I have a poly kayak that that I am storing in a vertcal position in a unheated shed. I was wondering if this is acceptable method? Should I support the kyak with starps in a horizontal postion. Any advice would be helpful.
storing kayaks on end
I have stored polyethylene kayaks on end without noticing any problems. These were shorter whitewater boats.
Lean it up
Anything under about 10 ft stores pretty well on end.
I toss a piece of scrap foam under mine just so the foam will conform to it instead of the other way around. Most little WW boats don’t really need that.
kayak storage
Thank you jimayaker for your reply. The kayak that I have is a 10 Ft Wilderness Kayak. I have a piece of a 2x8 under the stern of the kayak.
Muskie
kayak storage
Thank you phlanc for your reply. The kayak that I have is a 10Ft wilderness. I do have a piece of 2x8 under the stern of the kayak.
muskie
What Pblanc and Jimkayak didn’t say…
What they didn’t tell you was that their short kayaks were 17’ sea kayaks when they were first stored vertically. So, your kayak may be a 6’ play boat after a season or two of vertical storage.
Conversely, if you hang your kayak vertically from a high ceiling, it will be a 17’ sea kayak after a season or two.
No need to thank me for this, and you read it on the internet, so it is absolutely true.
On a more serious note, I have seen many many kayaks stored on end at kayak stores, and you have to figure a store doesn’t want to experience inventory “shrinkage”.
store on edge side if possible
The strongest and stiffest section of any plastic kayak is the point where the hull (bottom) and the deck (top) meet up. If you go around your kayak and push and squeeze all over, you’ll note the portion of maxx stiffness with most ability to fight off warping will be the side edges. Despite my warning to store his Tsunami 14 on its edge, my buddy left it on a trailer rack on its bottom with a set of foam pads between the boat and trailer arms. The next spring he had two big dents in his hull, one of which has never fully come out no matter what we’ve tried. Now he believes me about storing soft plastic kayaks on their sides. Even so, any padding is still a fine precaution.
Do not stand on end unless you can secure kayaks over 12 feet in at least two areas across the width of kayak back to the wall. Kayaks stored on end can easily tip over and do more damage than you can believe to anything in their path on their way down. So if you store on end be sure the kayak is really immobilized.
Do
I can attest to this
I once put my plastic sea kayak in the garage sitting on the floor on its bottom for two weeks. When I moved it I discovered a significant dent in the bottom. Fortunately it was a newish kayak and it wasn’t too long so I was able to remove the dent with hot water and pressure. But it taught me a lesson. Store on edge, every time.