Long, long term storage

Need some advice here.

I'm going to have to store my 2005 VLX from October 2006 to about April 2008. The boat is located in central Texas. My options are to leave it in it's current all-enclosed but non-climate controlled storage facilty ($80 per month) or store it under an awning (without walls) at my father-in-law's house for free.

What I really to know is what I should do to the boat prior to putting it in storage for this long.

What I plan to do:
- put the cover on it
- drain the engine block
- disconnect the battery

What I'm wondering is should I:
- drain all the oil?
- take the cushions out?
- put Sta-dri pellets throughout the boat?
- put the drain plugs in or leave them out?
- fill the fuel tank with gas and Stabil or empty the fuel tank?
- Drain any other fluids?
- anything else?

IMO, your better off probably just selling the boat. I don't even think sta-bil will keep fuel stable for that long.

I second Adam...

Sell the boat, invest the money, then buy a new one in '08 and come out with $8500 extra from appreciation!

That's what I'd do at least. It's never good for an engine to sit unused for that long. And it's even worse to tie up money for that long!

My suggestion would be this... If you can't afford to store it indoors for that length of time, do yourself and the boat a favor and SELL IT! There will be boats to purchase in April of 2008...

Otherwise I'd service the boat fully... New fluids all over... Pull the impeller, it will be worthless after sitting in the water pump for that length of time... If your current impeller is good grease it up, put it in a ziplock and keep it. Clean boat FULLY... Take the cushions and clean them throughorly, put each one in a space saver bag and suck the air out... Stay dri pellets are a good idea but I don't know how long they last. They will work great if you can change them out a few times a year... Drain plugs, leave em out... Drain the gas tank, stabil probably won't keep it that long... disconnect the batts and use them for something else. They won't be good in 2008 more than likely... Finally 2 good coats of wax and when you store the trailer, I'd recommend putting it on blocks and taking the weight off the tires, otherwise they will flat spot...

My personal opinion is SELL IT... Unless you are loaded you don't need a boat sitting around for 2 years doing nothing... Hope this helps!

I agree with selling it and buying an 08" but I have lost that arguement. There is a chance that if sell it, when it comes time to buy another one in May 08', I may not have the support of the household CFO to buy another one.

Sell the boat, get rid of the wife, and in 08 buy another boat, find another wife!

Oh yeah you might consider removing the hoses and keeping them indoors so they don't dry rot...

Tell the CFO, that the money being spent on the boat, while NOT being used, will compensate for the new one in '08.

....Pick up an '07, in early '08, for a good price. And, I'm sure BU, will still be using the power wedge.... So, you get an upgrade.

The current storage facility is an all-enclosed, secure, storage facilty. The trailer sits on gravel and it sheltered from the elements. It is not climate controlled though. Storing it in a climate controlled facilty is not an option due to availiblity and cost. It still looks brand new after 18 months in this location so I feel it's ok.

Guys, I'm with you. I ran the numbers and to me it makes sense to sell. But this arguement is one of our top five fights of all time and I really don't want to revisit it.

She even agreed that the numbers MAY support selling it but that I couldn't do it. There's just too much going on right now (buying a house and selling another one) to bring that up again.

If it will get below freezing then you should fully winterize it, then drain as much of the water out as you can.

I would NOT drain the oil.

The battery will be toast by the time you want to use the boat again so you might as well take it out just to be sure nothing bad happens. Disconnect it for sure.

I would empty the gas tank. In fact, I would empty the tank, then run the fuel system dry as you winterize (if temps drop below freezing run an antifreeze through).

I wouldn't bother with the sta-dri pellets. They will be all used up in the first week.

I would leave the cushions in the boat but pulled out from their fitted position. I would have the cover on but with internal supports so that the cover wasn't touching any upholstery, including the sun pad.

If the boat is to be store outside, even under a canopy, then I would leave the plugs out.

You might want to consider jacking the trailer up and setting it on jackstands so that the tires don't take a permanent set or go flat and ruin the sidewalls.

Release the tension on the tie downs.

Bummer. I agree on selling it. Have your wife post here. ;) Now that would be a first!

I guess you're being deployed? Way things have been going there's really no guarantee when you'll be back, is there?

I agree with everything Rod said if you are going to store it. When you leave the cushions out, do not stack them top-to-top, they will mildew. Cover it and leave the plugs out even if inside - the roof could leak.

I'd honestly rather sell it and buy a older/cheaper boat in 08 than store such a nice one for so long.

Do everything mentioned in the post above and spend the $1440 to keep it in the enclosed facility. If it looks brand new for the last 18 months, 18 more wont hurt it much. I think for 18 months under an awning w/ no sides, you will be VERY disappointed with the results. If these are your only options the enclosed storage gets my vote. BTW, your lucky you have the option of not keeping it at your father-in-laws place. I would also pour something like Marvel Mystery Oil or something like it in the tops of the heads. Just ask you local mechanic what he would suggest.

(Message edited by byrd on September 18, 2006)

Trace... if I'm not back by May 08' or even miss one weekend of the 2008 boating season then I'm going to be pissed!

Do you all think I need to put the trailer on blocks if it is sitting on gravel?

I would put it on blocks because you will probably be buying tires when you get back if you dont.

can you get a friend or someone to take it out for you? Maybe have them split costs or soemthing??? Just a thought. It would really suck to come back to a boat after that long and have something major go wrong with it. On top of that, you may lose potential buyers whenever you explain why the boat has such low hours. I persoanlly would not buy a boat that sat for that long. I say sell it now, then when the time comes talk to the "CFO" again. You obviously got her to go for it once.

(Message edited by acurtis_ttu on September 18, 2006)

You guys are core..... We had the engine out of our old boat for 3 years while we re-built the floor. When we were done we put the motor back in, fired it up and went riding. No worries.

Honestly, that's not that long to store a boat. I would definitely store it inside. Do a complete service on it (change all your fluids and impeller), make sure the boat is completely dry inside, clean it all up, fill the gas tank and put it away.

People say fuel goes bad in 6 months, but we start customer cars that have sat dormant for 10 years and, while it isn't recomended, they do run. Making sure the tank is full prevents water intrusion from condensation. Also, running injectors dry and leaving them that way is asking for problems when you go to re-fire. If you're still nervous, then add some fuel stabilizer.

Other than that I wouldn't worry. Who cares about the flat spotted tires. Inflate them to spec and call it good. If they're flat when you come back, then replace them (I doubt they will be). If they are flat spotted you'll get some vibration until you heat cycle them a few times. Modern tires don't have the same problems as old ones. People rarely put cars "up on blocks" anymore.

Keep in mind that a lot of families out there go years without running their boats. As long as you have a clean, dry storage facility without pest problems you will be fine and the boat will be as good as the day you stored it.

Also, you may want to consider having the boat shrink wrapped by your dealer to prevent rodent or dust intrusion.

Good idea adam!!! Where is the boat located?? ill come and use it all year while your gone, and ill make sure it has a full tank when you get back!!! C-Dub

I work in Temple, and I'd be glad to take your boat out after work for you every once in a while. ;)

Seriously, that would be better for it than all the storage prep you could do. It would also nip any problems like rats (which could be VERY bad) or roof leaks in the bud.

I agree with Evan that it's not a REALLY long time. I rebuild motorcycles as a hobby, and frequently fire them up after 10-15 yrs of no use.

If given the choice, I think I would go with draining the gas and running the motor dry as opposed to storing it with gas. If you do leave gas in it, put fuel stabilizer in it, and make sure it gets mixed and goes through the engine. Fogging oil wouldn't hurt either.

Also plug the exhaust outlets to prevent wildlife from making a home in there.

My wife will be here and I'm sure she could find someone to willing to help out every now and then. Save the jokes.

Obvisouly, I'm trying to avoid having maintenance issues when I get back. The thought rust building up on the cylinder walls and hoses dry rotting makes me cringe. There has to be a proper way to prep a boat for this that would result in it being in the same condition as I left it. Just trying to figure that out now.

In addition to everything else posted, penzoil makes a fogging spray that you can inject into the air intake that will coat the cylinder walls to keep the rings from rusting to walls. I have never used it on a boat but we use it in race car engines before we pull them if they are going to sit for a while. Also boat delers out here will wrap your boat with a thick white plastic that goes over top of winter cover. It's like a thick shrink wrap.I had mine done and nothing at all got into it over the winter.

Hope that helps

Sell it and save yourself the headache... i GUARANTEE you will be worrying about the boat far too much during that time period.

If you don't think you will worry let me help... i hope nobody broke into my storage and helped themselves to my boat parts (i.e stereo, etc.). I hope rodents have not nested in my boat. I hope (insert item here) nothing goes wrong from just sitting and not being used. Put away that $80 a month for storage, the monthly payments if applicable and the monthly insurance for the new 08.

I'll look into those. The wife "promises" she will use the boat next summer.

I agree with Evan. This is no big deal. Winterize as normal and have it wrapped. It will be waiting for you on your return.

Jman

PS: I'd much rather buy a boat that has sat unused for a while than to get one that has repeatedly been ridden hard and put up wet.

I would fully winterize the boat per the manual. If you are storing it at the in-laws place, have it shrink wrapped.

If you are storing it at the storage facility, just put the cover on it.

I would put the trailer on jackstands, easier on the tires and harder to steal.

I would fill the fuel tank, add plenty of Sta-Bil, change the oil, fog the intake, drain the block and all cooling hoses, pull the battery, remove the cushions and put them in my house, 303 and wax everything, pull the impeller, spray all metal parts with fogger, air up the tires, spray the internal part of the trailer with fogger, remove the trailer lights so the box sections of the trailer can ventilate internally. This is what I do for 3 months of downtime in TX!

Also, have someone check on it mainly for rodents and insects because mechanically you will be fine.

Edit: Also if you have greasble hubs, lube them!

(Message edited by ronskal on September 19, 2006)

Good points made about Sta-Bil not lasting for the layup period. I still would rather have a full tank of gas to prevent condensation which is worse.

Modern unleaded fuels degrade in octane quickly, so fill her up with premium 91 or 92 octane (easy for me to say, not my $$ !). That way you will have insurance against severe octane loss. Chemically, the fuel will not gum-up in your time frame, especially with Sta-Bil.

I have a friend that has a family boat, 76-77 Sea-Ray, that was not used for ten years. It sat winterized in a storage shed the whole time, not climate contolled in Utah. He now uses it 10-12 hours per year with no problems. But, since your boat is so nice, I would winterize and then have it shrink wrapped.