When geese begin winging their way south, boaters in the far north—places like Chicago, Milwaukee and Duluth—turn to the task of removing their boats from the water and laying them up for winter. This is the unavoidable consequence of keeping a boat where ice can develop to over three feet thick. In more temperate climates where snow and ice are less of an issue, storing a boat in or out of the water becomes an open question.
The right storage choice depends on climate, boat type, hull material, budget, access needs, storm exposure and how thoroughly the boat is winterized. Dry storage can reduce sinking risk and give the hull a chance to dry, but boats stored ashore may be more vulnerable to sudden freezes. Wet storage can make spring access easier, but it requires dependable bilge pumps, dock lines, chafe protection, bottom paint and monitoring. This guide explains the major winter boat storage options and the tradeoffs behind each one.
- Wet vs. Dry Storage
- Dry Stacking
- Boat Lifts
- Custom Cradles
- Boat Stands
- Shrink Wrap
- Boat Covers
- Tarps
- Boat Storage FAQ
Wet vs. Dry Storage
When considering wet versus dry storage, start by penciling out the costs in financial terms. How much does it cost to keep your boat in the water all year long versus six months “in” and six months “out”? In addition to dockage or storage charges, factor in haulout fees, blocking, winterization, bottom paint timing, cover or shrink wrap cost, storm exposure, access for maintenance and insurance requirements.
Wintering “on the hard” may make financial sense in the long run. This is because fiberglass boats stored on land have a chance to dry out, and for this reason develop fewer osmotic blisters due to water getting into the fiberglass laminate compared to boats stored in the water. Blister repairs can be costly, so storing your boat out of the water may be your best choice.
Although wet storing your boat might give you an early start on boating in the spring, if your boat’s bottom needs painting, consider dry storage. Many of today’s bottom paints, such as copolymer ablative paints, do not oxidize in air, so you can paint in the fall and be ready to splash in the spring.
Here is another point to consider: Dry-stored boats don’t sink. A boat stored on land is not dependent on a bilge pump, shore power, batteries or dock-line adjustment to stay afloat. That alone makes dry storage attractive for owners who cannot check the boat frequently. Dry storage also makes it easier to inspect through-hulls, transducers, running gear, zincs, trim tabs, outdrives and hull damage before spring launch.
Dry storage is not risk-free. As BoatUS points out in regard to insurance claims:
“The vast majority of claims in temperate states involved boats that were being stored ashore. Since water retains heat longer than air, boats surrounded by air are more vulnerable to a sudden freeze than boats surrounded by water. Even a brief cold spell that lasts only a night or two can do considerable damage. In temperate states, boaters must winterize engines and freshwater systems especially when boats are stored ashore. In deep freeze states, boats stored ashore must be winterized earlier than boats stored in the water.”
The bottom line is that if any chance of freeze damage exists, you need to either winterize your boat or implement measures to prevent damage should a freeze occur. Engines, freshwater systems, heads, washdowns, livewells, pumps, strainers and air-conditioning systems can all hold water. For advice on winter boat storage and how to protect engine, electrical, interior and plumbing systems against winter's chill, visit our boat winterization page. With the right preparation, you'll save time, money and hassles when you recommission.
Dry Stacking
Dry Stack Facility. (Photo courtesy Garrett’s Marina, Bowlers Wharf, VA.)
Rack storage, commonly referred to as dry stacking, has become an increasingly popular way to dry store powerboats during winter layup and during the boating season. Originally conceived in the 1950’s as a way to store lightweight powerboats, dry stacking has evolved into a sophisticated industry with facilities able to store much larger boats than early rack systems could handle.
Rack storage facilities include movable, free-standing racks that can be picked up and moved to various locations within a marina, sheds, which are usually a three-sided building with a roof, and steel dry-stack buildings, often referred to as “barns”. Due to their strength, dry stack “barns” are the best choice for boats stored in hurricane-prone areas.
Dry stacking works best for powerboats that fit the facility’s length, beam, height and weight limits. It keeps the hull out of the water, reduces bottom growth, eliminates dock-line chafe and can make routine use convenient when the marina offers launch-on-demand service. It may not be the right choice if you want unrestricted after-hours access, need to work on the boat frequently or own a sailboat or unusually shaped hull that the facility cannot rack safely.
Many rack storage facilities offer a variety of services, such as boat washdowns, along with winterization and shrink wrapping at the end of the year. Make sure you know up front what all these things cost. Ask how far in advance launches must be scheduled, whether there are blackout periods, how storm preparation is handled, whether batteries can remain on charge and what their attitude is toward do-it-yourselfers. Do they provide an area where you can perform routine maintenance on your boat?
Boat Lifts
Boat Lift (Photo courtesy Golden Boat Lifts, North Fort Meyers, FL)
Boat lifts offer you the ability to store your boat high and dry yet ready for use in minutes. They are especially useful for owners who keep a boat at home or at a private dock and want to reduce bottom growth while still having quick access. A properly sized lift can also reduce the need for frequent bottom cleaning and may extend the life of bottom paint.
However, according to BoatUS, “lifts do not fare well in hurricanes and strong nor’easters. Wind waves and surge, can shift the boat, and torrential rains or heavy snow can increase the boat weight to the point of breaking the lift.” One way to avert these problems is to keep your boat on a trailer—but if you desire to keep your boat on a lift, make sure that the lift is well maintained, of the correct capacity, and that the boat is properly covered to keep rain and snow out.
Because boats stored on lifts are surrounded by air, they are more vulnerable to a sudden freeze than boats surrounded by water. This means that you will either have to winterize the boat or implement measures, such as a bilge or engine room heater, to avert damage should a freeze occur. Also inspect lift cables, bunks, motors, switches and cradles before the season begins. A lift is only as safe as its weakest cable, bracket or support point.
Custom Cradles
Storing your boat on a custom cradle, one specifically designed to support structural areas such as your boat’s engine, bulkheads and keel, will help to ensure that the engine remains aligned to the shaft and that the hull does not distort over time. Do not store your boat on a cradle designed for a boat other than yours. Support points that are wrong for your hull can create pressure points, distort the hull or leave critical structural areas unsupported.
The main problem with cradles is that they hog available space in a yard. For this reason, many yards prefer to use adjustable boat stands, also called jack stands, which nest for compact storage when not in use. If your boat has a cradle, inspect it before haulout. Look for cracked welds, rotten wooden pads, missing fasteners, bent supports and corrosion that could compromise the cradle under load.
Boat Stands
Adjustable boat stands are used to balance a boat when it's stored on land.
If you or a yard will be laying up your boat using boat stands, make sure that the hull and keel are properly supported, taking into account load bearing areas within the hull, such as the locations of the boat’s engine, water, fuel and sanitation holding tanks. Emptying your boat’s water and sanitation holding tanks during winterization will help to reduce the load in those areas, but the fuel tank should be 95% full to guard against condensation.
Generally speaking, when a boat is blocked and held up by boat stands, the keel should bear most of the weight. In this case, boat stands serve to balance the boat, not support it. Heavy timbers should support the keel. To get around trial and error shimming, adjustable keel stands can be used. This works well for powerboats and full-keel sailboats, but in the case of sailboats with deep fin keels, sometimes supporting all the weight on the keel puts undue stress on the area where it joins the hull. In these cases, some weight may need to be supported by the stands, taking care not to deform the hull in the process.
To prevent failures, best practice dictates that boat stands be chained together to prevent them from spreading apart. Boat stands must be placed at 90° angles to the hull so that the boat’s weight is squarely transferred to the ground. Pads should sit flat against the hull, not on edges or corners. To protect against high winds or hurricanes, it is also smart to anchor a boat on boat stands to the ground.
Shrink Wrap
Shrink wrapped boats layed up on cradles. Each installation includes several vents to allow moisture to escape and prevent mildew.
Shrink wrapping a boat effectively seals out dirt, debris, rain, snow and critters that would like to call your boat home. However, shrink wrap also traps moisture inside, which can lead to condensation and mold. The best way to prevent this is to thoroughly dry out your boat before installing the shrink wrap. Adding plenty of vents to the installation will help remaining moisture escape.
Another way to prevent mold is with chlorine dioxide technology, which has been shown in tests to reduce mold spore counts and odors. Star brite offers this technology in their M-D-G Mold/Mildew Odor Control Slow Release Twin Pack, which they claim prevents mold and controls odor for up to three months. Adding a Zippered Access Door to the shrink wrap installation will give you access so you can re-treat the boat midway through the winter.
Shrink wrap works best when it is properly framed, tightly secured and ventilated. Avoid wrapping so tightly that the cover traps water against upholstery, canvas or electronics. Pad sharp corners, bow rails and windshield frames so they do not chafe through the plastic. Besides trapping moisture, another downside to shrink wrap is that it can only be installed once and must be disposed of at the beginning of the boating season. The cost of shrink wrapping varies with boat size. For a 20’ boat, first-time do-it-yourselfers can expect to pay $500-$600 which gets them a reusable Heat Gun Kit and enough material for two or three installations. Professionals charge $12-$15 per foot, or around $275 for the same 20' boat.
Boat Covers
Custom boat covers are pricey, but they can pay for themselves over time, compared to the yearly cost of shrink wrap. Fabric covers also offer a certain amount of breathability, which can be enhanced by adding vents. In addition, they can be lifted for access to the boat at any time. If you balk at the cost of a custom cover, consider a semi-custom cover such as one of the Trailerite™ series by Taylor Made® Products. We offer these covers and others for a surprisingly large number of boats.
If you decide to store your boat under a fabric cover, consider a boat cover support system to prevent the accumulation of rain and snow. Water pooling stretches fabric, opens seams, loads hardware and can eventually collapse the cover into the cockpit. A good support system creates enough pitch for water and snow to shed while keeping fabric off sharp corners and fittings. For help with selecting a cover for your boat, see Selecting the Right Boat Cover.
Tarps
A simple polyethylene tarp is sometimes the best bet. To prevent the accumulation of rain or snow, you must also support the tarp. Depending on how the boat is configured, one way to do this is to make an A-frame support out of 2 x 4s and a set of saw horse brackets. The A-frame can then be placed inside the boat, the tarp stretched over it, and lashed down tight.
Do not lay a tarp directly over hardware, rails or upholstery without support. A flat tarp collects water, sags, chafes gelcoat and can trap condensation. Pad sharp areas and leave some airflow so moisture can escape. Tarps are inexpensive and useful for short-term protection, but for an entire winter, a fitted cover or properly installed shrink wrap usually provides better protection and fewer maintenance surprises.
Boat Storage FAQ
Is it better to store a boat in or out of the water?
For many boats, dry storage is the better long-term option because the hull can dry, the boat cannot sink and maintenance is easier. Wet storage may be convenient in mild climates or for year-round use, but it requires reliable bilge pumps, dock lines, monitoring and protection against freezing if cold weather is possible.
Do I still need to winterize a boat stored on land?
Yes, if freezing temperatures are possible. Boats stored ashore are surrounded by cold air and can freeze faster than boats sitting in relatively warmer water. Engines, freshwater systems, heads, pumps, washdowns and air-conditioning systems should be winterized before a freeze.
Is shrink wrap better than a boat cover?
Shrink wrap provides a tight seasonal seal against rain, snow, dirt and pests, but it is single-use and must be ventilated to prevent condensation and mold. A quality boat cover costs more up front but can be reused for multiple seasons and allows easier access to the boat.
Can I store my boat on a lift during winter?
You can store a boat on a lift if the lift is rated for the load, maintained properly and protected from excessive rain, snow, waves, surge and wind. In freeze-prone areas, the boat still needs winterization because it is surrounded by cold air.
What should I remove from the boat before storage?
Remove valuables, electronics that are easy to take off, food, soft goods that can mildew, portable safety gear and anything that could freeze, leak or attract pests. Clean and dry the interior before covering the boat, and leave lockers and compartments open enough for airflow where appropriate.