First off thank you all for all of your help in figuring out what i bought in terms of kayaks. now my next question, in the off season and in the times between excursions how do you store your kayaks. i have seen on the internet large “kayak sacks” or canvas bags thay you can zip away your kayak. Are these worth the $200+ investment? is there an outfitter that sells them cheaper? are there brands that are better then others? what should i be looking for? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
once again thank you for all of you that helped with my first question, and to those who i havent spoken with “HI”
few use sacks
Very few paddlers I know use sacks/bags for their boats.
Storing indoors is best - garage, basement, etc…
Keeping the boat out of the sun is maybe the most important. UV from the sun ages all the materials of/on the boat. Keeping water from freezing inside the boat is also good.
Here’s what I do
I built a narrow rack to store the boat on it’s side in my garage (with a shelf underneath for paraphenalia). It fits perfectly on the narrow side of the garage (the side where there’s mayble 18" between the side of the garage door and the wall). Before I store it for any lenghth of time, I give it a good rubdown with 303 protectant and install my cockpit cover to keep creepy-crawlers out.
it sounds as if you don’t have…
…indoor space to store it. I’d buy a cockpit cover (usually pretty inexpensive) & then maybe a silver (not blue) tarp or an inexpensive car cover from Pep Boys…anything to keep it out of the sun…wrap & tie with rope.
Some have insisted here that vertical storage is better than horizontal but I guess that will depend on your storage area. Hopefully security is not an issue (would be for me if storing outdoors).
Good luck
are we anti-blue?
you say gray not blue why?
off season???
What is that??
Skiing, snowshoeing
winter wonderland season. Wouldn’t trade it for a Texas summer if you paid me a million bucks.
Protect from UV
The single most important thing is to protect your boat from UV light. Apply some 303 at the start and end of the season. If you can’t store the boat indoors then any tarp will prevent UV damage. Bear in mid however that plastic tarps will hold in moisture and therefore encourage mildew. You would probably be better off with a canvas tarp or even a couple of old bed sheets. They will keep the UV out but will allow some air circulation that will keep the boat dry and mildew free.
Gray is thicker
It’s a lot better than the blue ones and will outlast it quite a bit. Of course they do cost a little more, but like any thing else, you get what you pay for.
o ok
i thought the “blue” would transfer to the yak that is why i was confused, thanks for clearing it up
PADDLING, SWIMMING, DIVING-AND I AGREE
I wouldn’t trade it for a Teaxas summer -but for a SUnny SOuth Florida & the Fabulous Florida Keys Summer…???
Sure!
Most all the year is pretty nice down here to
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
look here
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276&id=0022917016433a&navCount=1&podId=0022917&parentId=cat601235&navAction=push&catalogCode=QT&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601235&hasJS=true
if you want a cover at a reasonable price.
As long as the water is liquid, you can paddle.
When your deck is covered with ice, and icicles hand from your driprings, it’s a good day.