Portable Boat Storage Garages

Hey All,

My boat does not fit really well in my garage and I am thinking to get one of these:

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=ShelterLogic_All_Weather_Storage _Shelter_14W_x_32L_x_12H_Round_Style_gray&r=view&i =30827&aID=

Does anybody on the board have experience with one of these. My main concern is Wind! Here in Southern California we have a couple times of year a condition call the Santa Anna's which are 50mph winds that blow from the desert. Does the anchoring systems work well with this thing or do I need to enhance it somehow?

I have a buddy who goes camping all the time and has one that has removeable sides. It's super sturdy and works great. When he's not using it for storage it makes an awesome shade/tent for camping out here in the desert at the lake. His stays up in the wind, but I don't know about 50MPH though.

One of my friends had a cheaper one for his boat. It did a good job of keeping the sun off the the boat but the best thing about it made a great Kite!!! After one storm we found it about 50 yards away hanging in the trees. Best thing I ever saw because he wanted me to buy one too.

But the one on Overtons looks alot better.

We have a similar one the peak style though and we use it year round. Ours has lasted 3 years so far and it handles snow really well but I don't think you need to worry about that.

To anchor ours instead of buying their system we made our own out of scrap metal that we buried a few feet deep then attached to a cable. The thing does not move if you properly anchor it.

Kyle,

How big is your system and how many anchors did you use. Do you get a lot of wind in your area during certain times of the year?

Ours is the same as this model and believe it or not it fits my nautique but getting it out is a little tough sometimes. We have 8 anchors one every 5 feet and as far as wind its not in an open field its near some trees but we've never had any problems. When its properly anchored its very solid and will not move.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=ShelterLogic_All_Weather_Storage _Shelter_12W_x_20L_x_8H_Peak_Style_gray&r=view&i=3 2347&aID=

(Message edited by skier12 on June 06, 2007)

If you were really concerned about it with standing the winds you could put a fence around the outside of it. That would block the wind pretty well.

does yours have doors at both ends? The one I am looking at supposedly has a 10' high door at each end which I am hoping I can just drive the boat thre with the tower up. How hard was it you put yours up? were the instructions good or can you give me some advise that the instructs dont cover

Ours only has the one door and we only store our boat in there for the winter. With the 10' door you should be able to get the boat in with tower up, depends on the boat I guess. The assembly was very straight forward might be more of a pain with your larger style(bigger ladder). Other than that the only thing is you have to keep tightening it because the material will stretch for a week or two.

I just set this up about two months ago.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90420

It wasn't too hard to set up. Just have someone help you. Too hard to do it by yourself.

I didn't use the anchors they sell. I bolted 2 x 6 pressure treated wood to the concrete driveway then lagged the shelter to that.

I get alot of wind sometimes and the only thing I had to do was keep both ends open so the wind passes thru.

I have a Sanger V215 with the tower and it clears just perfect.

they suck if you live in a windy place like me, always windy out at my house, I have had two of the tarp set ups and I will never buy another one again, after the 3rd month they start to leak and rip.
Now if you live in a calm place I am sure they would last longer, but If you live in a windy place forget it.
Going with the metal one next, If I don't build a garage first..

it's more expensive, but I've got this one. It has the option of adding side panels and/or a back panel to enclose it further.

http://www.versatube.com/carports-shelters/

oh, and mine is anchored, no wind issues whatsoever. Ballpark $1,500 though if I remember correctly...

tommy, I saw that one but when I contacted the dealer for the same size as the one from Overtons is was about $3K for the thing. The one that Bill posted looks interesting but it is only 24', wonder if it has the same quality as the overtons which is twice as mucH

Harbor Freight also has a 32 footer.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90419

Looks to be the same as Overtons, but cheaper.

I checked out different companies and the freight was a killer. I paid less than $80 for freight from Harborfreight.

Bill,

I wish I spoke with you earlier. The one I ordered from OVERTONS already shipped. I could have save some money!

http://www.abristempo.com/en/Produit_double.asp

You might be able to get something cheaper from here in Canada.

They hold up really well in big wind




should have took a pic when it was 20ft up in the tree, notice the cement pier blocks that flew up and over the boat and into the back yard lol

I would have thought the canopy would have ripped before it took flight? I have this one 12' X 26' http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200312375_200312375
and you can buy the enclosure kit for $95

I live in a very windy area. We see these things ripped up and thrown over all the time. About once every 2 months you'll be driving down the road and see one that looks like the picture above. And this is all sub 50mph winds. 30-40s will do it.

These things have FAR more surface area than many small airplane's wings. When I used to race you'd see dust devils (super mini tornados) go through the pits. They'd lift these them up and throw them, sometimes taking 200lbs tool boxes with them.

If you want it to hold up to 50mph, you best place it in a protected location (between house and trees for instance) and pour a concrete foundation. Further, I'd strap it to the boat during wind storms. A couple straps from the tower to the top, then from the trailer to the sides, it's really important to keep the leading edge from gaining lift. Not sure, but it seems like it'd be wise to take the sides down during heavy wind storms.


(Message edited by yosquire on June 11, 2007)

50 MPH wind speeds gives you about 6.5 lb per square foot loading. That's about 2500 pounds of load. (for a 12X32 sidewall) If you get a three second gust above that you've got a great deal more load. The force goes up by the square of the speed.

(Message edited by rallyart on June 11, 2007)

Bob,

yours is one from Shelter Logic. I am getting the dome version with the enclosure. How well is yours holding up in the wind?

Leonard I took it down before winter last year while the boat had the regular cover on it. It was only up for a few months. Living in florida we know abouts winds. If any type of wind is expected I would add extra straps to the trailer/boat in addition to the ground anchors. Any tropical storms would prompt a tear down and storage of the canopy, of course.