Boat Garage Construction - Need Ideas

I know we covered this in extreme detail a while back, but that thread has since rolled off the radar. I'm now building a garage to hold my Wakesetter LSV. Since I'm going through the trouble, I'm also going to make it a double garage and probably throw a guest house on it as well. I'm thinking the garage will be about 30 feet deep and 20 fee wide.

Anyway, everyone had some really good suggestions for features to include in a new garage setup. Let's hear them again. Thanks.

Some simple convenience items that made a world of difference in my shop:

-Fluorescent light right over boat.
-Retractable extension cord within reach while in boat.
-Wall mount adjustable mirror to see when hitch is perfectly lined up with boat when backing in.
-Small hand vac plugged in on wall mount that is accessible from inside boat.
-Wakeboard racks on wall also accessible while inside boat.
-10' pipe hanging from rafters over boat to hang vests and gear to dry out on.
-Spare fridge pre stocked with drinks and bags of ice to toss quickly into boat cooler.

Just add in an electric door opener on a door that is tall enough to keep your tower up and you can be hitched up, loaded with gear, and out the door in a matter of seconds.

How about a floor drain for all the water to flow out of the garage from washing or draining the boat.

I suggest a ceiling fan to help dry out the boat.

I second the ceiling fan idea. I have one in my boat garage. I'm going to have to look into the mirror idea, I like that alot. I also have a bouy hanging from the ceiling. Once it makes contact with the boat's windshield I know it is in and I can stop.

Dehumidifier to dry out the boat, it works better than the fan. Dave, how about like 55' long by 14' wide with a 10'x 10' door. That way you can back the boat and the truck into the same stall, and leave them connected. The garage on my new house has a tandem stall for the boat. Unfortunately, with a walk out basement, I couldn't go back any further than I did. I ended up a 41'5" deep, 14' wide, with an 8'x10' door. My convertible fits behind the boat, but the truck won't. Grand total, I ended up with almost 1,100 square feet in garage space, and I still don't have enough.

The best setup that I have seen was a garage that was deep enough that the owner could park his truck with boat attached inside. It had roll up doors on both ends so he could drive through. His garage is huge... his boat is a 38' Fountain and he pulls it with a F-450 dually.
He also has room for his motorhome in the other bay...

I will have all the things Shawn wrote above plus:
Shelf and small hoist for 55gal fuel drums to pull out of truck and use for gravity feed.

Roof Trusses are designed/engineered to hold the load of the boat lifted off trailer for buffing boat or working on trailer.

Steel Frame design allows easy expansion to 40ft later. Building is now 30 x 56 I want the 40ft rv section so I can leave the truck hooked up.

Concrete poured for drainage in RV section, Flat in shop section. Floor Painted and clear coated.

Here's the list I started when that last thread was posted.

paint floor
ventilation
fan
good lighting
6" curb around floor
drain slope
drive through
sink
toilet
outlet above boat
tower clearance
basketball goal

These are some great suggestions. At this point, I'm mostly interested in things that I have to incorporate into the construction process, such as the drainage in the floor suggested earlier (although I don't think that's legal in California). Plus, I don't think I want to make it much longer, since it seems pretty huge as it is. Storing the truck next to the boat is not a big deal for me.

How high should I make the ceiling? What kind of storage/attic space would work well? What about ventilation? How does a dehumidifier work? Any special doors?

Also, I'm not sure I want to go with the non-standard look of an extra tall door to fit the boat with the tower up. I'll have to get some drawing on that to see what it will look like. I have a Titan, so dropping it down is a piece of cake, buy who knows what I'll have in the future. Can you let me know the heights of your boats from the ground with the tower up?

If anyone has pics of their garage, post them. I want to see some of these ideas too!

You guys are far too serious and spend too much time on your boats. Using this basic assumtion I would reccomend making the garage as comfy for you as your boat. When the little lady kicks you out for spending more time on the boat then on her, you'll want - beer fridge, microwave, fold out couch, internet connection (your pals at wakeworld will want to stay in touch), TV, sound system, etc

Not my boat, or garage. But it definitely works. It sure is nice parking without lowering the tower, or covering the boat.


(Friend's boat, parents' garage).

Dave, I am in the beginning stages of building a carport for my boat that can be converted to a garage at a later date. I have the same concerns you do with the non-standard look of a huge garage door, but I think it is necessary. I have way too much on my tower (speakers, lights, etc.) to be constantly taking it down and back up a few days a week. I think the convenience far outweighs the eyesore.

The top of my tower is 12 feet and I am going to make the headwall at 13 feet. I also am building permanent stairs to get up to the attic. With the pitch of the roof, we figure we will be close to 20 feet at the very top, but I will have a huge attic to store everything that will be 6 feet tall. I am going for a 24 x 30 garage. I want to have enough room on the sides for cabinets, work bench, racks, whatever.

I also plan on electricity, hot and cold water, and lots of other fun things to add to it. The retractable electric cord and compressor hoses will be very useful.

The dehumidifiers that work best are like this:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=21504

They take the moisture out and circulate warm, dry air. I just use one and rotate it around the boat as needed to dry the carpet out.

Dave,
I have a 8'high door with 10' ceiling so I have ot lower my tower when I take the boat out and when I put it away but I stand the tower back up in the garage. I was going ot put a 10' high door on the garage but the price of the door wasn't economacial. My garage is 30' deep x 25' wide with attic trusses upstairs so all my storage is upstairs. If you want more details then email me.

Allen}

Assuming you will be putting in a guest house with the garage you will need all the standard utilities in the garage. Heat, water, sewege, electric. Keep in mind that the guest house will increase your cost greatly. I you put a decent pitch into the roof then you could easily build a nice place in the attic.

Note on demension. 30 feet deep is good. I would make the garage approx 26' wide at the least. This way you could have two 10x10 doors. a boat and truck side by side will be extremely tight in a 20' wide garage.

The 10 ft celing is critical so you can stand up in the boat with out hitting your head. With 10ft you dont feel like your in a garage, it feels more like a shop.

here's mine from the street, it's tucked back pretty good. Has the 10 ft. door.

Here's a picture of my pops garage. It looks big but we are pressed for room.

Here is my setup. 23x23. The Boat side is open on 3 sides and is fully open above the boat so you can stand up inside the boat without banging your head.

On the right is a small office in front and a workshop in back. There is a loft above the office accessable through the shop or by standing in the boat.

One of the main things to consider is how it will look with your house. It needs to be in proportion with your lot and complement your house.

It ought to be able to serve a varity of applications. The next guy who buys your house shouldn't say- "Hey nice Malibu wakeboard boat house."

i believe california has certain regulations about garage length. so at the very minimum make it long enough to not have to pull the tongue out.

Dave,

Use concrete guys that you know, or that will work with you. When you call in you pre-pour inspection, you have no drain or plumbing apparent. Before the pour, install the drain. It's relatively simple. When the guys do the flatwork, have them put some foam, cardboard, or some other thin material over the drain, and then skim the concrete over it. Leave your drain covered until your final inspection is done, and then a regular hammer will break it out. Simple and easy. It is legal to have a drain in your garage everywhere, as long as you have a separator, which are very expensive, so my way works just fine, and is much cheaper.