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

[trayson]

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

Attachment 13108

Do you have a tower?

[blackout_58]

Yes, last year I left it up, but this year I may try letting it down to start the winter.

[trayson]

Yes, last year I left it up, but this year I may try letting it down to start the winter.

Just wondering if you tarp it under the tower... I would assume you tarp on top of the boat cover, then kinda wrap it around the tower legs??

[wotan2525]

Do it right or do it twice. You may not have enough money for the metal carport right now but it's only going to cost you more in the long run to do something different. You're still going to want that carport in 5 years except you'll have already spent $1000 on shrink-wrap or wrecking covers.

I would never shrink wrap one of these old boats with original wooden stringers. There is just too much bad to happen as there will be moisture trapped inside and the shrink-wrap does not breathe at all.

I put an ad on CraigsList looking for a pole-barn for storage. I found one within 10 miles of me for $250/year. It's dry, on a slab and has power available (I still pull my batteries.)

I now fill the entire space with friends boats/RVs/jet-skis, etc. The guy has offered to give me free storage for "managing" it for him but I just tell him that $250 is a fair price and as long as he'll keep it that low for everyone, we'll all be happy. Probably have 20 spots in there rented out for him.

[trayson]

Do it right or do it twice. You may not have enough money for the metal carport right now but it's only going to cost you more in the long run to do something different. You're still going to want that carport in 5 years except you'll have already spent $1000 on shrink-wrap or wrecking covers.

I would never shrink wrap one of these old boats with original wooden stringers. There is just too much bad to happen as there will be moisture trapped inside and the shrink-wrap does not breathe at all.

I put an ad on CraigsList looking for a pole-barn for storage. I found one within 10 miles of me for $250/year. It's dry, on a slab and has power available (I still pull my batteries.)

I now fill the entire space with friends boats/RVs/jet-skis, etc. The guy has offered to give me free storage for "managing" it for him but I just tell him that $250 is a fair price and as long as he'll keep it that low for everyone, we'll all be happy. Probably have 20 spots in there rented out for him.

The wife of course likes the idea of the metal carport. She might be willing to help a little with it. We'll just have to see. I did a lot of measuring. Looks like the optimal size would be:

21 feet long (because if I go any longer, the price jumps up dramatically)
11 to 12 feet wide (same price either way, 12 feet is as wide as I could really go on the RV parking on that side of my house).
9 to 12 feet tall sides. (9' would mean I'd have to fold the tower. I measured and my boat on the trailer is 10' tall with the tower up. 11' sides seems like a comfortable amount as the roof has extra height built in above the level of the side posts. I don't want to go TOO high and piss off the neighbors even more and have height I don't need, but I also don't want to go too low and mess myself up if I got a different boat in the future that for whatever reason sat higher...

[mabbore]

I was in a similar situation last Winter. I wanted to pay the cost to store it indoors, but its like 300 at least around me. I had looked into shrink wrapping but the cheapest I could find was like 12$ a foot by me. 21 ft. ~250 a year, hell no. So...I looked into shrink wrapping myself. I was originally daunted as I have never done it, but watching some videos I got the guts to try it. I bought a 180ft role and all the banding etc that I needed all for about ~$200. Thats enough to do my boat at least 5 times. One thing I did not splurge on was the heat gun. The Dr. Shrink gun was like $500 and I pondered it but just bought the $12 harbor freight version instead. The harbor freight one is harder to work with and definitely slower.......but i mean come on. Its not as pretty as some of the ones you see at the Marina, but pretty damm good for my first try and only ~$50 in materials. I even had a few offers to do a couple of my friends but got too busy at work. I will agree, the shrink does not breath as well as my sumbrella cover in a barn, but i fyou dry it out and place qty 4 vents on the wrap, its pretty good.

Google Dr. Shrink. There are a couple others, but Dr. Shrink seemed the most legit one.


photo wrap.jpg

[trayson]

The wife of course likes the idea of the metal carport. She might be willing to help a little with it. We'll just have to see. I did a lot of measuring. Looks like the optimal size would be:

21 feet long (because if I go any longer, the price jumps up dramatically)
11 to 12 feet wide (same price either way, 12 feet is as wide as I could really go on the RV parking on that side of my house).
9 to 12 feet tall sides. (9' would mean I'd have to fold the tower. I measured and my boat on the trailer is 10' tall with the tower up. 11' sides seems like a comfortable amount as the roof has extra height built in above the level of the side posts. I don't want to go TOO high and piss off the neighbors even more and have height I don't need, but I also don't want to go too low and mess myself up if I got a different boat in the future that for whatever reason sat higher...

This is a mockup of the 21L x 12W x 11H with half walls at the top and the standard roof. Thoughts? I would think that with one of these it would dramatically decrease the dew/moisture that the boat would see...

The half sides seem like a legit upgrade, and that's in the above mockup. kicking out for full sides would be a lot more ($350 for a structure that had 11' walls, and $205 if I had gone with as low of roof height (10 foot) as I could justify. Would I be kicking myself for going with 1/2 sides vs. full sides? Will it make that much of a difference?

[inair]

I researched doing the metal carport route last year. Here I could have had one installed large enough to cover my boat for just under $900. The ones I have seen here dont have sides and are just tall enough to part the boat under and by all reports that keeps you dry if you also have your canvas cover on. Only problem was I am not allowed to have one of those in my sub-division and the yard I store my boat in won't let me put one up there either. I'm still looking for a barn.

[trayson]

Luckily I don't have to worry about it this week! SUMMER IS NOT OVER in the Pacific NW!

[Blackntan90]

I keep the sharkskin cover over the tower, I have closed cell foam tied to all sharp points. I then place a VERY heavy duty PVC tarp over that. The PVC tarp came from a 'soft-top' carport that had a metal frame. It works quite well as it allows the snow and ice to slide off pretty well. I got the sharkskin online, and have to buy a new one every few years(5-6). I do really wish I was allowed to put up the metal type you are looking at, damn HOA! I would think that the 1/2 sides would allow mush more airflow, this could help keep things dry- then again you could possibly add more wall later on.