Owning a Boat Takes a Significant Amount of Time and Capital
Boating has been a popular hobby for some time now. Owning a boat is ideal for many people, but owning a boat takes time and energy to keep and maintain. The biggest problem for boat owners, particularly for those living in a climate where temperatures are below freezing in the winter, is properly storing a boat during the winter season. Storing a boat negligently can be disastrous and can ruin the boat permanently. Storing a boat correctly is not only important in the winter, but also in the summer.
Maintaining A Boat in Winter
During the winter months, for many states in the northern part of the US, lakes freeze. Boats are no longer able to be used once the lakes freeze and it is risky to even operate a boat once temperatures are near freezing. Operating in cold weather is hard on the engine and boat-owners are well aware of this problem, that is why they find a place to store their boats during the fall for the approaching winter. Reputable boat companies suggest a climate-controlled storage area when storing a boat during the winter season. Storing a boat in a non-climate controlled environment is very risky during winter in states with a colder climate.
When a boat is exposed to freezing temperatures, engines and electric powered parts stop working, requiring extensive maintenance and a lot of money to fix before boating season during the spring and summer months. Storing a boat outside during the winter is the worst possible option a boat owner can choose when storing a boat. Ice and snow will fade the boat’s colors, ruin the cover, and ruin parts critical to a boat. Animals and insects are also a problem. When it is cold, animals and insects look for a place to stay out of the cold for the winter and thus reside in people’s boats. In the mean time, they snack on whatever they can find on the boat, possibly destroying the boat’s cushions and wiring. Winter is a serious threat for boat-owners if they do not store their boat correctly. Winter can cause large problems for boat-owners, but summer can as well.
In states with high humidity levels and high temperatures, storing a boat outside can be hard on a boat during the summer. High humidity drives mold and mildew growth, which starts when moisture becomes trapped under the cover, inside the boat. This can take weeks to clean up. It is hard to prevent mold and mildew growth if a boat is stored outside, especially for those living in states with high humidity levels. High temperatures also wear and tear on the boat, making it’s colors fade and look less appealing. Using a tough, plastic woven shade cover is sufficient for keeping some of the boat’s color from fading during high temperatures. Humidity causes rusting, in addition to mold and mildew growth. It is also a given that animals and other pests can damage your boat if not stored in a secure and pest free environment during summer months. Now that you understand the risks associated with storing your boat in a non-climate controlled storage area during both winter and summer, we can now talk about the greatest and irreversible risk associated with storing a boat improperly – theft.
Theft is a Serious Risk for Boat Owners
Keeping a boat in a driveway is a cheap and easy option for most boat-owners, but it isn’t always the best option. Besides ice, snow, pests, humidity, and temperatures being a problem, the most detrimental of them all is theft. Thieves look for boats stored in people’s driveways. They can easily tow them away in the night and hot wire the boat to run it for their own personal enjoyment. Storing at a marina or in a garage seems like it would be a safer option for storing a boat, but people can snoop around and plan an attempt to steal your boat. It should be a number one priority for people to store their boats in a secure location and in a climate-controlled environment.
Storage is Our Speciality
We specialize in storage. We monitor our facilities with security cameras and a security system that tracks who comes in and out of our facilities. Each of our facilities are fenced and equipped with a gated entrance, which requires a personal pin code to be opened. A professional pest service comes to our facilities once a month to inspect and eliminate any pests on our grounds. Brand new and clean facilities that are climate controlled, and in a great location – close to lakes in Wisconsin – allows one to safely store their boat and easily access it whenever. Learn about storing valuables in extreme climates in one of our other blogs and you can also learn about how mold grows to protect your boat from being taken over by this annoying fungus. For further details about our facilities see our different locations and their features.
CALL OR TEXT JEFF FOR AVAILABILITY: 608.695.9597