Winter Drystack Benefits

The Drystack in Portsmouth provides quick, convenient, secure and weatherproof powerboat storage for boats between 4 to 13 metres in length. Boats are lifted and stored on racking in a huge aircraft style hanger. Drystack saves you time and preserves boat condition and value. At the Drystack in Portsmouth, we have customers who keep their boat with us all year round, customers who are summer only and customers who are winter only.

The summer ease of access Drystack benefits are well documented, but there are also many benefits of using the Drystack for winter storage too:

1. Your boat stays completely dry

Stored indoors, fully protected from all sides, your boat is free from UV, salt water, pollution, storm damage and seagulls. There is also no risk of osmosis.

2. No degradation

How your boat goes into the Drystack will be how your boat comes out. All that the boat will require is a light clean to remove any dust accumulated over the winter.

3. No antifouling

Being stored out of the water means you do not need to go to the trouble or expense of applying antifoul each year. There are also no additional barnacles or weed growth to worry about.

4. High n’ dry and totally secure

Our boatyard is fully protected with security patrols and CCTV running 24 hours per day, but having your boat stored in a rack above ground level in a secure building adds a new level of security. It would be almost impossible for someone to steal your boat and extremely unlikely for any damage to be done whilst the boat is in the rack.

5. No boat covers or shrink wrapping required

No boat covers are required in the indoor Drystack saving you a significant investment.

If you leave your boat outside and want the boat to be in the same condition in the spring then it’s critical the boat covers are made of good quality material, made to fit the boat and are put on correctly. When choosing boat covers think about how often you are going to be pulling them on and off the boat and how severe the weather is likely to be. To avoid damage to the finish always protect the engines and any fibreglass from the cover.

An alternative to boat covers is to pay an annual fee to have your boat shrink wrapped for the winter. Assuming there is no damage to the shrink wrap, the advantages of shrink-wrapping are:

The boat remains clean and teak decks and gelcoat are protected.
When you are ready to use the boat the shrink wrap is disposed of so, unlike boat covers, there is no need to clean the shrink wrap.
Boats can be shrink-wrapped with an access space so you can carry out maintenance through the winter.
Shrinkwrap does not sag so there is less chance of water accumulating and causing damage.
Ventilation is built in to suppress mildew.
Less risk of theft than a standard boat cover as harder to access the boat.

6. No sleepless nights

Any boat owner who has left their boat outside during any of the storms over the last few years will know that feeling of dread knowing your prized possession is out in the open. At the very least you will want to check your boat to ensure the boat cover is in place, no water has collected in the cover and tighten the lines. It’s fine and all part of boating when the sun is shining and live close by, but when it’s in the middle of winter and raining going to check on your boat, however close you live, is a chore.

7. No need to worry about vermin or insect nests

In the Drystack, the boats are off the ground and so it is far less likely that vermin will enter the boat. We recommend exhaust outlets should be plugged or taped to prevent insects from nesting wherever the boat is being stored.

8. A lot less hassle than taking the boat home

New boat owners often look at storing their boat at home. If you have a secure, dry building to store your boat you are in a good place and your only worry is transportation to and from the harbour. For most people though taking the boat home means leaving the boat outside which opens up many obstacles:

You need a flat area of ground to prevent hull warping.
The boat should be away from a sloped roof to avoid heavy rainfall going from the roof to your boat.
Select a location where you can protect the boat from bumps and scuffs. The less foot and car traffic close to your boat the more likely the boat will remain damage-free.
Make it difficult for someone to steal or vandalise the boat. For example, take the boat off the trailer, remove anything of value (including the engines if possible) and store the boat away from the road and ideally out of sight. Ideally, install CCTV.
Invest in good quality, good fitting boat covers or arrange for the boat to be shrink-wrapped.
Maintaining your trailer is critical if you are going to be transporting your boat to and from home.
By storing the boat at home you are far less likely to take the boat out on the water at short notice.