I have enough room to either hang my new 17’ Wenonah in the garage (pulley system) or store on saw horses in the crawl space.
Is one spot better than the other?
Anyone have a bad experience with either?
If it’s a damp crawl space and your boat has wood gunwales, I’d tend to prefer the garage. In summer, wooden boat components dry pretty quickly in the heat that occurs up near the ceiling of an enclosed garage during sunny weather. My garage has a good heater which is meant only for times when I do work out there in cold weather, but in spring and fall I’ve often turned on the heat for a while just to speed the drying of wooden boat parts.
Speaking for myself regarding convenience, I’d again prefer the garage, because I move all my boats by myself, and having headroom during those operations would make a huge difference. If you always have a helper, it may not matter much.
Some years back I read an article about how to organize gear inside a backpack. The nugget of wisdom I recall was to “think about retrieval and not storage”. So in addition to moisture levels, is one location easier to maneuver a canoe into or out of without banging your head or canoe hull?
indoor always preferable especially with wood gunwales. Also would be subject to less swings in temp, but then I tend to baby my babies
Hang it in the garage; you’ll be glad you did.
It will be more protected from dampness. mold, mildew; much easier to access
when you want to use it, and replace after you’re finished.
Probably more accessible to your tools, and the products you use on the canoe
Bet you’ll be glad you chose the garage…
BOB
@thebob.com said:
Hang it in the garage; you’ll be glad you did.
It will be more protected from dampness. mold, mildew; much easier to access
when you want to use it, and replace after you’re finished.
Probably more accessible to your tools, and the products you use on the canoe
Bet you’ll be glad you chose the garage…BOB
Good grief Boat Boy!
Thank for the responses, everyone!
I’m going to take you advice and hang in the garage. It will be much easier to get in and out of and will have a much more stable temp.
@LKN paddler said:
Thank for the responses, everyone!
I’m going to take you advice and hang in the garage. It will be much easier to get in and out of and will have a much more stable temp.
And they will be easier to admire.
None of my crawl spaces were tall enough for saw horses. They were also sources for spiders and scorpions. A stray cat once lived under there.
@Overstreet said:
None of my crawl spaces were tall enough for saw horses. They were also sources for spiders and scorpions. A stray cat once lived under there.
And sometimes snakes.
Basement for me - through the bulkhead. Don’t have to worry about moisture, temperature changes or critters. Can be a little tough to get the tandem boats out, but I manage.
Overwintering critters on crawl spaces. They have teeth that gnaw
Where will you retrieve it more easily and use it more often? I’d bet the garage.