Drought is affecting a large swath of the United States, and boat owners like yourself are now becoming severely affected. Not only are more marine dangers like rocks becoming an issue as water levels drop, but in some areas you can't even reach the water to begin with. If you find that your favorite boating spots are now nearly gone due to the drought, it's time to put your boat into safe storage, rather than leaving it in a now dry dock.
There's Storing Your Boat....
Technically, if you've got a berth at a dock, you could leave your boat there indefinitely, as long as you have paid for the spot. However, that leaves your boat open to a number of problems. On the less serious side, there's lots of dust and leaves that can get into the boat, and sunlight can make the boat's paint fade.
On the more serious side, bugs can take up residence in the boat -- and in the western United States, that can be a dangerous thing (trigger warning for that link if you hate bugs). Your boat could also fall victim to vandalism.
There's also another issue at play during a drought -- if there's no water at the dock, you might not be able to reach your boat at all. For example, if you leave your boat on a boat lift, and the water level drops, it might drop so much that you can't get the boat off the lift without expensive intervention. So even if you decide that you really do want to put your boat in a storage facility, you might not be able to remove it from the dock, depending on how the dock is set up.
And Then There's Boat Storage
You are much better off having the boat stored in a clean, secure facility. Even if you opt for cheap storage in a lot somewhere, it will be monitored and still secure -- and there will be fewer bugs hiding out because, chances are, there won't be as many bushes and piles of leaves nearby.
Boat storage facilities can be quite nice. They can include indoor, climate-controlled storage for just your boat, or indoor group storage if you don't mind your boat being placed on a rack in a warehouse with other stored boats. The facilities do not have plants in them, which sounds like a strange thing to promote until you consider that plants can harbor spiders and other bugs that like to hide in stationary objects.
Costs vary, so when you decide it's time to officially store the boat, start calling around to see what options exist in your area. Remember that the facility doesn't have to be close to the lake; in fact, you might be able to find better prices if you store the boat farther away. But no matter where you go, good boat storage facilities will be well-lit and clean, and the staff will be happy to answer any questions you have about what the place is like. This is a case where it is worth spending the money to house your boat indoors in storage. Contact a local company, like Epic Group Inc, with any storage questions.
