Outside seasonal storage

Advice
#1

Hi, I’m a newbie with an Ocean Malibu kayak. During the paddling season, can you store the kayak on the kayak cart (portable two-wheeled kind) with tarps bungied around it and out of the sun? If this is not advisable, can you recommend an easy, inexpensive way to keep the kayak in good shape and ready to haul down to the water?

Thanks folks - corkjohn

#2

canoe cover
You should be able to find a relatively inexpensive ($40-50) zippered canoe cover that will fit your kayak. Not only does it protect from the sun/UV rays, it also keeps the dirt, pollen, mold, bugs etc. off to keep your boat nice and clean. (Sportsman’s Guide carries a couple of inexpensive brands.) I use these year-round and all my boats stay looking great.

#3

warping in heat?
How is the kayak sitting on the cart - how much of the hull is supported? I don’t know anything about your particular kayak or cart, but I’d be cautious about leaving a boat sitting outside in summer heat in a position where its weight is supported on just a small area of the hull bottom. With some plastic hulls this might cause warping. Don’t know if this would be a problem in your case, but it is something to consider.

#4

Outside seasonal storage
Yes, I think you’re probably right about the warping. It’s an Ocean Malibu and I had it on the cart with the bow tipping down to the ground.

Would you just leave it on the ground on its side or turned over bottom up or do you need to have a “special” rack? I can keep it out of the sun with shade, tarp or possibly a zipper cover as suggested. Of course, the idea is to keep it near the water a much as possible so it is ready-to-go. Thanks so much for any ideas.

#5

If it is plastic the hull may
warp and deform - maybe permanently though not always - unless you support it carefully. This may, or may not be important to you. It will still float. But it may not perform 100% up to snuff if it deforms. My suggestion is to devise a rack of some kind so that the weight of the hull is supported in the area of the bulkheads if it has bulkheads, either on its side ala J cradles, or on the deck, not the bottom. Use a cockpit cover or canoe bag to keep critters etc. out of the inside of the hull.