If you don't have indoor garage/shop storage, what do you do for the winter?

[trayson]

Okay, let's hear some of your winter storage methods.

I'm a little nervous about how to make my boat weather the winter. I have a nice sunbrella cover that fits around the tower and has the cinch strap and the vent/pole. But it still seems to puddle water in 4 spots kind of around the cover's pole. Some of this is because of the railing around the rear trunk. I know that doesn't make the cover very happy as standing water on a cover is bound to seep through eventually. I did order another bottle of 303 Fabric Guard, so maybe that will help??? And obviously if I was closing it up for the winter, I'd find a way to tent up those 4 areas where the water's been puddling... But something more substantial over the boat would of course be best.

I looked at the Harbor Freight and they have a 20x10x8 portable carport tent thing. I have one of these that I've used for extra garage space and I know that the tarps on these things only last 2 seasons at best. It retails for $300 and I could easily get it for 20% off making it $240. But it's not very tall so I'd have to hope my tower fits in it folded down and know that I'll have to hassle with it in the future.

I'd LOVE to get a metal carport kit and have a full metal roof and 1/2 metal sides for $1300 to $1500. (20' x 10' wide by between 9' to 12' tall depending on what I could afford was the best "value" for the metal roof carport. The problem is that I really don't have that money to spare right now.

I have a gut feeling that if I try to just have the cover protect the boat that I'm going to regret it. I'm sure water will find its way in and then it'll be a moisture filled area. I'm sure they don't make enough Damp-Rid to combat the wet that we have all winter in the Pacific NW.

We really only get a few days of snow, so that's not a big concern. It would be nice to have something covering the boat that would allow me to actually work on it when the weather was lame. I know I have to repack my rudder's packing rope and that's not exactly something I could do if I didn't have some kind of tent or carport over the boat...

So what does everyone here do? Or are you all so spoiled that you have garage space for your boats?

[villain]

Have it shrink wrapped. We do it for 10.50 a foot. A 20' boat comes out to about $230. Well worth the money. I have wrapped boats that sit with a 4' snow load on them all winter and pull it off In the spring and they are dry as a bone. Even if I had to pay to wrap my boat every winter I would.

[92SupraComp]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You come over here. You see tons of boats sitting in huge lots shrink wrapped... Me though, I keep 5 boats, 64 t-bird, Case 580D, and a bunch of junk in a barn :P

[villain]

And when you do put your boat away for the winter, make sure you hang a couple of these in it. They will absorb any moisture that is still in your boat. There is always more than you think.

http://www.damprid.com/product/hangi...ce-free-fg80ff

[Salty87]

my cover does the same pooling and i've got the cover tented by the tower (cover doesn't go over the tower) with a pole near the stern. you're right about the rails causing issues. almost never have snow to worry about here though.

maybe put the tower up and wrap over it? i've seen pics of people putting doors in shrink wrap. you could access just about everything except the rear locker.

[villain]

There is shrink wrap in doors, but they are spendy. I want to say $50ish.

[beat taco]

Before I had a shop here is what I did. My boat would be put away detailed and look that way when I uncovered it in the spring.
Cover your boat with your regular cover and then buy a blue tarp big enough to go over your tower and trailer. Tie the tarp to your trailer. Done.

A few things I learned over the years:
1. tarp is only good for one year. I tried to get an extra year a couple if times and would get leaks.
2. I bought too big a tarp one year and doubled it over and it sweat bad, do not double it over! One blue tarp over the tower tied to the trailer seems to breathe just fine. I've had no sweating issues other then that year.
3. When we do get a few inches of snow pull it off with a broom. Not a big worry around here and I had up to six or more inches on it without issues, but its a good idea to pull the extra weight off.

Maybe not you end all solution but worked for me for years and believe me I tried a few different ways. Had one of those tarp garage things pick up in a wind storm and do some real damage one year, and that was with 100#'s of concrete on each support leg!

[DAFF]

Paid $350 for heated storage for the whole winter last season.... Look around on CL or Kijiji you will be surprised. My next thought would be shrink wrap.

[villain]

Damn daff, that's a smoking deal!! It is around 5-600 for the winter here. We charge 30 a month for storage at our lot and require you to shrink wrap first.

[blackout_58]

Living here in Memphis I use the bow/cockpit cover and a heavy duty tarp from harbor freight. I leave it covers behind the house in the driveway, so relatively inexpensive

1378594213040.jpg