You may want to consider storing your boat in a storage facility when the temperature dips below freezing to prevent any damage from occurring, or you may simply be looking for a place to keep it safe during some other prolonged period of nonuse. No matter the reason, you should understand the differences between the available types of boat storage units so that you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Home Storage

The most cost-effective, though fairly labor-intensive, way to store your boat is to do so at home, either in your driveway covered with a tarp to keep the worst of the elements away, or in your garage where it will be largely immune from theft and a variety of different weather conditions. Despite the lower cost associated with storing your boat at home, you must also factor in the inconvenience of having to tow your boat to and from the waterfront yourself, as well as the lost storage space within your home.

Marina

For the least amount of effort possible, on the other hand, you may want to consider storing your boat at the marina. In this instance, your boat will stay in the water while you are not using it, and most marinas will also do maintenance and any mechanical repair work that is needed to ensure that your boat is in good working order when you come back. However, this is also an extremely expensive storage option, and it is not ideal for all climates, as winter temperatures can cause hull damage if your boat remains in the water (though in more temperate climates, of course, year-round storage in the water is not an issue).

Dry Rack

Dry rack storage refers to an indoor form of boat storage in which your boat is literally lifted up with a forklift and placed on a storage rack with other boats. Dry rack storage offers a middle ground between a marina and at-home storage: the work will be done for you, so you won't have to worry about moving your boat to and from the waterfront, and the indoor nature of dry rack storage means that you won't have to worry about environmental damage to your boat while it is not being used. However, dry rack storage does come with some added inconvenience: you will have to call ahead to gain access to your boat, which can take anywhere from a few hours to several days depending on the facility, since it will have to be removed from the racks. 

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