I just bought my first Wilderness kayak. I left it in a spare room on the floor with the hull down. The hull is laying on bubble wrap and a rug. If left like this, will the hull surface flatten or warp?? I thought I read that leaving the kayaks hull down on a floor is not a very good idea. total newbie question. Lame. But Thanks
Even with bubble wrap and rug
a plastic yak can still warp if stored with bottom of hull on the ground. Better to flip it over and store it upside down on on its side.
I assume you
have a plastic Wilderness Systems boat?
On the floor is fine. You could put some cheapo foam (think pool noodle) under it if it makes you feel better, but there’s little chance it’ll deform enough to matter. If you can lean it up on it’s side against something that might be a little better.
If it’s a high end boat and has a lot of rocker, I’d probably chop up a noodle for it. If it’s < 14 feet and pretty flat bottomed it’s fine.
jim
flatpick
the Wilderness guy, told me it’s best to store them on their sides, prop it up on some foam blocks or pieces of foam pool noodle like jimyaker said. they’re easy to chop up with a bread knife
Def. on its side propped up off the
floor on wood…there is a theory that having a flat bottomed boat sitting on a floor causes it to oilcan faster…
on side
I wouldn’t store a plastic boat on it’s bottom unless it is a totally flat bottomed boat like some rec boats.
At the very least put it upside down, or better yet, prop it on it’s side, on a few pool noodles or blocks of foam or something. Over time I have definitely seen plastic boats deformed by sitting on a couple supports under the hull or under the upside down deck.
the wilderness guy…
I vote for flatpicks method…
Foam Blocks
Be sure and position the blocks under the bulkheads.
by the way
if you want some good non-skid, high-density foam blocks made for holding up kayaks they are $14 a pair on Campmor.com.
It depends
what kind of kayak do you have?? I own a wilderness systems Pamlico 140, and because the boat is designed with a flat hull and minimal rocker, I rest mine on its hull. However, if your kayak has more of a v-shape hull, upside down is better. Or, if you prefer to admire your boat right side up and it has a v hull or lots of rocker, I suggest foam transport blocks to support the hull. One infront of the cockpit and one behind.
That’s what I use for my roto kayak
Tempest 165 sits on kayak-foam blocks positioned under each bulkhead. I’ve had it since 2005 and store it this way every winter–has not affected its shape. Of course, the cold winter temps in the shed stiffen the plastic so YMMV depending where you live.
Wood boat (Merganser 16) sits on pillows under each bulkhead…but this boat would not deform even without them.
The glass Explorer LV is on its side on foam blocks.
L
I have had 3 WS boats, stored them all in various positions, as they got older and well used I just stored them which ever way was easier and usually that’s on their hull as its easier to slide them out or off the top of the pic-up that way.(No noticeable hull deformities) that’s the great thing about plastic you can beat the heck out of it). BTW the boat will warp far more in the heat on your roof rack then it ever will just sitting on the floor. I do store mine out of direct sunlight. I baby my glass boats though, they get to sit on foam pads or hang via straps.
tempest 170
on its side for years now just supported off the cold garage floor with some basic foam. It is in the garage which is basically close to freezing in the winter and temperate in the summer. (as is the rest of the house!)
I’ve had a Necky Looksha Sport on
a mattress for some time, while I’ve been doing inside modifications. I’ll check it soon and see if there’s any flattening. I’ve stored poly whitewater kayaks on thick outdoor furniture cushions, hull down, in the carport, through hot summers, without any flattening, but the plastic in those boats is thicker than in typical sea or rec poly boats.
No matter what you do the hull will
warp sooner or later. With all the advantages of rotomold, you just have to know that this is a detrement.
'Course, it’s prob 120 in my garage
during the day in the summer time, so I worry more about the plastic softening and warping than some people might need to.
storing Kayak on floor
thanks for the input. It’s a Wilderness Tarpon 130T (divorce boat).
the advantages of computers
is that theyare packed in foam.
Sometimes it is styrene foam (styrofoam) but sometimes is is close-cell foam.
I have the ITT people at work save me all their close-celled foam and silica gel.
The gel packages (those little things that absorb moisture) and toss them into my dry-bags and pelican boxes so the cases don’t fog. Saw some guy who paddled the coast in an IK and he couldn’t read his GPS because the case fogged so much it ate his GPS and forced water vap[or into his GPS.
But I digress.
Today they gave me four side panels of Close-cell foam. From the side, they looked like a castle, low in the middle, high at the ends.
I cut two down to fill the opening in the remaining and now have a safe and secure floor-stand for my kayak. The foam defoms before the kayak does but is strong enough to support the boat.
I save the silica packs in beef jerkey
for the same purpose. Great minds think alike!
On the trailer?
My P&H Capella 160 just sits on it’s Trailex Sut-200 trailer all the time. In the summer I have it under a tarp in the shade and when I want to use the kayak I pull the tarp off, hook it up the Jeep and go. For the winter it sits on the trailer the way it as designed to sit, with the hull down supported by two carpeted supports at the bulkheads. I have a cockpit cover for it and two tarps wrapped around it and the trailer. Hopefully this is ok?
I have absolutely no garage space unfortunately. Parking in my driveway is tight so my two cars have to go in the garage. It’s an old garage so not very big so the kayak has to live outside.