What you do in the process of preparing your boat for storage is just as important as storing your boat in the first place. Like with an RV, your boat is an investment and not just of your money but also of your time in making priceless memories. Like with all investments, regardless of the monetary value, we all want to protect those items. Your boat is no different. Taking the time to carefully prep your expensive toy will ensure nothing goes wrong during its stint in boat storage. Below are 4 important tips to consider for storing your boat.

• Tip 1: Proper Support: This is highly important in regards to the structural integrity of your boat’s hull and frame. Just placing your boat, whatever its size, anywhere on dryland without proper support will only lead to distortion and warping of the hull. This will leave you with an unusable boat. There are several different ways to support your boat which include but are not limited to: Blocks, a custom boat cradle, or jack stands. There are a few areas to keep in mind when placing these supports such as the engines and keel.
• Tip 2: Water Drainage: When your boat is not in storage, it’s most often in water as such, when it’s time to prep it for storage and you pull it out of the water, pull your bilge plugs. If you do this first and get it set up on your supports you can angle the bow upwards to allow as much water to drain out as possible. In doing this first, you’ll save yourself a lot of time. While the water is draining, you can then clean it out as well as perform any maintenance that needs to be handled.
• Tip 3: Thoroughly Clean and Dry: Now that your boat is set up to drain water, you should make the most of your time by giving your boat a thorough scrub down as well as clearing out any and all food. Open every drawer, cabinet and compartment then take out every food item. Doing this will ensure your boat is free from any infestations while it is in storage. Also, scrub down every surface to clear it of bacteria and allow it to completely dry. Letting everything you have cleaned dry out will make sure that mildew and mold will not grow during the time your boat is in storage.
• Tip 4: Maintenance: Take the time to go over every surface both inside and outside of your boat, check in every nook and cranny for any maintenance you can perform. Taking care of torn sails, surface cracks or tarnish will give you more time to enjoy your boat when you’re ready to pull it out of storage. Also, fixing those cracks will make sure they don’t expand while in storage.

The above tips are only a few of many that are out there in regards to boat storage. These four will help ensure your boat is ready to go into storage as well as make sure you can be out sailing when other’s are fixing up their own boats after you’ve pulled yours out of storage. If you would like more information or you have any questions in regards to boat storage, please, feel free to contact us.

Owning an RV allows you to travel the country and see all sorts of sights and attractions. However, you need somewhere to store it when the cooler weather hits and you aren’t using it any longer. With RV storage, you can eliminate any hassles and headaches surrounding where you are going to put your unit. However, not all storage facilities are the same. To help ensure you get one that is going to work best for you, here are a couple of things you need to consider beforehand.

Accessibility

While you might not have to worry about getting into your RV during the winter, you need to know whether it is an option or not. Some facilities have restrictions on what time you can access the storage facility while others let you in at any time of the day or night. It is important that you know these things in the event you do have to get something out of the RV at 10pm. You don’t want to have it where you are stuck and cannot access your unit when you need to.

Indoor or Outdoor Storage

There are indoor and outdoor storage facilities for storing your RV. You need to determine which one is going to work better for your individual needs. While indoor units do cost a little more, it might be worth it to someone with a fairly new unit who doesn’t want the snow to cause rust to form earlier than it should. Only you can determine which option is going to work for you. Look at both and make an informed decision.

Time Commitment

Make sure there aren’t any time commitments required when securing your storage facility. You don’t want to sign paperwork that says you are going to end up storing your unit for six months when in fact you only planned on storing it for three. This could wind up costing you penalties and fees for terminating the contract early. It is important that you have a solid understanding of the rental agreement. Is it month to month or for a specified amount of time?

In knowing the three things above, you can better make an informed decision about where you want to store your RV. Contact us for additional information on storage for your RV.

If you are lucky enough to own a boat and RV, you may have enjoyed using them for most of the year, but are now planning on putting them in boat & RV storage during the winter months. If you plan on staying home and would like your boat and RV to be stored securely, it is vital that you make some preparations first so that they stay in good condition until you return.

Make Sure All the Contents of the Boat and RV Are Dry

While this is especially important for your boat, you need to check that all the contents of the boat and RV are dry. Moisture inside an enclosed space can quickly lead to mildew and mold, making it important that this is avoided by drying everything off and removing any wet items before storing.

Remove Any Valuables from the RV

Even at a storage facility with plenty of security features, it is vital that you don’t leave valuable items behind. While it can be easy to simply pull up to the storage facility and leave the RV and boat, you need to remove valuables such as jewelry, art, kitchenware, and other items that are valuable to you.

Consider Insuring Your Boat, RV, or Both

Although some storage facilities offer insurance for their renters, you need to check what the limits are for the coverage. In fact, you may find that you need to get additional insurance for the value of your RV or boat, making it a good idea to go over the paperwork before settling with the coverage.

If you’re interested in boat or RV storage, feel free to contact us anytime to discuss your options.

Spring and summer are ideal seasons to take your RV out for a spin and spend a few months on the road. However, as fall arrives and winter is around the corner, you should probably think about putting your RV in boat & RV storage until the weather becomes clear and manageable again in the following spring. Although you could find your own storage solution, you will find that a storage facility is the best place to keep your RV long-term.

Avoid Using Your Entire Driveway

If you have a large-enough driveway to store your RV, you still might not want to use it for storage as it could consume the entire space. Also, a large RV can be quite the eyesore in your driveway. It is simply easier to take it to a storage facility, especially when you do not need to use your RV for any reason through fall and winter.

Enjoy Weather Protection

One of the best qualities of RV storage is that you get to enjoy weather protection. Although RVs are quite resilient and can handle the most severe of weather conditions, you can never go wrong with complimentary protection. Your RV will easily avoid the negative impacts that heavy rainstorms, windstorms, and snowstorms can have.

Safer than in a Driveway

Although your RV is generally pretty safe in your driveway, you never know when someone might run off the road and hit your RV. Instead of having to worry about filing an insurance claim and going through repairs, or even worse, dealing with a totaled vehicle, you can enjoy a worry-free experience by using a storage facility.

If you have any questions about storing your RV in our complex, contact us today.