Need advice on boat storage in PNW

[bill j]

I would certainly appreciate some advice. We are considering moving the permanent residence for our Cutwater from Belton, TX to the Anacortes, WA area. We anticipate using the boat from May - September each year then storing the boat on land (trailer) during the winter. Is this practical and possible? Are there covered storage facilities available for annual lease in this area? Any suggested sites? Should I remove the batteries and tote back to Texas so I can keep them charged? How do folks protect the boat during the winter? Do I need to encase in plastic and worry about mold? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks - Bill

 

[Irish Mist]

I have my trailer stored at North Harbour Diesel and there are a lot of boats there in the yard. They are very nice to deal with and reasonably priced. We launch and retrieve our boat with the lift at Cape Sante ( very reasonable ). A very short trip to the storage yard and saves dunking your trailer into the salt water. There are some in water options around the area, and I am sure you will get some good feed back.

 

[Salish Seaker]

We kept our former boat (just sold!) at Twin Bridges Marina, a dry storage facility right off Hwy 20 on the way to Anacortes, for most of the past 12 years. It's ideal for keeping the boat out of the elements (heated storage) and so convenient. Just call ahead and they put your boat in the water and when you're done, they can load it on a work stand for washing and flushing engines and various projects. We'll also be keeping our brand new R23 (delivery Monday!) at Twin Bridges as well.

Full disclosure: It's pricey. But they do store your trailer inexpensively (assuming it's the same rate we were charged for the trailer for the C-Dory).

Good luck in your search!

Peter & Caryn
2018 R-23

 

[scross]

I shrink-wrapped my old boat one winter in Southern Oregon where it is dryer than the PNW and, despite having 3 gallon buckets full off desiccant inside the boat, still got mold. Per West Marine, “Shrink wrapping a boat effectively seals out dirt, debris, rain, snow and critters that would like to call your boat home. However, shrink wrap also traps all the moisture inside, which can lead to condensation and mold. The best way to prevent this is to thoroughly dry out your boat before installing the shrink wrap.” You can’t get inside your boat to check it or replace the desiccant while it is shrink wrapped. I will never shrink wrap again!
We kept our old boat over winter at Summit Park Storage in Anacortes. Reasonable prices.