boat in garage = pain in butt

Pain-in-the-butt weekend project:

With the weather getting cold and rainy I had to find some way to get my boat indoors...plus I'm not a big fan of potential thieves getting their sticky fingers in there. So I measured several times and discovered I had just enough room in my garage if I removed the hitch and swim platform. I also have a small nook that I needed to align with. By the way, the garages they build in some houses are very tiny nowadays...kinda odd since the last time I looked, cars aren't getting any smaller.

Pain-in-the-butt #1 came with the fact that the boat had to go in bow first. My driveway is on a slight up-slope so no way of pushing this big lug. So I drilled a hole in the garage slab and put in a concrete screw at the back of the garage. Used this to wench off of and slowly pull the boat in...and it was REALLY slow since the closest thing I had to a come-along was those big yellow trailer straps. And I couldn't use the boat wench because of problems associated with Pain-in-the-butt #2.

Pain-in-the-butt #2 is that the boat trailer is a tandem axle. I had to have almost perfect alignment coming into the garage, but I wasn't able to get the trailer to turn because the tires would bind trying to go sideways on the concrete. So several times I had to block the tires on one side of the trailer...wench the crap out of it until the tires were all bound up, and then go around and jack up each of the tires to get them to come loose so the trailer would rotate.

Pain-in-the-butt #3 was that it was pouring rain outside and I had to start with the boat out on the driveway since that was the closest I could get to the garage and still get my car out of the way.

Pain-in-the-butt #4 was the fact that my garage was a mess and packed full of anything and everything you could think of. Well the stuff had to go somewhere, so it looks like I won't be having company over for awhile since my living room and dining room are now acting as storage units.

Nice boat!

where there's a will, there's a way.. good job, but definitely a pain in the butt... how often will you put your boat in andout of the garage? or is it just for the winter???

Winter only...and this is the last time I will ever do this. I'm building a detached garage over the coming months.

my driveway has a very steep upslope, and i back the boat up it. You just have to install wheels on the bottom of your trailer. You may want to consider, makes it much easier. I also had a total of 6 inches of space in the garage of my last house, including both front and back. after a while you get pretty good at getting it in there pretty quickly. You can see the wheels on the back of the trailer, as well as the slope I back my trailer up in this pic...

I take it you're not going wakeboarding this next weekend?

Tommy - good idea...but that wasn't why I couldn't back it in. Bow had to go forward into the space between my water heater and furnace.

I feel your pain. We did that last week. Good news is that I am getting REALLY good at driving the Suburban into the garage with 4" on the boat side and 1" on the side with the beam support!

does your trailer have surge brakes? Did you have to remove the brake line to get the tongue off?

Druffel
How funny, I am doing the exact same thing this weekend, I have the wife and the kids going through everything that is there, throw it a way or put it a way in there bedroom, what a mess, my garage is the same type as yours, I have measured mine 10 times now and I know it will just barely make it. This will have taken me a total of 4 days to complete, just to clean the garage and put everything a way, I figure if I take my platform and trailer poles & swing the tongue over it will fit.
What a work out........

Druffel, I had to show this thread to my wife to prove to her that someone else is as obsessed as I am. I can hear myself..., "Honey, we don't use the den that much anyway, plus we can see the TV from the kitchen."

Hey, on a practical note, if the boat will be there for a while, there is a lot of room under the trailer. You should be able to tuck some of that stuff away.

I am so happy to see that I am not the only one with a really cluttered garage!!! I am working on my boat ten project this week...and will posts pics ideally by next Monday!!!

Craig - Yes it has surge brakes. Luckily there was a disconnect fitting built in the line right where the tongue slides out...it was the one part of the process that turned out to be easier than I thought.

I was faced with a similar dilemma. I never thoght my 22' Tige would fit in my garage that is 20'4, even with the tongue pivot and platform off, so the last 2 years I have bit the bullet and paid a ton to store it offsite indoors.

Well, my buddy came over with four wheel dollies and not only were we able to fit it in, we were able to fit it in totally sideways!!! It was a piece of cake jacking up the boat and putting it on the dollies then just pushing it around the garage to make it fit. I was also have a tandem trailer which is a pain to move around, but with the dollies, it was a piece of cake.

Talk about feeling like an idiot!! I wasted over 2 grand on storage when it would fit the whole time. I still have the whole front of the garage to fit all the other crap for the winter.

BUT, I do have a garage that is around 23' feet wide, but even if the garage had been only 20' wide, it would have fit diagonally without issue.

I will post pics if you want to see how it fit sideways........very cool indeed!

Hey Tony,
Don't forget how much it cost you to have the storage place kindly remove your stereo for you!

How was your summer w/ the new system? Hope you got a lot of use out of it.

And to think that I can just pull my whole shibang in and out of my garage without unhooking it.
Sorry guys! Anthem Steel=plenty 'o room.

Fast.. I think I speak for must of us when I say kiss it
Just kidding, I think we're more jealous than anything.

fastfastfast--
Do you have pics of your steel building setup ?

I'm building a new house and I had to add a bsmt garage just to have a place to park the boat. I was sick of having to park my truck outside all winter so the boat would be nice and warm. When its done the boat will be in its own little bomb shelter.

I agree with Tony. I use dollies on my car (when I used to have a garage) and it made it a snap to move the car over.

Something like:

http://www.tireskate.com/

I built this for my boat storage.

Upload Boat storage 4.pdf (75.1 k)

I feel your pain.
I did that one winter, only not that extreme.
That was enough. Added this

Then I got really smart on the new house...

Greg and JTW, Did you guys get permits to put those up? We want to do something just like Greg's.

I won't sugarcoat it no!!!
This is my rental house now, so I'm ok.
If I sell it and there's any question. I can just unledger it for the house and red hot some posts and make it free standing.

If you get along with your neighbors just talk to them about it. As long as its well constructed and your now selling for a while....

I had a smaller carport converted into a garage on my old house. The garage is one of the big reasons I bought the new house. The third car stall is 45' deep, the ceilings are 12' and the door is 10' high. My Super Air clears with the tower up by about 6 inches.

My garage is 22 ft. but my driveway is kinda steep. So I decided to put my 04 X2 in my girlfriends garage which is 23 ft. The one advantage to a single axle trailer is good manueverability. I would not spend this much $$$ on a vehicle without a garage or storage unit.

Good job Druffel, your boat thanks you! Nice Sanger BTW

Hey Ryan!
Stereo worked out better than ever! Once that sub got some hours on it, it hits pretty hard, much more than I really needed! And yes, no worries about someone getting inside over the winter! I will send you a pic of the boat in the garage...

Ken, those are very similar to the ones we used, but we had these real nice ones that have slide on each side of the wheel, then you just jack it up with your foot! Save times from having to get out the floor jack and move it around. Here is a pic....very smooth....

Greg C

That is too funny, believe it or not I had my recent house plans designed around my boat! it will look very similar to the pic you posted, but will not be ready for about 7 months as the bulldozer takes out my existing house tomorrow!!!

deepcove:
It's sooo worth it, you will be happy you did.
People look at you funny when you put so much emphasis on the boat, but hey what can we say its a lifestyle.

Good luck with your new house.....post the pictures of the demo of the old one cool
G

i just put my boat in the garage last night, sucks not having a garage but glad she's out of the rain.

Druffel is obviously not married. ;)

I'm storing my boat offsite for the first time in 10 yrs of owning boats. It's not that bad, but I think my storage is pretty cheap ($90/mo fully enclosed w/ security fence), it's close to the house (10 min drive), and on the way to the lake.

The only thing that sucks about it is not being able to just go outside & fiddle with stuff for 20 min at a time. Other than that, it's nice having it out of the way. The garage on our new place is too small, and no other decent place to put it like a side yard or anything (cul-de-sac lot), so it'd just have to sit in the driveway.

Designing my next house now, and the garage is definately getting special consideration... I want to be able to back the boat and truck in, leave everything hooked up, and just pull out in the morning.

During the summer months, my tow vehicle is just that.. a tow vehicle that never leaves the house without the boat attached.

Druffel,
We all feel your pain. Had to put my boat in the garage bow first in order to fit, cleared by 6". Hot water heater was in the way if I backed in. I'm installing a tankless water heater in the spring and my boat will fit perfectly the garage is 24' deep in one stall

toddkerschbaumer
Why nose in? is it easier than backing in?

Just bought the boat and house in August and now my "baby" feels neglected.

David (aztaco)

You have the perfect storage setup. I have to take my tower up and down and when fully loaded with speakers makes it a pain.

Slightly off topic, but these torsion i-drives make for freeing up headroom clearance. They require a well balanced door and are a little more maintenence (seasonal adjustment), but I like them.

JTW it has been nice just backing it in and then just hanging the damp vests, wetsuits etc. over the tower. Here is a picture standing on the platform looking out the garage. On a side note my driveway is also steep and I would like to add some wheels to my prop cage. The prop guard grinds if I back it in straight or pull it out straight. I though about getting a drop hitch but I like how level the trailer currently rides. Anybody done this yourself? If so is there a bolt on kit you found or did you have to do some welding?

Ken,

Hot water heater was in the way. In NC we have a code that places a steel pole in front of the hot water heater so you don't run into it with your car. you lose about 4' of space. I plan on installing a tankless water heater in the spring. Then I can back the boat in. I was easy getting it in nose first, I just use my Jeep wench to line it up and a buddy to help push it in the rest of the way.

NOT RECOMMENDED! In fact illegal...I took my plasma cutter to the pole in front of the hot water heater. We built cabinets that are the same depth as the hot water heater. The dang poll was in the way. The pole will be saved and with a sleeve can easily be welded or set back into place.

For those of you pulling your boats in nose first, Harbor Freight has some cheap winches that would work great.

This winch works well and for only $40.00. You can buy 1 every year for that price.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43331

(Message edited by sangerlover on November 08, 2006)

WOW, i feel all of your pain, but fortunately i dont have to deal with it each time i pull my VLX out of the garage. It's nice to have a tandem 3 car garage. 46 feet deep and 22 feet wide. Bought the house around the boat. Good luck all and happy boardin'

4 1/2 days later and I got it in with room to spare, and the wife said it couldn’t be done, (cleaning the garage) and getting the boat in.
Before



And After

Now the job of getting all that stuff out of the living room.

It's pretty tight in my garage too. I have a reciever on the front of my Nissan Pathfinder to get it in the garage cause my truck wont turn tight enough.

Ken

Why did you remove your tower? Isn't it the same height as your windshield when you fold it forward?

deepcove
To walk around the front of the boat the tower racks & tower stuck out to far, I didnt want the kids or someone to run into it so I just put it to the side

My boat got broken into, and they stole my amp. It was sitting in my carport at my apartment. They also cut my boatcover (Motherf$%%ers) It can't wait until my house is finished being built, 26 foot garage baby

TommyG,

I have a steep driveway also. Can you provide more detail on: 1) what type of wheels you installed on your trailer, 2)where you got them, and 3) how you installed them? Also, I'm assuming your driveway is like mine - it angles up from the street steeply but once the trailer tires move from street to driveway the prop guard begins to clear. What happens when the wheels hit? How far (inches) do they have to lift the trailer before they clear again. What other problems have you had with them? What should I look out for? What alternatives to installing wheels like yours do I have? Sorry for so many questions.

Much appreciated.

Jim

Jim, I have a Zeiman trailer which came with the steel prop cage rollers. I was putting deep scrapes in my concrete, steep driveway. Anyway I looked into getting these rollers. They are specific for DHM trailers but I found a guy(in my area) who said he would install them. He would just have ti fabricate a mounting plate. I ended up getting a drop tounge for my hitch. Now the wheels hardly touch.
http://www.dhmtrailers.com/online/home.php?cat=161
Board More/Work Less!
J$

Johnny, funny that you mention DHM trailers, those are the guys who did the work on my boat. The Eagle trailer that my boat came with was so much longer than the boat that there was no way I'd get it in my garage. I took it to DHM in Sacramento, and they modified the front of my trailer to allow me to get it in, they also installed a swing-away tongue,and they put the wheels on the back. They did such an awesome job, no one would every know it wasn't stock.

Jim, my wheels end up probably carrying the load of the trailer for maybe three feet, and i have a very steep driveway. If you live anywhere near Sacramento, I would definitely talk to the guys at DHM...it wasn't that expensive, and well worth it...

Ahh- the pain and ultimately the gain of the gargage storage. Here's some of the things I did to make a Sea Ray 200 select fit. I changed a 3 door set up in the front to 2 doors, the big door is 16 feet wide. I added an additional 16 foot door on the backside of the garage so the boat will pass through into the backyard. No it does not go in the pool It also fits inside the garage but only when it is slightly turned sideways. Note the Hurricane bar modification so there's more clearance at the swing arms end and the swing arms hinge bolt was moved to the side you see in the picture which allowed for even more clearance. My driveway is slanted and I have to use a drop hitch (1 inch lower) otherwise the boat would not have cleared the opening height. On a funny note, while doing this project, my neighbor came by and said wow that's a big window (referring to hole I had just cut for the door in the back of the garage-- I laughed and said yes, it's called a garge door. You need permits to do this legally in most areas. More notes, look above the center of the boat at the rafters. You will see another modification that is a hole cut and braced that allows for storage above the boat. We have a vacuum up there and it makes for easy cleaning and having the vacuum out of the way too!

It's much easier to just store the boat in the swimming pool...

I'd hate to be that guys neighbor, but would love to see the play by play getting that hot rod in & out of that pool. kick ass pic though.

Still trying to make room in my garage for the Bu. Thought I would just move the bike now, and I will have just enough room. Hope it fits!

buzz, you need to stop hanging out with billy joel

Buzz, what's up with that pic? That's just wrong.

I don't have room in my garage for the boat...so how bad will it be to store the boat outside for the winter? I have the boat cover on it and a dehumidifier (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/245832/0/0/dehumidifier/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0 ) hooked up inside the boat (I run a power cord to the boat from the house). I am a new boat owner and I live in the rainy North West.

Thanks.
Don

Not to bad just have to remove the tower complete