Kayak Storage
Canoes should be stored upside down on sawhorses, wood two-by-fours, metal bars, or nylon slings. Bars should be carpeted, especially if the canoe has wood rails. Some paddlers suspend their canoes from thick dowels that are tethered to the ceiling joists of their garages when considering kayak storage. These “trapezes” loft the canoes above vehicles and save space.
If you must store your canoe outside, (not recomended for Kayak Storage) try to find a shady place that’s not in the path of high winds. Fiberglass/Kevlar, Royalex, and polyethylene canoes can be safely stored outside if you’ve applied an ultraviolet protectant. Wood-canvas canoes and all other canoes that have wood trim should be protected from the weather. Some paddlers use car covers made from Dupont Tyvek(r) material.
A 50-mile-per-hour wind will turn an unsecured canoe into a kite, so tie down any canoe that’s stored outside. If you keep your canoe on sawhorses in your backyard, stake both the horses and the canoe to the ground.
Kayak Storage
Do brush off snow as it accumulates before thinking about kayak storage. A heavy snow load can bend or break the back of most any canoe so before considering kayak storage beware.
What’s been said about canoes applies equally to kayaks, with these exceptions:
- Small critters like to make nests in kayaks, so be sure you clean all the debris out of the ends before storage. And don’t keep birdseed or dog food in your garage: mice may gather it and overwinter in your kayak!
- Storage hatches should be left open to let air circulate. Treat rubber seals with 303 Protectant(r) or a rubber-care product. Tighten, but don’t overtighten, cleats and hardware.
- Because of their integral decks, kayaks are much more rigid than canoes. The extra rigidity allows you to safely store fiberglass/Kevlar kayaks in a number of ways.
Boat Storage – There’s no doubt about the benefits of having your boat stored outside your back door. You can take advantage of those warm, sunny late fall and winter days to work on small projects. But with large boats that simply isn’t an option. Boat Storage.