Boat Storage

Looking for somewhere to store your boat? It may be because winter is around the corner or because you other commitments prevent you from using it over the coming months. Either way, you need to get your watercraft out of the water and stored somewhere. Read on to find the most suitable boat storage options.

The obvious option is to keep your boat at the marina, but over time this can be exorbitantly priced. Taking the boat home will take up space on your property, it’ll be exposed to the elements and it may even eventually become an eyesore. Thankfully there are other options available.

Boat storage options

Besides the two obvious options of keeping your boat in a marina or keeping it at home, there are a range of other storage options.

Boat storage units

One option is to keep your boat in a storage unit that you’ll find at a self-storage facility. They are relatively cheap and can be found in an assortment of locations, often very near lakes and ocean marinas.

The one risk of a storage unit is that it me be too small for your boat. Bear in mind that typically the largest storage units are 27m². If your boat is larger than this you’ll have to consider an alternate storage option.

Outdoor boat storage at a self-storage facility

Just because your boat is too large to fit inside a storage unit doesn’t mean you should rush elsewhere. Some facilities have large outdoor spaces (parking lots) available that allow you to keep your boat on a trailer. This is option often better than a specialised boat storage service.

Some of these spaces offer covered areas. Moreover, you may be able to find storage facilities that offer boat-centric extras such as transportation and light maintenance.

Lift, stack and dry stack storage

A common method of storing boats is to keep them at the marina on a lift just above the water. This is usually a good short-term storage option but it becomes very expensive for long-term boat storage. Stacked storage offers a decent alternative where boats are stacked on metal structures away from the waters edge

Some boat storage facilities offer “dry stack storage,” where your boat is stacked in racks in warehouse. The benefits to this type of storage is that your boat will be protected from the elements. However, getting your boat back into the water will be an onerous process. Bear in mind that generally dry rack facilities won’t be able to handle boats longer than 35 feet.

Indoor storage

Most indoor storage facilities are large warehouses where multiple boats are stored in one large room. Many offer a a range nautical services and perks to go along with storage, such as free transport to and from the facility as well as servicing.

Servicing typically includes greasing external fittings, pumping out head and water tanks, changing gear lube and stabilising your gas tank. Some facilities will even store your boat trailer for free during the summer while your boat is in use. Indoor boat storage facilities are typically limited to boats up to 50 feet.

Jet Ski storage

Storing a Jet Ski is far simpler endeavour than storing a boat. This because of their relative size. Jet Ski’s can easily fit a garage or even in large shed in your garden. Nevertheless, not everyone has extra garage space and enough space in their garden to accommodate a large shed.

A self storage facility is usually perfect for a Jet Ski. Its larger units offer ample space and because it’s indoors your Jet Ski will be protected from the elements. Most Jet Skis will fit inside a 11m² storage unit.