Inside vs outside storage
 

Hello everyone,

My wife and I bought a boat last winter that was stored inside at Irwin Marine. This year we were hoping to do the same, but apparently Irwin has rented out all their indoor space already.

Being new to this: what are the downsides to outside storage? Are there other marinas with inside space you recommend?

Thank you kindly!

Try Winnisquam Marine, as of late last week they still had indoor space


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Some of this question/answer depends on the size of the boat and availability of inside vs. SW.
I stored outside for many years with shrink wrap. No problems. New to me boat with lots of bright work, I opted for inside, although I was on a wait list for awhile. Couple $ hundred extra, but I like the security. And no duct tape to remove in the spring. If you have valet available, which is sort of indoors--depends on the marina--I'd go for that. Many years ago, I covered with canvas. Somehow, it was always cold, windy, rainy, the day I selected, so I went to shrink wrap and paid for it. Good decision. When indoors came available, I went for it. Personal choice, not bet
ter one way or the other.

Duct tape??? I'd switch shrink wrapper. I've been using a heavy canvas storm cover for decades. Cheaper on the long run and never had a problem! Except maybe the pine saps.

The biggest downside to outside storage is shrink wrapping. If not done right damage will occur. It is imperative that the shrink wrap extends below the waterline of the boat to avoid rub marks from the wind vibrating the wrap against your hull. Many places do not do it this way to save a couple bucks on plastic or they simply do not know. My boat was severely damaged last year because of this at a very well respected storage facility. I had actually requested inside storage and unknown to me my boat was stored outside and wrapped. I had around 20 bad rub marks into the gel coat when I picked it up in the spring. I had John Spooner of Diamond Shine work his magic and it looks like new again...

Dan

Possible indoor storage
 

Andrews at Minge Cove added another indoor storage building at the end of last season. He may have space open

The marinas often contract with a shrink wrap service. You may not know who is actually doing the work from year to year. This was just DT glue on the side/bow rails. Not a big deal, but another cleaning job, and not every year.

Mildew?
 

I have never shrink wrapped, but I always wonder about the plastic sealing in the moisture and leading to mildew. Is this a real concern?

Shouldn't be IF sufficient venting is installed in the wrapping...

to the 2 posts above --

MAXUM - I totally agree -- the key is "If done right" .....

One variable that very few of us actually control is WHEN is it truly shrunk wrapped!

No matter how well or properly it is ventilated, if it is physically shrunk wrapped with the boat interior (or canvas) wet i.e. after a storm, 8 out of 10 times your gonna be disappointed in what you find in the Spring.

All the dryer sheets (to ward off critters) & moisture traps that are typically used as additional safeguards become a total waste of money.



.

On Cape Cod I always covered my boat with a heavy tarp, huge size. Never had a problem. I now store m boat inside.
Try Fays Boat Yard. They may have inside available.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...042e0d70f0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ecd4372383.jpg
Upthesaukee Too is at its winter dock, with Capt. Pooch at the helm, watching and waiting for ice out. [emoji106]

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Upthesaukee, that is what my boat looked like on Cape Cod. Pooch appears to be up to the job.
I think my tandem was a little more forward.

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic.

It's a 25 ft Mariah bowrider. Capt. Pooch has had the helm for the last few winters.

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.....hey upthesaukee ....for another ten or fifteen dollars or so, you should have got the gray or green colored tarp, as opposed to the blue tarp. The grey or green is heavier, stronger material and stands up better to everything like sun, rain, wind, snow, and aliens from outer space, while the blue tarps are thin material and are very weak ...... so very weak!

I dunno. Third year on this ol' blue tarp... got it on sale at Ocean State Job Lots...I think now it's only costing me about $13 or $14 per year... hoping to get another year out of it...That might bring it down near $10 per year...Only needed a few duct tape patches on the silver side...blue side is the outside...absorbs the heat and melts the snow quick...Yabba Dabba Doooo! (Did I get FLL's style right?)

Dave

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yup.....perfect....

BT

....ok.....good reply.......yabba-dabba-doobie,,,,,,

Looking at the bible on 'tarps and covers' ...... www.walmart.com ..... calls their blue tarps to be light duty, and their grey tarps to be heavy duty, with the blue being 6-mils thick, and the grey being 10-mils thick.

Probably, one can better get away with the weaker material blue tarp when the frame has a high enough ridge top so the "roof" pitch is steep enough to be shedding all the heavy snow. If the roof pitch is lower, and not shedding the snow too good, it helps to have the heavy duty tarp to stand up to the weight of the snow.

So, all things to consider; roof pitch and tarp strength, plus the color too ..... grey or green just blends better with the local NH landscape.... better than the tarp color blue which is a bright blue...... according to Fred 'yabba dabba doo' Flintstone! Having to look at your neighbor's 25' boat under a bright blue tarp for all winter can get old and ugly ...... becuz that brite blue .....it just don't blend ....yuch!...omg! .....dial 9-1-1 ..... better call the tarp color police!

I called them for my neighbor for a 1998 Four Winns back in September with a trailer if needed, they advised me that they would not take anything older than 2000, also got the same response in an email

anyone know why that is? I found it kind of insulting to be honest

I wouldn’t be insulted.... You really should have asked them to get a proper response. I’m sure there is a good reason as they just built two massive storage facilities in Belmont.

Dan

other colors
 

Yunno, they make other colors besides the EYESORE blue. I always use a brown or green one from Harbor Freight. Otherwise, same setup. They blend in nicely with the woods in my back yard.

Up in Waterville Valley, the town zoning ordinance has a rule that pretty much puts a stop to home owners storing trailer boats outdoors unlike here in the lakes region, where it is pretty common to see trailer boats stored outdoors.

Section L, (page 31) ... from Waterville Valley, NH, town ordinance:

"Any OHRV as defined in NH RSA 259:69 or OHRV Trailer, boat or boat trailer, other than a canoe or rowboat, stored on any property shall be stored so as to be out of view from any public street or neighboring property. The Selectmen may approve permits for temporary storage where such storage would not interfere with the purposes of this paragraph."

Well ...... how about that ...... indeed.....and my my my ...... no boat trailers....no boats....no ohrv's....no ohrv trailers......like, who knew there's a NH town where you can't store a boat trailer, boat, snowmobile, sno-mo trailer, or four wheeler outside on your lot ......and, you basically need to have a garage ....... holy cowabunga! ...... unlike Boston where your portable parking space is a necessity, here in the lakes region what's needed is the invisible boat storage cover tarp ..... a tarp that makes the boat totally invisible to the human eye .... :cool: ..... like, what boat.....I don't see a boat ..... do you see a boat?

This sounds odd... Generally they are really accommodating... I would have asked to talk to Ed, the owner, if I got a response like that.

I still have the email, that says it, I was thinking to just let it sleep

Seems to me, it's under a tarp, it is out of sight (as a boat or OHRV). Apparently, you can store an RV or a car under a tarp, so it isn't the tarps that are the problem here. Insulting to our neighboring sate to the east where many patriotic folks fly the (blue tarp) state flag in their front yard.