How to Store a Boat on Your Property

Caring for the condition of your vessel is one of the key tasks associated with owning a boat. If you leave your boat exposed to the elements, it’s going to show signs of wear in short order. Protecting your boat when possible will extend its life and reduce the amount of maintenance that you need to perform. Here, we’d like to show you how to store a boat on your property the right way.

We sell more than just carports at Carport Kingdom. Create a custom structure that keeps your boat safe all year long with our Build & Price tool!

Start with the Red Tape

Before you go any further, the first step in this process is to make sure there is nothing stopping you from parking a boat on your property. Specifically, if you are part of a Homeowner’s Association, you’ll want to consult those regulations for any restrictions on the long-term parking of boats or RVs. This kind of storage might not be allowed at all, or there might be rules that you need to follow. Check this point off your list first so there are no unwelcome surprises later on. 

Find a Good Spot

Perhaps the biggest decision you’ll need to make with regard to home boat storage is deciding where the boat is going to live when it’s out of the water. If you have a few different spots to pick from on your property, keep the following points in mind:

• Easy access from the street. This is a big one, as trying to navigate a long distance from the street to your boat parking spot could get tiresome as the years go by. You’ll want to pick a spot that is relatively easy to reach, with no major obstacles to navigate along the way.
• Hidden from sight. If possible, it would be nice to keep your boat out of plain view from people passing by, just for security purposes. Of course, this is a hard point to reconcile with the first point about having easy access to the street, so try to strike a nice balance that offers both security and accessibility.
• Relatively flat. It can be difficult to park a boat safely on a severe slope, especially if you own a rather large vessel. Your chosen parking spot doesn’t need to be perfectly flat, but try to find a spot without a dramatic slope in any one direction.

Provide Shelter

If at all possible, you want to park your boat under a shelter of some kind. Sure, you could simply place a cover on the boat, but that approach will never be as effective as a roof. Ideally, you’ll put a cover on your boat and then park it under a carport or a similar structure.

Going with a metal carport is a great option, since they are affordable, quick to construct, and have very few maintenance requirements. When you select your carport, be sure to choose dimensions that will not only leave enough room for the boat, but also for you to walk around the boat and park it without any difficulty.

Prepare for Winter

Even if you have your boat safely parked on your property, you’ll still need to take some specific steps to prepare for winter if you live in a cold climate. Freezing temperatures can do serious damage to some of your boat’s components, so a little bit of prep work can go a long way to avoid trouble later on.

A few key winterizing tips include the following:

• Bring the battery inside. When you are done boating for the year, disconnect the boat’s battery and store it in your garage for the winter. If left out in the cold, it’s almost certain that the battery will be dead when you are ready to use it again.
• Drain any water. When winter temperatures plunge, water is going to freeze–and water expands significantly when it freezes. If excess water is left in the boat, it will expand and potentially damage or break key pieces of equipment.
• Remove your gear. Whether you use your boat for fishing, water skiing, or something else, it’s a safe bet you have plenty of gear on board during the summer months. That gear is valuable, so don’t let it sit out in the elements all winter long. From electronics and ski equipment to fishing poles and more, bring everything in to keep it all safe.

Order from Carport Kingdom Today

Now that you know how to store a boat on your property, consider purchasing a quality metal structure from Carport Kingdom. With a dedicated spot on your property to call home, your boat will be in great condition every time you’re ready to take it out on the water. Plus, not only are our metal carports affordable, but we also provide excellent customer service from start to finish. Begin designing the perfect custom structure for your property with our Build & Price tool now, and receive a free quote!