Quick Tip: Winter Boat Storage

If you’re like me and don’t have an extra garage laying around, or want to pay for indoor storage space you’re relegated to protecting your raft or drift-boat all winter long outside. There are quite a few tips for prepping your boat as well as keeping it ice and snow free, but I’ve recently come up with two more new ideas that have really helped this past winter.

#1. Take a longish, 15 foot or so cam-strap and run it lengthwise from the bow to the stern, attaching it to either your casting bars or tops of the seats.  This creates a pitched roof effect with your tarp or covering (assuming you have one), letting rain, snow and ice melt off much easier then you constantly having to bush it off.

#2. Remove your oar towers if you have them.  If still attached they simply create flat spots on your tarp for snow to collect and puddles to form.

#3. If possible, raise the bow with a permanent fixture by a couple of feet.  This creates angles at which snow, ice, and water almost can’t stick to your cover.  You can build something with 2×4’s and a ball head by yourself or buy this contraption called a Drift Boat Kickstand that bolts on to many trailers. If building it yourself, make sure your boat cannot fall and hurt someone.