Although it’s a fun recreational activity, enjoying a boat and being an owner involves making time-consuming decisions, especially regarding off-season storage.
The storage options available will mostly depend on your budget, the climate, and the size of the boat.
Boat owners generally have two choices: indoor facilities and outdoor storage. Indoors include dry stack storage, garage storage, and enclosed self-storage units, while outdoor facilities include driveways, outdoor self-storage parking spots, and marina slips.
Land
You can store your boat directly on your property if you own a lot or parcel of land. Before you do this, check with your city hall or neighborhood homeowners association to ensure there aren’t any regulations against it.
Consider a spot away from trees. Even with a covered boat, the influx of leaves and debris can be detrimental to your vessel in the long term.
Affordable boat storage options include:
- Garage
- Driveway
- Barn
If you own a boat longer than the length of a car or truck, you’ll need to look elsewhere for storage. Depending on where you live, some boats can be kept in the water year-round. However, if you don’t plan on using your boat for a long time, consider storing the boat on land.
Marinas: Land storage
Marinas offer water storage and land storage. Regarding land storage, marinas provide similar choices to self-storage facilities. The difference is that marinas accommodate much larger boats than most storage facilities.
Marinas: Water storage
- Slip/Dock Storage
If you are storing a large boat in the winter on the water, the marina will require that the water is moving and won’t freeze over. While this is a more affordable option, it may not be worth it because of cold climates or salt water exposure. If you choose to store your boat this way, remove your boat from the water every couple of months to perform essential maintenance.
- Dry Dock Lifts
The marina may offer lift storage if you own a large boat that is difficult to trail. Lifts provide dry dock storage without removing your boat from the water. A dry dock lift will raise the boat out of the water just enough to protect the bottom. (If you own a dock on your property.)
Boat Storage Units
If you need to store your boat off-site, you’ll find any indoor facilities that can accommodate you. Like anything, there are pros and cons to each choice. Outdoor storage will save you money on storage, but indoor storage might save you on repair costs in the long run.
Outdoor Boat Storage
- Covered
These are parking spaces with large canopy-like covers overhead to protect boats from the environment. These shared spaces are easily accessible, and the roofs are made of aluminum or cloth.
- Uncovered
This less-expensive option provides customers with a designated parking space for their boats. Boats in colder climates should be shrink-wrapped to help protect them from the elements.
Warehouse Storage
Warehouses offer either stacked or unstacked storage. The stacked storage option is standard in areas with many boats and not enough terrain to store them. These facilities use vertical space by stacking boats inside a sizeable indoor warehouse. The units are not easily accessible as the business will have to pull the boat out from its spot, which can be expensive.
Stacking storage may not be the best option if you plan on performing maintenance and working on the boat throughout the off-season.
Indoor Storage Unit for Vehicles
Similar to indoor storage units for cars, they come with garage-style doors and are private and secure. You’ll be able to access your boat anytime during business hours. While the option can depend on your boat’s size, be sure to call the storage facility and reserve a spot early in the offseason and see what they have available.
Storage Authority offers rental units for boats. Your vehicle is a considerable investment, and our storage units will help extend the lifespan of your boat. If you want to rent a future unit, call us at 262-676-8464. You can also visit our website or contact us today to learn more about our affordable rates!