Embark on a thrilling journey with your kayak and conquer the waters like a true adventurer. But when the waves settle and the sun sets, where does your trusty vessel find its safe haven? Discover the secrets to mastering the art of storing your kayak in the garage with our step-by-step guide.
From unlocking ingenious space-saving techniques to ensuring the utmost protection for your prized possession, we’ve got you covered. Bid farewell to the storage conundrum and unleash the full potential of your kayaking adventures. Get ready to dive into a world where convenience meets organization, and your kayak becomes a true champion in your garage sanctuary!
Many new kayakers have no idea where or how to store their kayaks. Well, the garage provides suitable storage space, but only if you do it well. Proper storage does not only mean keeping your vessel away but protecting it from damage while not in use. You need to keep your kayak safe and sound in the garage. You also need to ensure you don’t waste the small space in the garage when storing your kayak.
So, how’s all these possible? Take a look at this guide to storing your kayak in the garage to answer your question.
Preparing Your Kayak for Storage
Before actual storage of your kayak in the garage, you must ensure you perfectly prepare it. Your kayak must be able to handle the long storage, but that’s only possible with proper storage. Here is how to prepare your precious boat for storage.
Clean the Kayak before Storage
The first thing you must do when considering storing your kayak is ensuring it’s perfectly clean. If you don’t clean, the debris, dirt, and oils can cause shell degradation while in storage. Cleaning will also ensure your kayak doesn’t look gross and disgusting the next time you take it out to hit the water.
To clean, get a mild kayak cleaner with a sponge. Gently wash away all the oils and the dirt from inside and outside your kayak. Rinse with clean water until you see no soap residue.
After you’re done cleaning, dry both the inside and the outside of your kayak using a soft towel. Make sure no moisture remains in the hatch or drain plug. If it doesn’t dry properly, the water might break down the coating. Even worse, moisture can invite mold and mildew into your kayak, causing severe damage.
Drain Water from the Kayak
You know that even after cleaning and drying your kayak, water can remain in hidden places. At this point, the best thing to do is drain off the excess water before putting it in the garage. How you drain it will depend on the type you have. But regardless of the type, you must ensure all the nooks and crannies don’t harbor water.
If you have a recreational kayak, you can get the drain plug in the bow or stern. The drain plug will help you drain the water. You can also use a towel, sponge, or bilge pump to drain the remaining water.
Draining off the water will protect your kayak from damage. It will also ensure the thaw and freeze don’t damage your vessel, especially if you live in dry climates.
Cover Your Kayak
We’ll know that the garage is an enclosure, but that doesn’t mean you don’t cover your kayak. The kayak cover keeps away moisture, critters, and dust from your precious vessel. Choose a quality cover to protect your boat, especially if you’re storing it for the long term.
If you can’t find a boat cover, there are still alternatives that you can consider, such as using a tarp. Remember to leave space between the tap and the kayak, so you don’t trap moisture inside.
Remove the Accessories
Never store your kayak with all the boating accessories intact. Remember, the accessories might need different storage requirements from your kayak.
Some of the accessories you might use together with your kayak include a dry bag, paddle, bilge pump, and other personal belongings. Before storage, inspect the compartments of your vessel to remove anything that might still be inside.
Once you remove all the gear, clean them separately and dry. Consider the storage needs for the accessories and ensure you follow them to the letter. Your garage might provide you with an extra space to store the paddle and other kayaking accessories. If you don’t have enough space or are not suitable for garage storage, put them in your house instead.
Storing Your Kayak in the Garage
Finally, the most awaited part is here. After preparing your kayak for storage, it’s now time to put it away. Remember, your kayak should not get on your way or occupy too much floor space in the garage. How do you ensure that? Here are some storage options that can help you out.
Wall-Mounted Rack
If you use your garage for your car and storage of other items, you very well know how that space can be precious. But of course, you have plenty of unused space on the wall, and that’s where you can mount your rack. Wall-mounted racks can help you store a number of kayaks without feeling squeezed of space. But ensure you find the studs that can take the weight of your vessel.
You can build a wall-mounted rack by yourself using brackets, PVC pipes, and pipe joints. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, you can purchase ready wall-mounted kayak racks available in various online stores.
If you’re going to store your kayaks like this for a long time, ensure the arms or the rack is padded. This will ensure the kayak doesn’t get damaged over time. Also, consider turning your kayak from time to time, so the weight doesn’t rest on one side.
Use Portable Stands
You can get a portable kayak rack to help you store your boat in the garage. The rack provides simple and accessible garage storage for your kayak. The racks may occupy more floor space but are easier to set up than other storage alternatives. This method is suitable for those who have plenty of garage floor space.
Before you come up with a kayak stand, make sure you know the dimensions of your boat. Measure the length and width of your kayak and know how much space it will need.
Although this stand will occupy too much space, the best thing about it is that you can move whenever you need to. You can temporarily move it outside to clean out your garage and return once done. This also ensures the kayak never gets in your way. The stand can hold different kayak sizes and saves you from poking holes on your walls.
Upright or Vertical Storage
If the height of your garage allows, you can store your kayak upright. This storage solution also works wonderfully for those who need to save floor space. Make sure the garage ceiling is at least 12 inches high to fit the length of your kayak. This option might not work for people with long touring or sea kayaks because building a garage that long is impossible. But for recreational kayaks, this can be a perfect garage storage option.
The upright storage is an easy storage solution that you can make all by yourself. You only need to get some straps and a strong wall mount to provide anchorage. You should also protect your kayak from the hard ground by placing a bow or a stern underneath.
You must also ensure your kayak doesn’t deform from the long-term storage by moving it often. Rotating it will help ease the pressure and protect your boat. Also, consider getting solid fixing straps and mounts, so the kayak doesn’t fall to the side.
Suspended from the Ceiling
Apart from the space on the wall, there’s also that ceiling space in your garage that you’ve never thought you can use. If you have a high ceiling, it can also make perfect kayak storage and save you floor space.
You can mount a pulley or a suspension system on your ceiling for the job. If building it yourself seems too time-consuming and costly, consider buying a kit with all the needed parts. The complete set comes with a step-by-step installation guide to help make this process easy. Make sure you find a stud to help support the full weight of your kayak. Make sure you securely fast the studs to hold your kayak perfectly on the ceiling. You don’t have to witness your kayak crashing down, or even worse, hitting you.
If you have enough garage space, you can hang as many kayaks with multiple pulleys as you can. This will help you use up the space that would otherwise go to waste.
Storing Your Kayak in the Garage Is that Simple
As you can see, there’s no rocket science involved in storing your kayak in the garage. From the look of things, a kayak is one of the easiest items to store as they don’t have many requirements. All you have to do is clean them, make sure they’re dry, and store them well.
You also need to consider the positioning depending on the space your garage floor space can accommodate. If you don’t have enough floor space, the ceiling and the walls can provide the needed space. The goal is to ensure the safety of your kayak and save space in your garage. Happy kayak storage!
