Posts Tagged ‘boat trailer’

Let’s Talk Winter Time & Boat Damage

We all know that the freezing weather can damage every single part of your boat, right? Not only is maintaining a boat during the winter months difficult, it can be expensive if you don’t do it properly because the pieces and parts of the boat structure and engine can break, needing replacements.

Insurance Experts Say…

Are you keeping your boat on the water for the winter, or are you planning to store it indoors at your marina? Either way, you should understand what you need to do to maintain your boat and keep it safe during the winter months. While we’ve gone over some of these points previously, come from GEICO, and as an insurance company, they’ve seen pretty much everything when it comes to accidental problems with storing a boat.

According to GEICO Boat Program Manager Eric Baillargeon,

“Extreme cold can wreak havoc on your boat’s engine and ultimately your wallet.”

GEICO also noted that if you  check with the company that insures your boat, you might just find that the company will offer you a discount for storing your boat out of the elements and protecting your boat from winter’s harsh wear and tear.

This is especially true if you decide to store your boat indoors, in a marina for example. Because it is indoors, the chances of having to repaint or replace engine parts are lowered, thus decreasing the chances that you would file an insurance claim to pay for the replacements.

Stop Damage – Save Money

Many insurance companies appreciate this type of proactive thinking. In fact, Baillargeon made specific mention of the fact that storing your boat in the water is a sure way to damage it – and that you should store it anywhere but in the water if you don’t want to throw money out the window.

Boat owners have a number of options available as to where they can store their boats, depending on the type of boat they own.

Trailering: We’ve talked about tailoring your boat a couple of times, and this is something that GEICO recommends if you have a small boat that is easily manageable without excess help.

Simply trailering the boat in your backyard and winterizing the engine before throwing a tarp over it, then weighting down the tarp ends should be enough to keep it safe at your own home.

Marina Storage: On the other hand, you could store it in marina, as we’ve also mentioned previously. In fact, some marinas offer “blocking services,” that help boat owners store their boats atop blocks or jacks. This ensures that the boat cannot possibly move, fall, or otherwise be damaged during the winter months.

Additionally, because the boat is kept inside during the winter, it is possible that your issuance company would offer you an even bigger discount on your monthly premium. No matter how you decide to store your boat during the winter months, talk to your insurance agent first, as he or she can help offer you options that will protect your boat and save you money on your insurance.

Budget vs. Convenience

Storing a boat or a yacht is important to help keep it in tiptop shape over the winter, or any other time you take it out of the water. The amount that the boat weighs can have an impact on storage, as can its foot length.

Trailering Your Boat

Boat Trailer By Tawker via Wikimedia Commons

If you have a small budget, then storing your boat via a trailer is something that you might want to consider. Trailers are the most popular option among boat owners who do not have the funds to dry dock the boat in the marina over the winter. There is honestly nothing more inexpensive than trailering your boat. You can take a trailer to your home, and set it in the driveway, or off to the side of the yard – on the street if necessary, and if you have proper registration for the trailer to do so.

Trailering offers the added benefits of being able to bring your boat to any marina, beach, or other place with a dock or boat ramp. This allows you to come and go with your boat as you please, instead of being stuck to the schedule that the marina sets for you.

Marina Storage

However, if you have a budget that might permit the possibility of storing your boat or yacht at the marina instead, you might want to opt for this instead of a trailer to ensure that the boat is stored correctly and taken care of during the times you cannot be there to attend to the boat’s needs. While the trade off is the hours at which you can go to the marina to see or sue the boat, it could be worth it if you do not have the facilities to store your boat at home in a driveway, or if you do not have a car that is big and strong enough to tow it.

Rack Storage

Another option is rack storage, which is a good option for boats that are smaller. Rack storage facilities dry dock the boat in a rack inside a warehouse of sorts. They cover the boat and keep it clean and dry.   You can come and go according to the facility hours, the facility will retrieve the boat when you want to take it out and will store your boat for you when you are finished.

Are you ready to sacrifice the ability to come and go as you please so that you do not have to do the storing? On the other hand, do you know how to hitch a trailer and keep up with the boat’s maintenance if you keep it at your home? We ask these questions because the answers will make the difference between the choices you make. Ultimately, while the main differences between the three options are money and convenience, the decision on how to store your boat is entirely up to you.