Wet Or Dry Boat Storage? Marina’s Give You Options!
Boats offer pleasure to owners and their guests. They are a great way to get away for an afternoon, weekend or even a week. A boat can give you access to the less crowded areas of the lake or coast. While small boat owners often do not have to worry about boat storage, since they can put the boat on a trailer and take it home to a garage, larger boat owners may not have this option, since moving these large boats is a major undertaking. In such cases, you may find yourself choosing a Marina.
Storing your boat in a wet marina has several advantages. The primary one is that the boat is easily launched. In these marinas, you will often find electrical access that allows you to keep all batteries on your boat charged using battery keepers. While some wet storage marinas offer enclosed storage on the water, many offer only open-air storage. This has the disadvantage of the elements causing deterioration of your boat.
Boat Dry Storage Marina also can offer many advantages to the boat owner. Boats are stored in dry conditions, usually inside a garage like structure. The structure offers protection from water damage as well as other damage from the elements. Dry storage will keep the finish and exposed upholstery of your boat looking like new for many years.
Storing your boat in a dry boat storage marina requires that the boat be lifted out of the water. Most dry boat storage marinas offer a crane and track system that allows your boat to be moved into its storage slip. Stacked storage may be offered for smaller boats, but is not practical for boats with large masts. Very large boats may not fit into the facilities offered by dry boat storage marinas.
If you plan to work on your boat while it is in dry boat storage, be sure that the marina allows you to do so. Some marinas offer only storage and do not give you the option to work on your boat while it is in storage. If your marina does allow you to work on the boat while it is in storage, you will have access to parts of the boat that are not accessible when the boat is in the water. As an example, it is much easier to change a propeller when the boat is in dry storage than when it is in the water.
As for disadvantages of dry storage, there is primarily only one. That disadvantage is that the boat must be moved back into the water each time you want to use it. It must be lifted by crane and placed back onto the track. You may need to schedule this operation several days in advance with the marina. After launching the boat will need to dock in order to take on luggage, passengers and supplies.
If you need to choose a Marinas for your boat, remember that there are both advantages and disadvantages for each method of storage. Storing small boats on trailers allows for launch into almost any lake in your vicinity. Larger boats may need to be stored in a marina, so you can choose between Boat Dry Storage and wet storage.