Don’t have room in garage. Can this (kevlar ultra lite) be stored outside? Have royalex canoe outside on saw horses under canvas tarp the past 2+ years.
Please weigh in. Thought about building a hard top to provide shade for both canoes.
Thanks.
the hard-top roof!..
The hard-top roof on a hut sounds good to me, or one of those smaller shed/garage structures(sorry forgot name)…
$.01
only prob is material expansion rates
In general, kevlar will store just like royalex - keep 'em out of sunlight and off the ground, and inspect frequently to keep critters out of them.
However, kevlar boats are usually more expensive, and anything is going to weather more outside than in. Also, if any other material is attached to the kevlar (gunwales on canoe, cockpit trim and fittings on kayak) then you need to think about rates of expansion/contraction under temperature extremes. There have been stories of rivets popping out in such cases.
You say you have no room inside, but you might look again, and this time look at your ceiling in various rooms. Ultra Light might mean light enough to install a few ceiling hooks in the laundry room (or living room, if you need a conversation starter) and store it there, at least in the cold months.
Snow load factor
I have seen a few boats hog up because of snow load outside…That weight on the unsupported midsection. My lake has several fine examples of boats left outside upside down and unsupported except at the ends and with eight or so feet of snow on the boat during the winter. Then the six week wonder summer people wonder why their usually unfine quality canoe is a U, even worse.
We have had to store Kevlar boats outside but the location was convenient so that we could brush new snow off the hull. Snow is darn heavy sometimes.
Lock it up
Nice ultralight boats can be very easily stolen. I’d make a point of locking the boat to a tree or something. Building a simple wooden rack with a roof (leanto roof would be fine)would be an easy enough project for most people to do themselves. If you don’t have a tree, you can chain the boat to the rack, at least making it a bit more difficult for casual thief.
I put Tug-Eyes in some of my boats, for the express purpose of being able to lock the boat to the rack and truck, and/or, if I ever want to leave the boat somewhere and lock it to a tree or picnic bench.
Only problem with the Tug-eye for composite boats is that the inside diameter is quite small - I can only find a cheap 1/4" cable lock that will work with mine, but that may be enough for me to keep the boat.
A determined, prepared thief would probably have no trouble with any locks, but they will help deter a more casual thief.
303 Protectant spray - UV protection for your boat - get some and use it. Also, if you are just going to put a tarp over your boats, be sure to have a couple of pieces of 2x4 or something to keep the tarp up off the surface a bit - allow for air circulation.
Yes, lock that precious thing!
I really like the Lasso security cable lock. It was $48 and worth every penny. Makes the boat very secure when on the car top, and you can lock your boat to a tree, sign, whatever you need to.