I don't have room in the garage to store a canoe. I live in Illinois (cold winters and hot summers). I wondered if I could protect the canoe well enough if I had a good canoe cover? I guess I could also build a wood cover to go over the whole thing.
Would this be adequate to protect a Kevlar canoe? Anything better that I can do?
Thanks.
mine is under a tarp
I keep mine on sawhorses with a large vinyl tarp over it. The tarp is supported by electric conduit posts soit doesn’t lay on the boat. Also it is angled like the side of a tent so snow and water runoff.
Is it important to have ventilation?
The tarp idea sounds good. Is it important to have ventilation too? I was thinking it may help to protect from water, sun and snow while having some space for ventilation too.
Googled an answer:
Canoe Storage
Like any piece of gear, the better you maintain your boat, the longer it will last. Proper storage is key in the effort to protect your canoe from the sun, weather and theft, and to prevent uneven weight distribution and maintain hull integrity. And the longer you store your craft, the more important proper storage becomes.
* Quick Read
* Storing indoors is best (of course).
* Avoid sun and weather.
* Use straps or cradles to distribute weight in order to prevent bending or deforming the hull.
Protecting against the sun
Sunlight can degrade just about any canoe hull material, from fiberglass to plastic to epoxy-coated wood (only aluminum canoes are safe). It can also damage wood gunwales and deck plates, as well as cause painted surfaces to fade or crack.
* The best way to protect against sun damage is to store your boat inside.
* When that’s not possible, store your boat in a shaded spot.
* If no shade is available, use a tough, weather-resistant tarp or cover that’s suspended above the hull (contact with the hull may promote mold or fungal growth in wet conditions) and entirely covering the boat.
A note on protective UV coatings
Sprays like McNett UV Tech can be applied to fiberglass, plastic and vinyl-skinned boats to significantly add to their from-the-factory UV protection. Apply a generous coating at the beginning of each season and prior to storing your boat for any long period of time to help shield it from sunlight and oxidation.
Protecting against the weather
Prolonged exposure to weather can cause some hull materials to oxidize and/or degrade.
* Again, storing your canoe indoors is the best protection (although it still may be susceptible to extreme cold—see below).
* If you store your boat outside, make sure it’s protected from precipitation and that rain and/or snow can’t collect in the tarp and press down on the hull.
* If you store your boat outside or in an unheated building, be aware that repeated freezing and thawing can cause damage to fiberglass boats if water has seeped into seams, joints or cracks in the hull (it will expand and contract as it freezes and melts).
* Extreme cold and/or weather can damage wood gunwales and deck plates. Be sure to maintain all the wood pieces on your canoe as recommended by the manufacturer.
Protecting against theft
The best way to protect your canoe against theft is to store it inside.
* If you store your boat outdoors, keep it hidden from view as much as possible.
* Position it so that it’s difficult for a thief to grab it quickly and run.
* In high crime areas, thread a durable security cable through a sturdy part of the boat (like a thwart or carry handle) and connect it to a post, fence or building.
Protecting against hull damage
Most canoe hulls will deform or bend over time if exposed to uneven weight distribution. Plastic hulls are the most susceptible to damage, but fiberglass and wood-hulled boats can also fall victim over time.
* Spread out the weight of the canoe over its entire length whenever you store it.
* Support the boat at several points along its length, using padded cradles, angled surfaces and/or wide, nylon straps that match the curve of the hull.
* Practices to avoid include:
o Storing your canoe upside down on the ground, which is too harsh on the gunwales.
o Supporting your canoe from its ends only.
o Standing it up on one end.
o Hanging it from its grab handles or thwarts.
o Laying it down on its side on a flat surface for long periods of time.
o Storing it near a significant heat source like a furnace or water heater.
Additional storage tips
* If you paddle in salt water, be sure to rinse your boat thoroughly with fresh water before you store it. Salt water can degrade hull materials and corrode metal parts.
* Maintain all wooden gunwales and deck plates following the guidelines of the canoe manufacturer. Failure to do so may cause these pieces to dry out, crack, warp or weather during storage.
Royalex Cold Cracking
I thought this was interesting regarding Royalex canoes being damaged in cold weather:
STORING YOUR BELL CANOE
Probably won’t try outdoors after all…
After some Googling on the subject, I guess storing a canoe outdoors is a bad idea. I should have done that before I posted my question here.
I’ll have to convince my wife that I REALLY need to hang that canoe in the garage after all 
…
At the end of the season, clean your
canoe/kayak and give it an inspection. If
you notice a scrape or wear spot
through the exterior color layer, touch it
up with Old Town paint. This will protect
the sub layers from the harmful effects
of ultraviolet light.
Ultraviolet light from the sun may
fade the color in time. If possible, store
your boat out of the sun. A garage is
perfect.
If you must store your canoe or
kayak outside, do not cover it by laying
a tarp directly on it. With the heat of the
sun, the tarp creates an oven that can
damage, distort, or discolor the hull. A
tarp, properly suspended above the
boat, will protect the boat from ultraviolet
light. Simply leave an air space to
allow for air circulation.
Canoes should always be stored upside-
down. Put on garage rafters, saw
horses, blocks or in slings suspended
from the ceiling.
Kayaks should be stored standing on
one end or on their sides. If stored outside
with the possibility of water getting
inside, we recommend an Old Town
Kayak cockpit cover. Another option is
to store it upside-down. Upside-down
storage should be in slings or “cradle”
type saw horses to help prevent hull distortion.
If you must store your boat outside,
we recommend you tie it down. Strong
winds can catch the underside, flip it,
and cause damage.
If you have the space
It’s great to have indoor space but I won’t keep a $20,000 car outside all winter so I can keep a $500 canoe in the garage space. Just MHO.
Great point
I’m not sure I will have space in the garage and may HAVE to store outside after all. Thanks for your advice.
Outside
Never seen any stats on it, but I’d have to venture a guess that most of the canoes in the world live outside. Boats with wood gunwales are more at risk and need to be kept dry as well as out of the sun.
Mine live on racks under the deck. A wood gunwale boat just joined the fleet, and it will have to have a tarp or some poly sheeting over it to keep the wood from rotting
~~Chip Walsh, Gambrills, Md.
kayak storage
can I store plastic kayak outside in cold and snow