DIY Boat Specific Garage

How many of you have built your own "boat specific" garages? Not subcontracted out - but built yourself - on the "cheap". Im getting ready to do this myself and I'm looking for some ideas. (Some may call it motivation...)
Pics? Drawings? Budgets? Time Frames?
I wont want to put the tower down - and I dont want the random cat wandering in...

Big Fans, board rack height shelving, Wall mounted shop vac, and neoprene hangers are the first things that come to mind.

Build it long enough that if you upgrade to a longer boat later on it will still fit with the platform and trailer tongue. If I ever build one its going to be about 30 feet long. High Ceilings and a door high enough to never have to lay the tower down. The board rack height shelving is a good idea. I would also get a 10-12 foot wide door to allow plenty of room backing in.

I would make sure that it had a heated and air conditioned loft so that if I ever get married and my wife figures out much I spent on the boat and wakeboarding in general I would have a nice place to sleep. Better yet, a nice place for her to sleep...

I am also starting to look into this if the house i buy doesnt have a large shop already. I am looking to buy 2 acres so land of the shop.

Pics are always great. Show your stuff gents

New here guys. Topic sparked my interest. In the process of building mine.

20 x 28 with a loft/storage upstairs. Compromised on the door and went with an 8 foot tall x 16 wide door. Tower will definitely have to fold but will fit under the door. 4" to spare.

Total cost right now and really basic will come in at just under 11k with the only contracted out work being the pad and the trusses. The pitch of the roof will match the house(12/12) and I bought the same insulated garage door and windows to match as well (although single hung and not lowE glass). The door is insulated however with plans to heat and insulate the entire structure later

Pad was poured last week and we got one wall kind of up (still have to finish framing the windows) before a 2 day rainstorm. Hope to have it complete enough to move the boat in prior to the end of the year when my storage lease runs out.

Here is a pic if it uploads.

If you have the room, pull through with doors at both ends. Electrical outlets about every six feet, at about 42" off floor. Plenty of fluorescent lighting, switched to have only some or all on. 220V circuit just in case. Hose bib, or laundry type sink. Room for drill press, compressor, roll away tool chests etc., heavy duty workbench type counter with vice, lots of storage shelves, and of course a refrigerator! If you're really tricking it out, heat and AC. And something I've always wanted in my man cave, a urinal!

Have fun, and keep us posted with your progress. Building a garage takes you back to building a fort, or tree house when you were a kid!

We just finished this for storing our boats during winter. Go big or go home!!
60 x 120, drive through doors(16 x 12) on each side

WOW Bill that thing is HUGE! I would assume all the money would be in the slab in a place that size?

Soda - I like the ramp up idea, but wont that pitch the boat thru the door at an angle - increasing your door height requirement?

Keep em coming - I like the board rack height shelving idea. I was planning on a Big Ass Fan (literally the name of the company) for the top.

42'X64'x14' 12' doors, outlets every 8', floor drains and water , air compressor ,full work shop in rear heated section. I always dreamed about pulling the whole rig in at the end of the day. Now my tow vehicle never gets disconnected from the boat until the end of season.

[IMG]http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/supranauti031.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/barn001.jpg[/IMG]

It will, but I have enough clearance. I didn't realize how steep my back yard is until we formed it up, but the ramp is 20 feet long so it isn't terribly steep. Trust me that thought has crossed my mind...

If I had my way I would have a taller building too, but the only way I could get this built was to incorporate storage for the wife as well. I don't have the footprint to go too much longer or wider (plus city code requires a variance for anything over 600 square feet. My original design was 4 foot longer, which required the variance and I didn't want to wait for all the red tape. I still have over 3 feet with the platform on and the tongue not folded. I could move up to a 23 footer in the future but not much more than that.

Building would have looked way out of proportion if I had built it tall enough to leave the tower up. Plus I really couldn't do the pole barn thing. Brother had a 30 x 50 and it was sweet. Just back the whole rig in and keep it hooked up all the time.

These other buildings make me feel somewhat inadequate..

(Message edited by sodaksooner on November 18, 2009)

Even if you can't get the boat through the garage door with the tower up, being able to fully raise the tower once inside the garage would be huge. Our gagage ceiling is 10' which is about 3" shy of the tower height. I still raise the tower most of the way when inside the garage but have to resort to some redneck contraption to keep it there.

Nice garages here guys. Most important thing to me was having doors large enough where the tower doesn't need to be folded down.

I've added to my shop quite a bit since these pics. Insulation, shelving, rack for boards & vests, stereo, and large beer fridge.






(Message edited by aarond0083 on November 18, 2009)

Oh yeah, one more important thing I added is plumbing with hot water. A must have as well.

How about some ideas on things you should add in as you are building.

1. A power outlet above the boat
2. A wall mounted vacume either above or becide the boat.
3. Air tool lines above the boat.
4. Speakers in and around the garage.
5. Tv or Sat cable for Tv's the wire is cheep and if you don't add Tv's no big deal but it's super easy to add when you are building.

2 Thing's I wish I would have done when I re-did my garage.

#1 I was thinking about how cool it would be to have a floor mounted drain and a water hook up so that you could hook your boat up to the fake a lake and run your boat inside your garage.
#2 A boat lifting system. I wish I would have made and installed some sort of I beam inside the garage that would have allowed me to take my boat off the trailer via the lifting hook's

you need a urinal as well. One of my bros has one in his garage and it is awesome.

Grant, it is also fairly simple to install ducting that you can connect to your exhaust flanges to dump water and fumes outside of your garage. Safer and cleaner.

Oh yea, and a boatshow style stair case to walk on and off of the platform.

Im thinking 25 x 30 or 35 x 14. Everyone seems to have roll up doors - are they all powered? Or chain? Anyone do a swing out style barn door? I do intend to have power, but would like to save for other accessories.
I dig the simple ideas - power above the boat - shelves at or above boat level - any thing to keep from climbing in and out!
Urinal - really cool idea in a subdivision, but on 400 acres I dont mind hangin out under the stars.

That reads funny -
25 x 30 x 14
or
25 x 35 x 14

Powered can doors are the answer but they be expensive. Nice thing is they roll into themselves unlike a standard door which blocks lighting, electrical, etc. A buddy has those with insulated blankets that drop down to cover in the winter.

Alan, that's a great idea with the walk on platform. There's nothing I hate more then having to remove my shoes on the ground and then climb up the platform when loading gear (what a PITA). In the next couple of years I plan on building at least a 2 bay shop with big roll up doors, room for a fridge, possible pool table (basically a mans room). Also, in the second bay, have a pit where I can get under the tow rig to change oil and other stuff. Keep the ideas coming cause I'm making a list.

Moon

I know a customer that actually dug a hole for his, so his boat goes into the garage and down. Then all the way around the boat he poured cement so the cement is level with his fenders and swim platform, I'm sure it cost $$$$.

The cement around the boat is level with the rest of the garage floor so he just walks over to the boat and steps down in, similar to getting in boat from the dock.

Nice guys..! If I had any one of those I'd hope my wife kicked me out of the house

My uncle built a storage building for his boat and toys and wanted to put a drain for washing them and a fake-a-lake etc. He had a lot of issues with the city regulations on the draining system and filtration. Something to think about anyway for future builders.

The exhaust drain Alan is talking about sounds like the way to go for flushing salt. Ive always washed my fleet at the carwash to avoid environmental issues.