Boat storage

[JLK]

I'd like to collect pro's and cons of storing a boat in driveway vs marina.

 

 

[mudflat]

Dry docking will save you fuel cost of towing depending on how far you travel.  I had a 4 hour tow and it was less expensive to pay the marina fee but that would also depend on how often you fished.

It was also much more convenient to dry dock because I didn't have to pack up everything completely each time, all I had to do was take down the rods and put on the cover.  

 

The downside is your boat isn't at your home so you can't work on it between trips and there might be security issues depending on the area.  You also have towing issues, ie. slower speeds, flat tires, more stressful driving, ect. .  The larger the boat the more problems.

 

I towed for years and then dry docked for a few.  Now I keep her in a slip and wouldn't want to go back to towing every trip.

[EKoselny]

I used to trailer my boat for a few years, and now I am in a slip at a marina. Being in the water makes it so much easier to get and use the boat, whether fishing or just taking the family out swimming. I would never trailer the boat to just go out for a few hours, but now that its in a slip I can get to the boat and fish for a few hours and then head back in. My big issue with keeping it in the water is I did not have bottom paint on the hull and it gets covered in all sorts of crap throughout the year. Takes a long time to clean the hull at the end of the year.

[Shakemsam]

The word "storing" leads me to wonder if you are asking about winter storage?

 

[JLK]

All year round actually. 

I used to have a 27' boat kept all year at a yacht club. Sold it in 2013 and was boatless until last year when I bought a 14' boat now in my garage.

I've concluded the 14' works fine on small bodies of water but is too small for what I like most, being out on Lake Ontario. .

 

Keeping a boat in the garage has it's charms, but I'm not sure anything that will fit in a 20'x10' garage will actually provide satisfaction on great lakes. a 16 ft boat doesn't really seem much bigger than a 14. The garage door is 8' wide. Some boats are so beamy that I might have to grease the boat to slide it in. 

 

I could squeeze a slightly larger boat into the driveway, but it's a four car ( 2x2) driveway that already has 3 cars in it so space there is still limited, maybe a 19' or 20' boat with motor & trailer tongue fitting in behind one of the cars.

 

Gas and time to the local launch ramp is negligible, it's a 6 minute drive. 

 

Seems life is full of compromises.