Boats are stored best with an outdoor canopy structure. Whether placed near a harbor or on your property, such portable shelters can be used to store a boat during the winter months. Generally, these shelters should be fully enclosed to protect the boat. If left outdoors for a long period of time, boats will experience UV damage, often in the form of discolored paint and cracked plastic, and water damage if snow and rain start to accumulate inside. A portable storage shelter keeps the boat away from these elements and allows your boat a longer lifespan. But, as we explained a few weeks ago, the boat should still be checked during the months in storage.
But boat shelters aren’t the only way to protect your boat. The portable shelter made from galvanized steel and polyethylene keeps the exterior of the boat in good shape, but maintaining the interior is your responsibility. An article from the Augusta Chronicle describes the best ways to maintaining a boat in winter. Some of these suggestions include:
• Lower the water-cooled 90-hp outboard motor and allow its foot to drain. If water is left inside, this can cause ice to form and damage the motor while being stored in winter.
• Similarly, check the battery. If the battery starts to swell, it needs to be replaced, as the cold is affecting it.
• Once the temperature dips into the 30s, the boat should be put in storage and not used on the water. At this point, ice forming inside the interior is more likely.
A combination of these should ensure your boat lasts for many years. The canopy shelter keeps the exterior of the boat from water and UV ray damage, and keeping the interior of the boat clean from water will preserve the interior from any water-related damage.