Where do you park/store/leave your boat during fishing season?

[TSCTSC]

I guess for most of us, it is the garage. But if the garage is too small, what do you guys do??? Leave it on the yard, leave it on the driveway, rent storage?? What are the options in MN?

[Slyster]

when open water comes along.. I pop the boat in the garage and the car stays outside until open water ends! The car doesn't have carpet on top. My wife does the same thing.. but on HER side.. there goes our camping gear and bikes and kiddies bike trailers etc... so 1/2 the year our cars sleep outside!

[kslipsinker]

I have a nice custom cover that keeps my boat dry, even though I park it outside year round. I have a spot next to the drive, so all I have to do is flip off the cover, hook up and go.

[Bobby Bass]

I built what we refer to as the boat house, a 12x20 roof with no side walls that I just park my boat under to keep it out of the weather. I have a charging station at the rear so I can just plug in the boat batteries. The roof gives me added storage for ladders and wood as there always is a need for that. Come winter I just tarp the boat and the roof keeps the snow off. Of course I am in a fenced in yard so I don't have to worry about leaving things out. Dogs have run of yard. Cheaper then using up garage space.

[eyepatrol]

I'm with Slyster. When I had a boat and when I get another, when ice is off the boat gets put in the garage until early goose season. The rest of the time I pay for storage at a guy's storage shed. I've found that it's cheaper to rent storage from a guy who has a big shed, if you can find one, rather than from someone who has mini-storage. Just seems to be cheaper to do that in my town. No room on the sides of my driveway, and too expensive to expand the garage with more depth.

[TSCTSC]

How much to rent ministorage??

[Captain B.R.K]

I currently rent a garage from the apartment complex I live in for $40.00 a month. My 16' Lund fits nicely in there.

I do believe that mini-storage companies probably will ask for a higher $$$ for your boat.

Once I move into a house, the soon to be wifey's car will be able to park right next to the boat inside the garage. What an honor huh

[harvey lee]

My boat goes in the garage and mt truck outside.In the winter my boat goes into storage.I have to park outside because i'm chicken to ask my wife to.

[fisherking01]

I'm a country boy, not many restrictions on what I can build here. I put up a 36'by 56' toy box, heated floor....

I can keep all my stuff in there. I sure don't miss living in a city.

[TSCTSC]

Did you build the toybox?

[ChuckN]

When I had a home in the city I had a one car garage that barely fit the boat. Sometimes the boat had to be outside, so I had to have a good cover. I decided to find the best cover money (custom, heavy duty poly cover) could buy and that solved a lot of the problem. Great traveling cover too.

[Down Deep]

I tore down the old 20 X 22 garage and replaced it with a 36 X 30. I can get my boat, truck and the wife's car with room to spare for the snowmobile trailer in the winter months. The wife even has her own door. To store the camper, snowmobile trailer and wheeled fish house I had about 200 yds of pit run brought in and I have my own 40 X 36 toy lot back in the woods. It also serves as home to 3 of my friends boats during the winter months.

[cold one sd]

During the summer both boats are in the garage and the car and pickup are outside. In winter,the boats and camper are in storage and the vehicles and atv are in the garage.

[eyepatrol]

TSCTSC

The mini-storage here in town I think runs around $50 - $60 per month for a 9'x22' storage unit. I think there is also a 9'x24' unit which runs around $75/mo. The guy I had rented from in the past has a large metal/steel shed that can fit probably 6 or 8 boats in, and he would charge me $35/mo. Hence I think if you can find someone that has storage like that, it would be cheaper than mini-storage. But, that might not always be the case. I was really set up nice a few years ago when a farmer had storage and he only charged me $15/mo to store my boat, but then he sold his place, moved to town, and the new owners didn't want to rent out.

On a side note, my boat rig was too long for the mini-storage place anyway. Be sure your rig will fit where ever you decide to put it.

[riverrat56]

I've seen it done a number of ways, a neighbor leaves it outside with the cover on, another with the cover off, but that is an older boat. Mine fits in the garage but there is no door for it.

Winter storage we pay about 8 bucks a month, 30 bucks was the bill last year so whatever that works out to be.

[pikerliker]

My boat's in the garage and my cars in the driveway just like you harvey lee, for pretty much the same reason! In the winter I pull it up to my dads farm and store it one of his machine sheds.

~piker

[Bubbadust]

I get to park mine in my friend's garage at his apartment for free. I take him fishing a few times a year and he's happy with that. My wife hates seeing it in our driveway/garage.

[FL SNIPER]

I guess I spoil my boat...it stays in my insulated garage all year long. I guess I'm lucky to have the space to do it too. In the winter it does a good job of keeping my ice fishing gear off the garage floor and out of the dog's mouth...so it doesn't have it totally free and easy, it has a job to do in the off season.

[fishbreath]

20+ years ago I paid $7.00 a month for half a double garage. Now The elderly lady across the road lets me store my boat in the off season, in her old 5 bay garage for free. Then it goes into my garage and the utilty trailor goes in her garage. But I take care of her property, grass and snow.

[Northlander]

Garage all year long. Truck sits on the street. Keeps my boat safer that way. Less hassle than having to unload everything out of the boat daily.

[LoonASea]

During open water i keep mine under one of those 10X20 gable roof canopys from Menards ($100) I also have a snap on cover thats always on the boat since wind will blow rain under the canopy ..for the winter months i have one of those half circle teantoo's (that can handle snow load) that i will store my boat in since my trailer tires wont fit between the door frames of the other 4 stalls i have

[TSCTSC]

Pics please, Northlander!!! Very interested in your idea.

[Wiskers]

Well I have a River PRO... It is a tough boat and I just leave it outside. No messing around when I want to go hit the water, just hook up and Im off. But this is a RP.. no carpet to baby and no water spots to worry about... LOL... Just picking on you other white meat boat owners. But seriously, out side is just fine as long as you dont have a pine tree near by.