I need some advice on storing (2) 17 foot boats. Here are the 2 options: Garage or under house.
Garage Pros:
-More secure behind garage door
-Less Bugs
-Easy in and out
Garage Cons:
-Only 1 option as to where to hang which is on a
wall that is 20 feet long. The boats would
hang 3 feet from the door and I would imagine
stick out a little over a foot from the wall
making it difficult to get in and out of the
house.
-More heat during summer.
Under House Pros:
-Cooler
-Boats out of the way
-Plenty of room
Under House Cons:
-Plenty of standing room, but the doorway is
only 5’ 1" ft tall wich could make getting 2 60
lb. boats out a little bit of a pain.
-Security concern - theft
The issue with security is this and this is really where I need an opinion or thoughts on the matter. We have a 6 foot privacy fenced back yard which I could put a padlock on at the gate. The access door for under the house is 28.5" wide and 5’ 1" tall. It is framed in wood and the door is a simple door. It has 1 X 4s on the top, bottom and sides with 1 X 4s stapled in vertically filling the gap. I could also put a padlock on this door however it wouldn’t be very difficult to knock it out. My friend says, and I agree, if someone wants them bad enough they could simply cut the lock.
So that being said, let me hear your thoughts on what you would do between those 2 options. I really don’t have any other room in the garage to hang them from the ceiling or any elaborate ideas since I already have hung flourescent lighting and bicycles. Not to mention we park 2 SUVs and a Harley, so there ain’t much room and moving is out of the question.
Thanks
High crime area?
Out of sight out of mind. Unless someone knows you have boats under your house how likely are they to break into that specific area? Could you also chain them in that area? Maybe to a floor support or a ring in the floor?
Come To My House…
I am in Boston. Got four long boats on a rack in the backyard. 3 surf boats under the boat, 3 ww boats on the porch. Only thing locked is the 5 fence gate. Normally, I keep the surf boats in the basement. But got a SOF project that is taking up much space.
Someone can come in the back and take a boat (the surf and ww boats being the easiest). It would be hard to do without one of my neighbors spotting it though. Most of the folks up and down the street know I got boats in the back.
sing
Is this an invitation?
I will be right over. Can’t wait to try the surf thing.
Ed
Like I Said…
it’ll be hard to walk off with my boat without a neighbor spotting it. Funny thing is that none of my neighbors kayak, but they all get a kick out of seeing me loading a surf boat on the car in the dead of winter, in the middle of a storm. “Where ya going? Surf’s up!?”
sing
Address?
Let me know — and I am sure your neighbors won’t even notice me in my NY Yankees ball cap and Mickey Mantle shirt.
;^)
Scott
PS - for those who don’t know much about Boston - even walking down a street in South Boston dressed in Yankees gear would get you in a heap o’ trouble!
Anymore Lessons With Zoar?
couple more of those, some runs down the Fife/Deerfield, make a trip down to the coast and we’ll hit the surf. 
sing
Thoughts
Not a decision really - so that you know we crave a garage in our future boring, one story suburban style house. I’d also like it to be plastic so that maintenance is just hosing the whole thing down…
That said, we have three boats (two 17 plus full length expdition boats plus the RM Elaho) hanging in the basement of our 16 ft wide charming 1865 townhouse in Troy. Full height door out back to the yard. And two 16’ boats hanging in plain sight under the rear deck. A locked car gate in the back on the alley that anyone could break by cutting the chain w/ the lock if they really wanted. And most of the neighborhood wouldn’t have any idea they did it.
We have found that boats are most likely to be appreciated, so perhaps stolen, on the water. In town it seems that they scare most people.
As to access - the easiest boats to get in and out are the ones that require the least turning or sideways motion to move, which are the ones in the basement. We have to lower the others then carefully turn them around under the porch. The only downside to the basement storage is that we have to move them into the back yard every time the plumber has to do work on a furnace or hot water heater.
I’d suggest that yuou start with storing it wherever is easiest to carry it in and out from.
Not yet…but
I am keeping a sharp eye out for a deal on a ww boat.
Ed
hang 'em high
Replace your conventional overhead garage door with a set of outswinging doors (or a sliding barn-style door) and hang your boats like this on your suddenly huge garage ceiling:
http://webpages.charter.net/keevil/canoes.jpg
Lock? Only keep the honest out.
If a determined thief wants your property, it will be taken.
Use locks to deter the lazy thief of opportunity.
Below house sounds great. Time to install a solid door.
If the boats do get stolen, a busted door and a broken lock help your story with the insurance guys. Although, I am not promoting frivolous claims. The insurance business WILL jack your rates and get the money back.
Jay H.
So jealous!!
Both options sound so nice from here!!!
We’re just getting started on finding a house in this area. Stuck in our lease till atleast April. Meantime the rec and surf boat hang out on the patio with our bikes (this is wreaking havoc on our chains) but the Tempest is still in our living room. Actually, it’s in our dining room, our hall and there’s about a foot of it in our bedroom. When we have visitors and need to close our doors we slide it along the carpet so that extra foot is in the kitchen instead. Third floor apartment, door at an angle. Portage to and from the car is an adventure all on its own!!
I can’t wait to have a house. Don’t care if we have to strap the boats to an exterior wall. Your options sounds pretty good to me!! I will say that having it in the apartment has probably been good for the boat, as I am forced to clean her up really well each time I bring her up…don’t want to bring any gunk or critters inside.
Good luck with your predicament. Under the house sounds like a great option!
I live in the NC high country
and I don’t think they know what theft is here.
I honestly think I could leave my most expensive boat out at the side of the dead end road that I am on and it would still be there a year later.
Right now our two rec kayaks are sitting unsecured down by the small river in my front yard.
We do keep them high enough so high water won’t float them away.
About ten years ago I lost a paddle during a failed roll in my WW boat after a gully washer, and a month later it was in my driveway. I started asking around to find out who returned it, so I could thank them and it turned out that a fishermen picked it up in the next county and started asking around who owned it, and eventually was told that it probably was me since I was the only paddler around.
I never could find out who it was.
Cheers,
jackL