Question about outdoor storage.

Devopast

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Nov 28, 2011
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3
Hi there,

I just got a 15' princecraft aluminum boat and old handbuilt trailer. Unless I can find a friend who has a garage, I'll be storing it outside for the winter. The boat has a 15hp outboard motor on it. I was thinking of removing the motor from the boat and storing it in my basement for the winter. I was then going to flip the boat upside down (after removing everything from inside), tarp it, and keep it on the trailer for the winter.

Would this be the best way to store it outside? If not, what would you recommend? I'm attempting to find somewhere free or cheap to keep it indoors, but this may not be an option.

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
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14,785
Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Doesn't sound like a bad plan necessarily, but it would help us all out to know where you are (how harsh a winter are you gonna' have), and maybe some pics of the boat.

Here in TN where I am you can essentially boat all year long. We'll freeze from time to time and you need to be ahead of that to keep your system alive, but you don't winterize and store like you would in Michigan. The guys south of me don't even do as much as I do. Heck, the guys in Florida have trouble pronouncing "winterize," and generally have to Google how to spell it :D
 

Devopast

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Nov 28, 2011
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Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Right across the river from Detroit MI, in Windsor Ontario. Generally the avg temp is between -10 and 0 C (25-32F). We get about 3-5' snow per year.
 

roscoe

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Oct 30, 2002
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Re: Question about outdoor storage.

no need to cover it after you flip it over.
 

southkogs

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Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Used to be your neighbor - lived in Detroit right across from Windsor :D

Flipping it is fine. You could get away with covering it there and not flipping it, but you'd need to make sure the cover wouldn't hold snow (prop it up with sawhorses or a PVC rig). If it's easy to flip, roscoe is right - your plan minus the cover.
 

DuckHunterJon

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Apr 19, 2010
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Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Exactly how I would do it. Keep the motor warm and cozy and flip the boat. Cover or not, that's up to you.
 

lncoop

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Apr 18, 2010
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5,147
Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Ease of storage is one of the MANY nice things about a rig that size. Sure miss having one myself.:( Welcome aboard.:cool:
 

jigngrub

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Mar 19, 2011
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8,155
Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

You may want to consider removing that motor and storing it inside whenever it's not in use... those small motors like that have a bad habit of disappearing in the middle of the night, or during the day when no one is home.
 

Home Cookin'

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May 26, 2009
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9,715
Re: Question about outdoor storage.

nice to have a boat like that, that comes with a built-in cover on the bottom.

In addition to being unnecessary, covering the bottom might trap moisture, etc. I'd be inclined to leave the sides open to air out under there. Use it for a dog house!
 

Devopast

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Nov 28, 2011
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Re: Question about outdoor storage.

Thanks for all your advice! Will be flipping it asap now :D
 
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