Some of us would like to spend every day on the water, but weather and life get in the way. In your journey to become one of the 12 million registered boat owners in the United States, you may have some doubts regarding where to keep your vessel.
Short-term and long-term storage choices for boats vary widely depending on where you reside, your financial situation, and the availability of nearby storage facilities. How long do you want to keep your items, and what kind of storage technique will have a role in how much you’ll pay.
If you’re looking for information on boat storage and how to store your boat, no worries. You’ve come to the right place. Keep on reading for our full breakdown of beginners’ best boat storage tips.
Boat Storage 101
It’s not unusual for people to keep their boats in the water all year long.
To keep the water surrounding a boat from freezing during the cold months of the year, it is common practice to winterize a boat in a slip and then add an agitator (ice eater) to the water. Click to learn more here, and then come back to explore the different kinds of storage available.
Dry Boat Storage
Where can I find a place to store my boat in the open air near me? Dry outdoor storage for boats is a more preferred choice than indoor storage. It is pretty safe and secure for the boat compared to other options.
Alternatively, if cost is a significant consideration, you may ask yourself, “Where can I get affordable boat storage nearby?” Because we don’t know where you reside, we can’t provide you with particular answers to those queries.
We, however, have some good news for you: if you’re looking for a place to store your boat, you’ll be able to find reasonably priced outdoor storage almost anyplace. Almost all marinas and boatyards, as well as commercial storage facilities, provide it.
“Off-season” boat storage and summer boat trailer storage are both standards in well-known boating locales. Many of these properties are gated.
Boat Storage in an Indoor Environment
Indoor boat storage is more costly, but it provides the best protection for your vessel. Without a covered “dry stack” facility (sometimes called “boatel,” where boats are stored on massive racks within a covered structure), indoor boat storage may be complicated to come by.
As long as you have a garage big enough to hold your boat, keeping it at home is a no-brainer. Even if that isn’t a possibility, the issue of “where is indoor boat storage near me?” will arise. However, answering this issue will be considerably more difficult in this instance.
Storing Your Boat in the Water
There is no better solution for short-term storage and simplicity of usage than a marina slip. Taking your boat out for a few hours or minutes doesn’t need you to deal with the hassle of removing it from storage or utilizing the launch ramp.
If your area does not experience freezing temperatures, in-slip storage may be an option for the winter months as well. On the other hand, your yacht will require regular maintenance and exercise to keep its systems running well over long periods of inactivity.
The cost of a slip is usually determined by its length, and depending on where you reside, this may be reasonably expensive. However, if your budget and environment permit, this is an excellent choice for getting the most out of your boat.
How Much Does It Cost to Store a Boat?
The cost of boat storage is mainly determined by where you live and how big your boat is. Even the amount of space your boat occupies significantly influences storage expenses. If you live in an area with a low cost of living, you may expect to pay less for a boat storage facility than if you live in a room with a high cost of living.
A tiny, trailer-able boat may cost as little as a few hundred dollars to store in a fenced field for the winter, while a vast, soggy slip might cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even in the most costly parts of the country, it may cost as much as $200 per foot of boat to store it inside or under cover for a whole season—or even more—in some instances.
Temporary Wet Slip Can Be Expensive
However, one thing has to be kept in mind. If you keep your boat in an indoor dry stack storage facility, it will be there all year round in the vast majority of situations. It’s cheaper to store your boat year-round than to pay for a wet slip during the summer months, plus they will shelter your boat from the weather.
In contrast, if you keep your boat in a wet slip all year, you won’t have to worry about locating and paying for winter storage. There will, however, be annual haul-out expenses for upkeep.
Storage prices might be affected by whether or not your boat is on a trailer, another factor. If so, you may be able to keep your boat and trailer at a nearby marina year-round for a reasonably cheap fee. Though few marinas will help you launch and recover your boat, you’ll still need a tow truck to get it from your parking area up the boat ramp and back again.
Boat Care and Boat Maintenance: Explained
Most of us love daydreaming about taking out our boats in the summer. Yet, what about the rest of the year? Boat maintenance and care are deeply tied to boat storage. We hope that our guide has shed some light on the costs you can expect for storing your boat and the different storage options on the market.
And, if you’re thirsty for more tips and tricks, you should check out our lifestyle section. It’s filled with many explainers and guides that can help you achieve the life of your dreams.
