have space at home. Because so many communities discourage on-street parking of RVs and boat trailers, storage facilities for these vehicles are always in demand.
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Advantages Of Annual Berths
Annual berths mean that you pay an annual fee to dock your boat. The advantage is that you will pay 3 to 4 times less than you would if you rented a berth per day. Depending on the type of vacation you are planning, you might want to opt for an annual berth or not. If you plan on spending the whole time in one place, this is the best and cheapest option. Nonetheless, if you want to sail from place to place, the costs of turning back to the same docking place might be too high. In this case, transient mooring is the only choice.
