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Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:45 am
by lpmcrags
I always loved wood boats & now I own one. A 1956 17' Sportsman, Now how do I store it, safely in Michigan.
I plan on storing in a heated 55 degrees building. I am very concerned about the humidity & the stress on the wood and I have heard of several ways to keep the wood from drying out. I have heard of putting upholstery foam under the trailer & keeping it damp with water. I am also considering building a 2x4 structure like a small garage & covering it with shrink wrap then putting a humidifier inside to keep the humidity at 40%. Any ideas would be appreciated. Larry Peters, Lady-B-Wood

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 4:20 pm
by Captain Nemo
I am of the opinion that closing up a wood boat in a shed and adding humidity for the sake of trying to keep a boat swelled up is an exercise in futility and can cause other problems, (mold, rot). My practice has always been a semi-enclosed shed with a gravel floor.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:55 pm
by tkhersom
AMEN!

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:40 am
by Greg Wallace
It would take 100% humidity to duplicate the moisture the bottom is exposed to while in the water and totally tight so you likely will not prevent hull plank shrinkage. Humidity control while stored , however, can go a long way toward mitigating "dry out" and can especially help to prevent the topsides from openning up.

Be carefull not to creat condtions that would promote rot (temperature and high humidity). Un heated and non paved buildings can be the best and where you are would be fine, but I have been very successful with concrete floors in just spraying water under the boat and leaving a pan or two of water in the bilge.

Your 40% humidity target sound pretty close to me

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:09 am
by Thommyboy
Do not put the boat in a heated space. Unheated, gravel or dirt floor is best.

Andreas

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:56 am
by John DeVries
Something else to consider would be to remove as much upholstery and flooring as possible. The idea is to provide air circulation to the bilge. I've read several times that dry rot's best friend is stale air. Carrying this a step further, I've also read of owners who put fans with timers in the bilge so that there will be an hour or so of circulation every day for the duration of the storage.

John DeVries

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:45 pm
by lpmcrags
I appreciate all the comments. I have decided to store in unheted on gravel, not many of those to choose from.
Thanks for your help. Larry

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 6:18 am
by tkhersom
Good choice!

Sponge the bilge dry and you should be in great shape.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 1:52 pm
by Jasmine45
Hi Larry - are you in the metro Detroit area? If so, I can recommend a good indoor storage place.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 11:54 am
by iamallthumbs
I wouldn't get too hung up on the need to store a boat on gravel instead of concrete. Concrete has less porosity than coarse gravel and can wick up more moisture from the underlying soils, all things being equal. Of course a plastic layer under the concrete changes the game. If the underlying soils are dry, it will not matter if the floor is concrete or gravel.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:27 pm
by Don Vogt
I vote with. tommy boy on this one.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:26 pm
by NOT Firewood
Wow makes me rethink building a heated garage for my Skiff

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 8:12 pm
by tkhersom
NOT Firewood wrote:Wow makes me rethink building a heated garage for my Skiff
Only time a wood boat wants to be in a heated building is to be worked on, otherwise they dry out way too fast and too much. :cry:

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:21 am
by NOT Firewood
On the bright side if I don't build a garage now I have these $$$$$ to buy another boat :lol:

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 1:40 pm
by maritimeclassics
If you are in Northern Lower Michigan I can help we have storage. Maritime Classics 503-490=7031

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:02 pm
by mfine
NOT Firewood wrote:Wow makes me rethink building a heated garage for my Skiff
Just put a large kiddie pool in the heater garage and let it float all winter. No worry about need for swelling come spring, and if you build the garage and pool big enough, you can even drive it around a bit when the wife isn't home.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:19 pm
by tkhersom
mfine wrote:
NOT Firewood wrote:Wow makes me rethink building a heated garage for my Skiff
Just put a large kiddie pool in the heater garage and let it float all winter. No worry about need for swelling come spring, and if you build the garage and pool big enough, you can even drive it around a bit when the wife isn't home.
If we are going to extremes you could remove the hardware and engine, then sink her to the bottom. :wink:
I have actually heard of this being done with wood row boats. :shock:
mfine's way sounds like a lot more fun. How about an indoor lake! :D

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:29 pm
by tkhersom
NOT Firewood wrote:On the bright side if I don't build a garage now I have these $$$$$ to buy another boat :lol:
Of course that means you will need more $$$$$$$ for a bigger garage, but since you won't need a heating system or concrete floor you may have that covered all ready.

It is a vicious cycle, but OH so much fun. :mrgreen:

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:22 pm
by whamm511
My Grandfather, raised on Lake Superior's Munising Bay, told me they always swamped the rowboats for two or three days at the start of the season to swell them up. Over the winter they left them sitting in an unheated shed or maybe even turned upside down on a pair of oars outside. These were the ordinary working folks boats not the 'Summer Folk' who had boat houses.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:47 pm
by 55sportsman
I am storing mine indoors for first time and want to make sure I'm doing it right. I have a 17' Sportsman on a trailer in a non heated garage. Should I keep the canvas waterline cover on it or take it off and let her breathe. Also, I had it drained and fogged at local Marina. Do you add a additive to the fuel tank?
Thanks!
Chris

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:08 am
by tkhersom
Yes add a fuel stabilizer to the gas. Star Tron seems to be one of the most popular brands here in the northeast. For future reference, put your fuel stabilizer in with before your last use. This way it gets into the fuel lines and carburetors.

In the northern states, where freezing is sure to occur, you will want to sponge the bilge dry. After doing so I than leave all the hatches open to let the air flow and dry the bilge more. (my Dad used to put a fan in the bilge for about a week, I don't bother with that step) Once the bilge is dry you can cover the boat if you want. The cover will help keep dust off, but again make sure the bilge is dry first. :D

A thought for the spring. If you have updraft carbs and your marina used a fair amount of fogging oil you may need to use a rag to sop up any excess oil from the elbow after the choke plate before she will start.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:21 am
by Jim Godlewski
55sportsman wrote:I am storing mine indoors for first time and want to make sure I'm doing it right. I have a 17' Sportsman on a trailer in a non heated garage. Should I keep the canvas waterline cover on it or take it off and let her breathe. Also, I had it drained and fogged at local Marina. Do you add a additive to the fuel tank?
Thanks!
Chris
I cant really comment on the canvas cover since our boat doesn't have one, I just keep a loosely fitted dust cover on it in the garage and all is good. Here are other things I do...
Make sure any water that may be left in the bilge is removed.
Remove the battery and keep it on a trickle charger.
Stuff something that fits tight into the exhaust pipe to keep campers out.
Jack up the trailer to get the tires off the ground and reduce tire pressure.
(I like to take care of the trailer tires for those long hauls)
And yes, I add some fuel stabilizer. Amount of fuel left in the tank is debatable... I like to get it close to full. Seems to work for me.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:59 am
by tkhersom
Jim Godlewski wrote:
55sportsman wrote:I am storing mine indoors for first time and want to make sure I'm doing it right. I have a 17' Sportsman on a trailer in a non heated garage. Should I keep the canvas waterline cover on it or take it off and let her breathe. Also, I had it drained and fogged at local Marina. Do you add a additive to the fuel tank?
Thanks!
Chris
And yes, I add some fuel stabilizer. Amount of fuel left in the tank is debatable... I like to get it close to full. Seems to work for me.
Jim I am with you on this IF you can get ethanol free gas.

Trust me, if you ever have to drain a whole tank of fuel, rebuild carbs, flush fuel lines, and of course lose out of precious boating time because the ethanol separated and contaminated your entire fuel system (even though you used stabilizer), you will be preaching a different sermon. :wink:

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:14 am
by evansjw44
I store outside in MI. I have a big canvas tarp and a steel tube frame to hold it up. It beats paying $500-600 a year for shrink. Besides, the boat likes having lots of fresh air circulating. As for fuel, I store with as little fuel in the tanks a possible. I want just enough fuel to get to the fuel dock in the spring. Mostly, I don't want the weight of 140 gallons of fuel hanging during the winter. Of course, that means playing fuel tank roulette in the fall. I have to make sure I have enough for a few hours out on th elake and enough to get to the marina to winter store.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 1:51 pm
by Don Vogt
I think most trailers have bunks that extend all the way past the transom of the boat. In that case, I am not sure that gas weight would be an issue? as far as gas is concerned, I believe the main issue with a less than full tank is the potential for water condensation on the inside of the tank. That is why I keep mine full. We do have a "hidden" fuel filter under the storage bin, so that will to some extent deal with any water in the gas line (and is acceptable at tahoe), but there would still be the problem of the effect of water on the tank, perhaps. Although generally a purist, i do think a fuel filter is a must to protect the engine. Also we have access to premium unleaded non-ethanol fuel, that not only burns cleaner than regular gas, and eliminates the ethanol separation problem. I think the more one follows some of these guidelines, the less likely one is to encounter problems down the road.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2015 12:08 pm
by mfine
Ethanol is a game changer. It actually helps absorb moisture to a point, but then it separates.

Non-ethanol fuel, store filled with high octane premium fuel to avoid moisture from any air space from building up condensation.

If you have ethanol in the fuel, store as close to empty as possible. Ethanol is added as a non-lead knock inhibitor. Besides the separation issues, it also evaporates faster than the other compounds in the fuel and by spring your fuel may not have anywhere close to the octane rating it had when new. Even if a bit of condensation gets into your tank over winter, a fresh tank full of E-10 should absorb it in the spring. There is more potential for corrosion in the tank over the winter, but I think the risk is low compared to the problems and expense of a full tank going bad.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2015 6:08 pm
by ClassOf56
I am lucky in that the local gas dock sells Valvetech marine fuel at a reasonable price. It is all I will use. It already has the stabilizers in it, no ethanol, keeps the internals clean and runs great. I have started using it for my lawn mowers, outboards, snow blowers, etc. pretty much anything other than the cars. Even cars that don't get run much get the Valvetech. It's good stuff.

If you go to their website, they have a 'finder' that will tell you who sells it locally.

http://www.valvtect.com/marineFuelGasoline.asp

Reviving this Stale Thread: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:28 pm
by North Woody
I just bought a 1936 19’ Runabout for our lake home up in Northern Wisconsin where it will live year-round. For winter storage I plan to keep it in one of the garages on our property which I had planned to heat this Fall. However, reading all of this is making me think that we may be better off leaving the garage unheated if I want to store the Runabout there. So as a newbie in the wooden boat ownership club, I’d really appreciate it if you guys can set me straight on the following questions:

1) Our upper garage is an unheated, concrete floor garage (where we leave our snowmobiles). Is there anything special that I would have to do to store my Runabout there for the winter?
2) If we do heat that garage (a project that I had planned but not yet executed), we would keep it at roughly 55 degrees. So would that cause the drying out problems that are noted in this thread? Or is there an ideal temperature or humidity level to focus on?
3) Would I be better off if I simply found an unheated, gravel-floor garage to store the Runabout?

Thanks in advance for your sage advice on this!

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:42 pm
by Don Vogt
answer no. 3 is correct. if you can remove loose seating, etc. to promote air circulation inside the boat, that is great too. leaving the cover on is not a problem. bilge should be dry for storage. Steve can winterize for you or advise you of the things to do.

Re: Inside storage in Michigan

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:04 pm
by Captain Nemo
I agree on answer #3. Ventilation is key, a semi enclosed shed is best.
Looking back through this thread I guess I already said that. :roll: