Right now and probably for the next few years I will be an apartment dweller. I really want to buy a new kayak. I really don’t want to leave my new kayak chained up in our bike room or elsewhere. I have a rather long balcony and I was thinking about leaving the kayak in a bag and hanging it off of the balcony. My obvious concerns with storing it outside are UV damage and warping (polymer kayak). I am hoping that I might be able to hang it so that pressure is evenly distributed so it doesn’t warp. I might be able to erect a shelf of some kind, too, so that it is sitting on something. I know that storing it outside is not ideal so maybe I need some horror stories to get this idea out of my head. In the winter the kayak would be stored indoors. The outside storage would only be used during warm weather when I am using the kayak. Here is a picture of the balcony.
http://www.patrickdaley.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=9972
Getting it to the Balcony?
???
Assigned parking…
Do you have an assigned parking space? is it indoors? outdoors? how much space is there OVER your space?...
Think carport cover like this:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200314344&R=200314344
then add height to itif needed to leave room for the boat hoisted into the roof.
alternative is a rack with four corner posts made from fence post pipe like chain link...use as many cross bars as you need...park below, chain the boat up above....
Getting it to the balcony.
The ceilings in our elevators can be popped open to accommodate long items. The other (terrible) alternative would be hauling it up the stairs. Getting it into my apartment and out onto the balcony wouldn’t be a problem.
Folding kayaks and good quality
inflatable kayaks are great boats!
You know what they say: “Once you go folding, you never go back.”
Parking
Right now we have an unreserved spot in our parking ramp, but I suppose I could look into getting a reserved spot. Good idea. As to whether the management would allow me to erect a storage solution like you suggested is another thing. It is a great idea, though, as the kayak would always be right above the car. Thanks.
Maybe…
Someone would really have to do a lot of convincing to make me think that an inflatable is just as good as a rigid sea kayak. 
What you lose with an inflatable,
a good quality, is speed. But you gain amazing handling in rough water. The boat will flex instead of getting pushed over.
Innova Sunny & Solar II are good inflatables, and under $1000.
Incept is good too.
These look interesting…
A little pricey but would go in the elevator and store easily. Would love to paddle one.
http://www.rethinkkayak.com/
Bags
Check out this thread for bag ideas.
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=633252#633262
kayak and high rise
you will be hard pressed to get a kayak upstairs on the balcony.
When I first started kayaking, I lived in a high rise and kept the kayak at the vacation house. That worked well until I decided to keep the kayak where I was - at the high rise. What worked best for me was to keep the kayak on the car all the time. I had already upgraded from the plastic boat and had a fiberglass boat.
The condo didn’t mind if I kept my kayak ON the car but they wouldn’t let me leave it in the underground parking garage nor was I allowed to hang it above my parking space.
I really didn’t mind have the kayak on my car as I was always ready to paddle.
I would recommend either making friends with someone who kayaks who will let you leave your boat at their house or buying a decent folder rather than an inflatable.
Suz
Folding, schmoozing
If you can afford to shell out the clams for a good folding kayak, that’s the way to go.
If not, shelling out a few extra clams to the parking guys in your building will go a long way to gain a little “flexibility” in the condo parking rules.
how about self storage?
My wife and I owned a co-op for a few years and kept our kayaks in a self storage facility a few minutes from our complex. We were lucky enough to get an end unit literally right inside the door. The down side to this is most storage facilities have 10 ft ceilings max, so we were forced to have shorter boats, but we were able to store them indoors and up on their ends, which I believe is the best way. It worked great for a few years. We now own a home, and 14.5 Tsunamis. The irony is we STILL don’t have storage as the house has no garage! So yes, we are forced to store them outdoors as well. We keep them covered and they seem fine. I would strongly suggest cock pit covers though to keep out the creepy crawlies, or in your case perhaps a birds nest? In fact a local kayak store/rental place told me they keep most of their boats outdoors all year round and they are fine.Good luck!
i wouldnt hassle with it in an apartment
I store all 4 of my boats, outside and uncovered. Have done this for years with zero problems. No warping from the sun or discoloration. Set them ontop of my shed or somewhere similar so that they arent lying direclty on the ground. This keeps mud splatter from rain drops to a minimum, and I rearely have problems with any critters in the boat. If I do its just a couple daddy long legs spiders or just reg. little brown spiders.
worst case scenario… I have to hose my boat off before i put it on the car. Its HORRIBLE, let me tell ya lol.
and i store them upside down btw… so that rain doesnt collect in it.
Do you have any freinds family that have a house near you/where your paddling?
ask if they would allow you to store there, or offer them a couple bucks or something