Winter Kayak Storage

[sega]

I've read a lot of conflicting information on proper ways to store your kayak during the winter.

From my reading the best bet during the winter months is to store your kayak indoors, and on its side. This prevents the extreme cold from making the plastic more brittle, and by keeping it on its side your helping prevent the hull from getting warped.

Also some sources I've found state the cold doesn't make much of a difference, and it is still and will always be UV rays that are the most harmful element to kayaks being stored improperly.

So just curious as to how everyone is storing their kayak? Inside, outside, on its side, upside down, yadda yadda.


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[Mark]

I store mine in my garage on a homemade rack with the hull side down.

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[Big Mike]

I store mine in my garage on the Hobie trailer in the Hobie cradles. More worried about UV rays than I am any warping.

[J.A. Veil]

I store my kayaks year round on the floor of my walkout basement. I lay carpet strips on the concrete then sit the kayaks there. It is always cool in the basement, and there is not enough weight to cause any deformation. The photos were taken when I owned four kayaks. The two orange ones are sold - the two green ones fit easily.

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[Slobber Bob]

Mine stays outside all year round. I just have some 4x4 posts in the ground with a rope tied between them to keep it off the ground and cradled on its side. No cover, no shelter from the weather. I haven't seen the cold effect it in anyway in the past 6 years. The UV has faded the color of the kayak from bright yellow to a washed out yellow, but its just superficial and I haven't notice any structural weakening.

I figure if a plastic bottle takes several years of direct sunlight to breakdown, I probably don't need to worry much about the much thicker plastic in my kayak. I'm sure no matter how you end up storing yours, it'll be fine either way.

[Shady]

yea, mine lives outside on a malone j-dock mounted to the fence. If the water isn't hard, I usually still try to go fishing at least every other week during the winter.

[Rockchaser]

Mine stay outside year round on a home made rack. Most of the year one is strapped to the top of my Jeep. I keep a tarp on them in the back yard mainly to reduce the amount of yellow back there.


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[M1A4ME]

Both mine are in the little kayak shed. Both of them are fishing kayaks with pretty much flat bottoms anyway. I piece of carpet on the plywood floors to help with sliding them in/out and a door to cover the opening (leaning up against the metal shed to the side of the kayak shed.

[sega]

Ideally I'd love to have the area to store my kayak indoors, but at 15.5' it's tough.

Nice to hear no one has had any issues with the cold affecting their boats though. After reading this post I'm not too worried about keeping mine suspended off the ground underneath my deck.


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[Mark]

I have heard that squirrels will use them as chew toys if given an opportunity.

Be careful about that.

Otherwise it appears that various storage methods and locations are acceptable.

[silasvirus82]

Ideally I'd love to have the area to store my kayak indoors, but at 15.5' it's tough.

Nice to hear no one has had any issues with the cold affecting their boats though. After reading this post I'm not too worried about keeping mine suspended off the ground underneath my deck.


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I've kept both of mine suspended from my deck for several years in MD with no problems. Previously my Dagger stayed on the floor of a garage or shed. My Hobie has a cover on to shield from the sun and stay clean, but my old Dagger which is now about 15 years old now does not and is still in fantastic shape. Both boats are stored like this all year, neither showing any signs of warping or fading. I did have a dove build a nest on my Dagger one year, which was kind of cool to watch all summer, but other than that the cridders leave it alone. I would be more hesitant to store a cheap boat in this fashion since the plastic is typically thinner, but both of my boats are thick and ridged.

[suicyderider]

Mine stay outside year round on a home made rack. Most of the year one is strapped to the top of my Jeep. I keep a tarp on them in the back yard mainly to reduce the amount of yellow back there.


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Perfect setup exactly how hobie says to store theirs

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[summersoff]

I have heard that squirrels will use them as chew toys if given an opportunity.

Be careful about that.

Otherwise it appears that various storage methods and locations are acceptable.

Ha, would have liked squirrels. I keep two of my yaks on my screens porch at beach house for the winter. A stray cat had a litter of kittens inside my sit-in yak. Things were whining so loud a neighbor had to call the SPCA to have them removed (I'm not there in the winter). Not to mention they had to break the screen to get in. When I saw the yak in the spring, there was crap everywhere. It was filled with dead rabbit and bird carcasses. Smelled like cat piss all season. Not to mention I am totally alergic to those damn witch's pets. As if I don't hate cats enough!!!